The Blank Rune

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Subject: The Blank Rune Sat Feb 16 2008, 11:01

The Blank Rune

The Mysterious-Faced Rune of Controversy

The reason why the Blank Rune is the most mysterious, most controversial, most thought-provoking of all the runes lies in its name: It’s blank. Why was a blank rune created? What does it mean? These answers and others, I will attempt to give you.

The Blank Rune is also called “wyrd” (pronounced like the word “weird”), and does not represent any letter, nor does it have an Old Norse name. This is because the rune was added on later to the traditional futhark sets. It does however, have a flower-purple iris-and a gem-opal, which actually has a special significance that I will discuss later on in this essay. It represents an unknown period of time.

As mentioned previously, the Blank Rune is cause for much debate (one of these debates even occurred here on HE). The ancient peoples who tried to divine their futures by use of the futhark did not have a blank rune in their sets. Runes by definition are supposed to be “a symbol or glyph of some kind.” However, this does not necessarily mean that they should not be used at all, despite the beliefs of others, such as Freya Aswynn. She wrote the book Northern Mysteries and Magick, and in it, says that by “changing the order or position of any of the runes (with the exception of Dagaz and Othila)” would basically wreck the entire “spiritual symbolism” that is put forth by the futhark. It would be “inaccurate at best…spiritually wrong at worst”. Some, like Aswynn, seem to think that anyone who uses the blank rune in their castings should “not be respected or even believed.” This is a bit extreme, but we must remember that as times change, we must adapt with them. Many witches and wizards do not observe the pagan traditions of the past to the letter, and they are still allowed to have standing in the magical community.

And just because some are willing to dismiss the Blank Rune, does not mean that it is completely worthless. It is well-known that the word “rune” means ‘mystery, secret, whisper’; and it seems obvious that the Blank Rune is the most mysterious, secretive rune in the set. And thus, it represents what can be regarded as one of the greatest mysterious secrets of them all-Fate, what all of the runes together are trying to divine.

As I stated above, another name for the Blank Rune is “wyrd”. This name does have merit in Norse mythology, as it is what the “Norns”, the goddess of fates, were called. These three goddesses, Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, represented past, present, and future-all of the events that are inevitable, no matter what. They ruled over the “karma a person accrued during his or her incarnation”. A perfect match for this mysterious rune.

While the Blank Rune can mean anything, good or bad, and it is usually up to the other runes to decide what it means, it can sometimes fall in incredibly significant ways. When it does this, it indicates a change or path in life that is so powerful, if taken, the person whose life is being cast for will never be the same. As stated above, this could be a good or bad thing, and the person casting should use the other runes to divine a good step to take. In any case, this is not a rune to take lightly.

As is the meaning of the word “rune”, the Blank Rune can indicate a secret that must be kept for the sake of the person casting runes. It could be that the caster has discovered something he or she should not have, and the Blank Rune serves as a warning that the caster is entering into matters that are not his or her own business.

Finally, I previously mentioned an interesting fact about opal being the Blank Rune’s germstone. Opals “have a lot to do with the workings of fate”, as sated by Tony Willis. This could be why there is an old superstition that wearing opals is not a good idea unless it is your birthstone, meaning that you were destined to have it. Unless of course, the Blank Rune tells you that it’s all right to do so in a casting.

As you can see, the Blank Rune holds more than most people would like to admit. What could it be that keeps them from acknowledging the power of this rune? Maybe they, like many, are afraid of the “wyrd” that surrounds them.

Sources
http://www.bewitchingways.com/runes/blank.htm

Subject: Re: The Blank Rune Mon Feb 18 2008, 16:17

Well done on this essay, it was very interesting to read.

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