Beorc

Beorc byth bleda leas, bereth efne swa theah

Tanas butan tudder, bith on telgum wlitig,

Heah on helme hrysted faegere,

Geloden leafum, lyfte getenge.

Birch is without fruit, just the same it bears,

Except it's offspring springs from its branches,

High on its boughs is a lovely and radiant crown,

Cloaked with leaves, near to the sky.

Beorc is in keeping with the multi facets and hidden meanings in the Anglo-Saxon rune poems. As with several other runes this poem seems to be talking about three distinctly different aspects of Beorc. To help us better understand this rune let's firstly examine the first two lines of this poem.

Birch is without fruit, but just the same it bears, except its offspring spring from its branches. These are two very interesting lines and draw us closer to unveiling Beorc. I believe these lines are describing the earth Goddess herself and that our ancestors have cleverly hidden her in using the birch tree as a metaphor. We could interpret the message by saying the earth is without fruit but yet she bears. When we look at the earth we know that she herself has no seed but that all life sprang and springs from her. The offspring in the second line can be seen as grasses, herbs and all living things on earth, including the human race. This proves to me that our ancestors knew where the origins of life came from thousands of years ago and it has just been proven by science that we all came from the primordial sea of the earth and share the same DNA as all living things which surround us.

Another connection that the Birch tree has with the goddess is its medicinal functions. Its leaves and bark can be used in healing. The leaves can be used in gout and rheumatism. Both of these afflictions undoubtedly affected our ancestors since they lived close with nature and were exposed to the cold and damp elements of the northlands. Also the bark of the tree can be used to treat muscle pain. I am almost certain that the wise healers knew the beneficial healing aspects of the Birch. But as with any herb it is wise to seek out the help of a professional herbalist instead of walking into the forest willy nilly and grabbing the leaves and bark of any Birch tree.

The second half of the poem seems to be describing the world tree or even better yet the maypole which is a symbol of the world tree its self. The rune poem seems to be vividly describing the Maypole. It states that high on its boughs is a crown, radiant and close to the sky. When we look at Maypoles of today we can clearly see a crown of greenery on the top of the pole and it looks as if it were touching the sky. The first of May is Mayday and it is the time when fertility rites were and are practiced. This ensured the fertility of the crops, the land and maybe even oneself. The Maypole can be seen as a symbol of the cosmic tree of life as well as representing the penis and the generative forces in nature i.e. sky father. The pole can be viewed as a physical symbol of the sexual union between earth and sky otherwise unseen. The ribbons on the pole can be taken to mean the web of wyrd and its many cycles reminding us of the interconnectedness of all life. It can also be taken to symbolize the sperm of Sky Father impregnating his consort. The spring is the time when the earth Goddess is in reborn and all life is in blossom. This is undoubtedly the rune of the earth goddess in her fertile mode.

With this rune symbolizing the earth mother and the progenitor of all life in the world it is fitting that it should follow Tiw. This would be in keeping with the story told to us by Tacitus about the creation of the three Germanic tribes. He wrote that it was believed that Tuisto was earth born and since he was the father of Mannas and he the father of all the Germanic people. It would seem fitting that our ancestors most likely still held to the belief that all living things stemmed from a common ancestor. This ancestor being the earth Goddess herself and hence all things are connected to eachother. This is the fundamental basis of Wyrd.

Eoh

Eoh byth for eorlum aethelinga wyn, hors hofum wlanc,

Thaer him haeleth ymbe, welege on wicgum,

Wrixlath spraece, and bith unstyllum aefre frofur.

Horse is for noble Aethelings a joy,

In a stately horse stable there with prosperous heroes about him,

Exchanging speech,

For the restless always a benefit.

The most fundamental meaning of Eoh is horse, war-horse and charger. This gives us a glimpse as to the way horses were viewed by our ancestors at the time. As with all ancient and migratory cultures there was a strong push to advance tribal borders and this most often meant war. The horse was their weapon par excellence due to the fact that they were swift and could carry the rider over vast distances in a fairly quick amount of time. A horse elevated the physical burden off of people that were often on the go could also carry goods and weapons. Horses were highly valued by their owners and a good bond between rider and horse had to be a must. This will give us another peek into another function of this majestic and scared animal.

