Ear byth egle eorla gehwylcan, thonn faestlice flaesc

Onginneth, hraw colian, Hrusan ceosan blac to gebeddan,

Bleda gedreosath, wynn gewitath, wera geswicath.

Grave is hideous to every man, when the firm flesh begins,

The living body to grow cold,

To choose the pale earth as a bed-fellow,

Fruits parish, joys depart, promises fail.

This is the final rune of the Futhorc. Its meaning is somewhat shrouded in mystery as it has many meanings really not pertaining to each other. Its name can mean an ear of grain, earth, death, ocean and wave. The shape of this rune is like Tiw and its function is very similar to that rune. I believe that Ear is connected to the continental Saxon god Irmin. This is due to the shape of the rune in that it looks very much like the Saxon world pillar known as the Irminsul. This world pillar was sacred to the old Saxons and it was cut down in 772 C.E. by Charles the Great taking three days complete the task. This must have been a huge monument to the old sky father. I am sure that when the Anglo-Saxons came to Briton that they must have brought their sky father Irmin with them. His name might have been Eorman in Old English but we will never be quite certain, as there is no evidence of this name to be found on Anglo-Saxon England. There are on the other hand many words that start with the prefix Ear and Eor. If we look at many of these words maybe then we can shine a little light on this shrouded rune.

Some of the words that start with the prefix Ear are for example Eard, earfothe and eargrund. The definitions to these words are earth, hardship and sea bottom respectively. While words starting with Eor have such varied meaning as army, troop and earth. If we look at our modern word earth we can still see the prefix of ear. Each of these words all point to the meanings of ear and eor and their connection to the earth, sea and warriors. While we find no reference to the god Irmin we can definitely see that his name or at least the prefix of his name seems to point to many of his functions. Take for example his connection with the earth. As we saw earlier with the rune Gear the earth goddess and the sky father were married in the spring and the sky father let rains fertilize the earth giving way to birth after her long winter death. The two were clearly connected to each other in the minds of our ancestors and this concept is share throughout the world by many other cultures.

We can also see his function as a war god by all the words used to describe warriors and troops. The sky father was very important because he was seen as the god of justice and it was believed that when a warrior died in battle that he or she would dwell in his hall. This hall in later Viking times was called Valhalla meaning hall of the slain. By the time of the Norse Eddas Odin had become supreme sky father and god of all creation but in earlier times the sky god had many different names depending on where he was worshipped. The Saxons called him both Tiw and Irmin, while those in Scandinavia called him Tyr. As we found out in the section of the Tiw rune the name Tiw is a generic name for god. It is interesting to note that in the Futhorc there are two different old sky fathers named. I believe this is because when the Angles and the Saxons migrated to their new home each brought with them their own set of gods with localized names. There is reason to believe that the Old English called Irmin by the name of Iring. This name is used to describe the Milky way, which was seen as the road of the sky father. It is very interesting to note how the gods slowly took over each other’s cults.

This take over took many years to develop. The old Germans worshiped Tiw as supreme god but they also worshiped Wodan. Wodan was more of a storm and death god who struck fear and awe into the hearts of those who worshiped him. As Wodans cult move northwards he gradually took over Tiw’s place and developed that name Odin. Odin took on the attributes of both Tiw and Wodan. As time went by and the Norwegians settled in Iceland it seems that the worship of Odin was nearly nonexistent and that Thor had taken over his spot as chief god. Thor was always connected to the sky and it was he who brought gentle summer rains which helped the farmers crops grow. It seems that the people favored him because he was a friendly god and did not have the fickle reputation of Odin. Thor was the final sky father as the heathen period came to a close.

Ear is also connected to the grave mound. In the old days of our ancestors people used to be buried in such mounds. This funeral custom was practiced by most of the Germanic peoples. The burial mound is mentioned in Anglos-Saxon poems and in Norse sagas. A practice sitting on a mound to receive help from the ancestors was common amongst the people, especially for witches. In Icelandic sagas there are stories that tell of people hearing voices coming from burial mounds and it was believed that the dead dwelt in these mounds and continued on with their afterlife. In the Saga of the Ynglings Odin is responsible for ordaining these burial rites. The burial rites, which he ordained was that firstly the person was burned with their belonging, this was done to ensure that they had the things that were dear to them when they entered Valhalla. After the funeral pyre the ashes were either taken to the sea or buried in the ground. For famous men memorial stones were erected in their honor. After the dead were buried it is said that there were three sacrifices made. The first one was made in the beginning of winter to ensure a good season, the second one was made in Midwinter to ensure good crops and thirdly one was made in summer for victory. If we look at all of these customs for burial we can easily see that this rune holds within it all the mysteries attached to the grave. If we look at the separate meanings of Ear it becomes clear that the Anglo-Saxons must have known of the burial practices that Odin or Wodan taught to the people.

