Necklace with the Rune Ansuz

Meaning: wisdom, poetry, inspiration, vitality, the beginning of a journey

MATERIAL: silver or gilded silver

The rune Ansuz represents a god or deity, and is usually attributed to the Aesir god Odin. Odin, god of the hanged, and leader of the wild hunt across the heavens, was the god of the winds, the all-father and a god of war; the god of rage and frenzy. As the god of death, Odin received fallen warriors in his hall Valhall. He was the patron of poetry and the runes, and owned two ravens, Hugin and Munin, who flew over the world and told Odin everything they saw - past, present and future. Odin's byname, Jolnir, links Odin to Christmas, and there are those who believe he is the origin of our Santa Claus.

The rune Ansuz can also mean river mouth, and has been described as the beginning of most journeys. It is seen as the source of all language, and a blessing and comfort to the wise. A further possible interpretation is that the rune may represent the ash, the secular equivalent of the World Tree Yggdrasil, where Odin hung for nine days and nights to gain knowledge of the secret of the runes. The ash tree was therefore sacred in relation to both the runes and Norse myth in general - according to one source, venomous animals refused to rest under its branches. Witches flew on ash branches according to old folklore, and anyone who ate the red buds of the ash tree on Midsummer's Eve could not be bewitched. Ash was the preferred wood for making spears, and ash was also the wood from which the basket in which Idun kept the apples of her youth was made.

The rune Ansuz corresponds to the letter A.

The necklace comes in silver or gold plated silver.