This week we are returning to our runic series in our core broadcasts. Today the Rune that we are discussing is found in this form only in the Elder Futhark, and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. This Rune is called in the Elder row Eiwhaz, and in the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, Eeoh. This Rune does not have a representation in the Younger Futhark or the Armanen Futhorc. It is however partially absorbed by the Rune found in both of those systems called Yrr. We will get to that at a future point when we are further along in the series.

This is a very powerful Rune because it means in a literal sense "the Yew tree" and as such is connected very much to the concept of death. This is not in a negative sense per say but in a transformative sense. If you are to picture the world tree, you can picture this Rune as being representative of its vertical axis reaching from the depths of Hel to the heights of Asgard. If you listened to the core broadcast on this subject you will have heard read to you the Rune poem and the cryptic words that are spoken out  regarding this Rune. The ideographic symbolism of this Rune is one that is a connection point, in the creative and destructive powers of the multi-verse, to the ancestral spirits and to the gods and goddesses themselves along with everything in between. Some people have postulated that the meaning of this Rune could be correlated to the "death" card of the tarot though this is a mere conjecture. What we do know is that even in post-Christian times the Yew tree in Europe used to be planted in many graveyards as an appropriate tree for that venue. This tree also bears a very beautiful type of fruit which is extremely pleasing to the eye – – but is as deadly to eat as it is to behold! In fact I have heard (as this tree does not grow in the same way in North America as it does in Europe) that if you eat one of the berries from this tree there is nothing they can do for you to save your life; you are done! There were also two trees that were equivalent in the mythologies to the world tree. One of them being the Ash tree, the other being the Yew tree. This is again conjecture on my part though some may agree/disagree, but I believe that this duality represents the concept of the world tree through religious eyes (the Ash tree) and the concept of the world tree through the eyes of the sorcerer or esoteric initiate (the Yew tree). The Yew tree may even have been the tree through which initiatory rites were performed, as this tree emits a poisonous gas which after prolonged exposure can cause hallucinatory experiences. Look into some of these matters yourself and come to your own conclusions.

Long story short this is not a Rune for the newbie but one for the person who has experienced enough self-control through experience with previous runes, to be able to withstand psychologically the window this Rune opens up to the ancestors and to the spirits (wights, gods, or otherwise). In other words, if one is not ready and successfully invokes the power of this Rune into their lives, it can really screw with their head and their concept of who they are as a person. Death is the portal that we all must eventually go through, and what is on the other side of that portal is not what many expect.

Until Next Time....

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