ELDER FUTHARK · FREYR'S AETT · RUNE 2 OF 24
Uruz ᚢ
“Aurochs” · the sound u
IN A READING
Raw strength, health, endurance.
REVERSED
Weakness, illness, strength misused.
IN MAGIC
Healing, vitality, physical courage.
In the rune poems
Three medieval poems give a short verse to each rune's name, the oldest record of what the names meant. What they stress for Uruz: the fierce, horned wild ox — untamed and brave.
THE OLD ENGLISH RUNE POEM · ᚢ UR
Ur byþ anmodond oferhyrned,felafrecne deor,feohteþ mid hornummære morstapa;þæt is modig wuht.
Known only from George Hickes's printing of 1705; the manuscript burned in the Cotton library fire of 1731.
THE OLD ICELANDIC RUNE POEM · ᚢ ÚR
Úr er skýja grátrok skára þverrirok hirðis hatr.
For the sixteen runes of the Younger Futhark, in manuscripts from about 1500.
The verses are given in their own languages, Old English from Bruce Dickins's edition (1915) as transcribed on Wikisource, Old Icelandic as normalised in Wikipedia's article on the rune poems. Square brackets mark words the editors restored.
In the later rows
Anglo-Saxon futhorc
ᚢUr
Younger Futhark
ᚢÚr
Freyr's aett
The futhark falls into three rows of eight, the aettir. Uruz is number 2 of Freyr's aett:
Learn more in the lessons
- Galdr — The Chanted Spell · 16 min
- The Elder Futhark Runes · 15 min
- Runes in Magic · 15 min