To our ancestors the horse was seen as being able to give future predictions. Tacitus mentions that the horse was used in the reading of omens. He states that these special horses were pure white and that they were never used in the service of men. It is said that the priests would yoke them to a chariot and observe the sounds that they made. No other form of prediction was taken as serious as this one. It is said that all people in the society were privy to this form of prediction. It was also believed that the horses were able to hear that gods counsel. Could this rune poem be describing such an event as Tacitus writes us about? Did our Saxon ancestors hold onto this practice until the dawn of the Christian era? I believe they did.

Firstly, I believe that this rune poem contains the description of predicting omens by the means horses. Secondly, that it is strikingly outspoken about the special bond between rider and horse and thirdly that Eoh also alludes to the secret men's societies that revolved around venerating  this animal and also included horse whispering. This was an act of predicting the future by direct communication with the animal itself and involved that taming of wild horses as well. All of these meanings tie in together to form a perfect composite whole which will give us a complete picture of the folk mysteries contained within Eoh.

As with the other rune poems before I believe this one to have an alternative meaning alongside its conventional one. This alternative meaning that I ascribe to this rune is one of omens and of healing. Let's look at the poem in a bit more detail. The first sentence is very clear; a horse is for Aethelings a joy. The second part of the stanza is generally taken to talk about the creatures in their stables with prosperous men about them exchanging speech. The poem wraps up with, for the restless always a benefit. This is a very valid translation and I have left it as such. In an insight one night this rune appeared to me and showed itself in a very different light. What it presented to me was a very different scene then we would normally see in this poem. Let me explain the other side of Eoh and its message.

First off the first and the sixth lines remain the same and form a sentence with one another; horse is for noble Aethelings a joy, for the restless always benefit. This would seem to round off the picture of a migratory people on the move looking for new territories. Serving as a benefit for the nobles of the tribe in helping them conquest new lands. But it is the second through the fifth lines that seem to shine a new light on this rune. When we look at the second line it would normally read, a horse in a stately dwelling or stable. There is another way to read this line. If we look at the words Hofum and Wlanc we can begin to decode the mystery within. Hofum means sanctuary or dwelling but there is another meaning which is Hoof. Wlanc means splendid, lofty and magnificent. We could read this line as, A magnificent horse on its hooves since Hofum is the plural form of the word Hof. The word Haeleth means man but it is also linked to our Modern English word heal. The third line would then proceed with, there he around him heals. This sounds a bit strange when we apply the direct translation but as I continue we will see a clearer picture. The next line also has a particular word that seems mysterious, it is Welege. This word means rich and in a more obscure way it can also mean willow. So a reconstruction of the fifth sentence it could be translated as Willow on the horse. All this sounds so fragmented but it will all make sense when it is put together.

Putting the fragmented sentences together it would go something like this: A magnificent horse on its hooves, there he heals him with willow, exchanging speech. This picture would tie in with most of the other myths of the time where horses are healed. There are quite a few charms where the god Wodan comes to the aid of an injured horse. There is the Merseberg Charm and the Nine Herbs Charm. I find it particularly interesting that in the Nine Herbs Charm Wodan threw nine glory twigs and the serpent flew into nine parts (this charm was mentioned in Chapter 4 and it was used against a snake bite). Then the charm concludes with the healer singing the charm into the mouth, both ears and the wound. I believe that the above rune poem alludes to this kind of practice. The healer could have used a willow stick carved with healing runes and sung such a charm into the ears of the animal. This is what could be meant by the exchange of words. This would tie Eoh alongside the magical horse traditions of our ancestors. One must remember that this is all speculation and that it is up to the individual to read and interpret the runes and their poems the way feel most comfortable with.

Now that we have seen the different sides of Eoh these being a horse in its stable with nobles around admiring the horses or looking to them for omens in a sanctuary. Either way the horse was a very sacred animal and it still is. When we look at the more personal aspect of Eoh it reminds us of the restless part in us all, that free spirit. Horses can be trained but they always remain wild at heart. Such is the human soul. These days we give so much up and barely have time to be free due to work, school or other things, which dominate our lives. Sometimes we just need to break away and discover that wild and free part of ourselves. Eoh represents our inward wild spirit. Just by releasing that spirit we could learn so much more about ourselves. Eoh teaches us to be different and to be free. Along side of being free it also reminds us of that the bond between those around us and ourselves. Just as there is a strong bond between rider and horse so must there be with the people in our lives. While Eoh symbolizes partnerships it also reminds us to find the right kind.