Sowilo · Sowilo
Heimdall's Aett · No. 16 · Sound S
Form after Guus Kroonen, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (2013). The asterisk marks a linguistic reconstruction — no recording of Proto-Germanic exists. The IPA follows Ringe's (2006) sound system; the audio is a synthesised approximation. Trust the IPA over the audio.
The sun
A zigzag like lightning or a sunbeam — the most potent rune of the set. The sun that shines on everything without discrimination, the force that makes all things grow.
Victory and success — obstacles dissolve as you move steadily forward. Vitality is high, health is good, and the goal is clearly in view. The rune also means integrating the divided parts of yourself into one whole.
Sowilo has no reversed form. With heavy runes it can warn of success breeding arrogance, energy burned to nothing, or power used without regard for others.
This rune is symmetrical and has no traditional reversed form.
Move at full strength. The power is with you now.
At Scandinavian latitudes the sun is a matter of survival. The Anglo-Saxon poem sees it from a sailor's point of view — the hope of men crossing the sea until they reach shore. In Norse the sun is female, named Sól.
SólSun — shield of the clouds and shining ray and destroyer of ice.
Icelandic Rune Poem — oldest manuscript c. 1500 (AM 687 d 4°). Reproduced verbatim from Dickins (1915)