This rune poem is startedly outspoken with its connection to the grave, but it is also a perfect rune to end the Futhorc. It reminds us that there would be no life without death and that death is nothing to fear, as it is a natural process. On a more spiritual level it represents the end of the seekers journey on the pathway to knowledge and occult wisdom. It is not the final end even though the seeker may think that his or her journey is over it really never is. There are always new pathways, which open up and lead us down new roads and new vistas that we never would have expected. Such is the case of the spiritual warrior and even though one might become discouraged the runes remind us to always be strong and to face each fear or apprehension with unwavering strength and will.

This brings us to the conclusion of the Futhorc. It is my wish that the wisdom of the runes will help and guide the reader to discover the awesome power held within these wise and ancient symbols. They must be handled with care and respect. We have only scratched the surface on the runes and there is much more research that needs to be done on the runes and it is unfortunate that many people using the runes have overlooked the Futhorc. May this book inspire you to delve deeper into Anglo-Saxon heathen beliefs. While there are no stories left of the Gods from the Old English we do need to look to the Norse Eddas as they contain the only stories we have of our heathen heritage. It is obvious that the Norse and the English systems sprang from the same source and that each needs the other to survive. May the Gods guide you.   

Feoh

Feoh byth frofur fira gehwylcum,

sceal theah manna gehwylc miclun hyt daelan

gif he wile for drihtne domes hleotan.

Wealth is a consolation for every person,

Though each man shall share his greatness,

If he should before his lord cast judgement.

Ur

Ur byth anmod and oferhyrned,

Felafrecne deor feohteth mid hornum,

Maere morstapa; thaet is modig wuht.

Aurochs is a proud, fierce and over-horned beast,

It fights with its horns,

A courageous creature that is a notorious moor-stomper

Thorn

Thorn byth thearle scearp; thenga gehwylcum

Anfeng ys yfyl, ungemetun rethe

Manna gehwylcun the him mid resteth.

Thorn is sharp and harsh,

It is extremely evil to each who grasps it,

Cruel to every person who rests amid them.

Os

Os bith ordfruma aelcre spraece,

Wisdomes wrathu and witena frofur,

And eorla gehwam eadnys and tohiht.

Divinity is the source of all speech,

Wisdoms help and the wise mans comfort,

And to every person a blessing and hope.

Rad

Rad byth on recyde rinca gewhylcum

Sefte, and swithhwaet tham the sittath on ufan

Meare maegenheard ofer milpathas.

Riding to the hall is for every man a pleasure,

But very strenuous for those who sit on a strong horse

Over many miles.

Cen

Cen byth cwicera gehwam cuth on fyre,

Blac and beorhylic, byrneth oftust

Thaer hi aethelingas inne restath.

Torch is well known to those living       

By its shining and bright fire light,

Burning most often where there are nobles resting inside.

Geifu

Geifu gumena byth gleng and herenys,

Wrathu and wyrthscype, and wraecna gehwam

Ar and aetwist the byth othra leas.

Giving is for men honour and praise,

Help and respect, and a beneficial touch

For those who are without it's presence.

Wynn

Wynn ne bruceth the can weana lyt,

Sares and sorge, and him sylfa haefth

Blaed and blysse and eac byrga geniht.

Joy one cannot enjoy who has few worries,

Suffering and sorrow, and has for himself

Prosperity and bliss and also security at night.

Haegl

Haegl byth hwitust corna, hwyrft hit of heofones lyfte,

Wealcath hit windes scuras,

Weortheth hit to waetere syththan.

Hail is the whitest of grains,

Its outlet is from the clouds in the heavens,

Whirling winds shower it,

Afterwards it becomes water.