Rune a Day Project - Day 24 - November 24, 2021 - Algiz (or Elgaz/Elhaz)
Day 24 of my rune a day project. Today I drew Algiz. Literally, it means "elk-sedge" (Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem) or "Yew" (reversed and found in the Younger Futhark). It represents protection, defense, the higher self, support patronage, care, guardian, reaching up to the divine, prayer, warding, hallowing, restraint, resistance, shield, Yggdrasil, guardian spirits, Hamingja, communication with spirits and the divine.
Lots of references out there hone in on the "elk" part of "elk-sedge", but I wanted to learn more about the actual plant itself. Sedge has hundreds of varieties, but the one the Anglo-Saxon rune poem is referring to is claudium mariscus, called in modern times "sawtooth sedge", "swamp sawgrass", "great fen-sedge", or "saw sedge". It grows in boggy areas just as the poem describes and it is one of the grasses used in thatching houses (literally up to modern times). It can grow about 8 feet tall and is native to temperate areas of Europe and Asia. North America has several related subspecies. The edges of the leaves are sharp, hence the sense of defense and protection, because you can literally cut yourself on these plants.
Sedge as a species in all of its varieties is known to provide ground-cover and protection for small animals & pollinators. So yet again, there's that protection association.
I also see a roof support column in the shape of Algiz, which again connects that with protection from the outside world (the roof column supports the thatched roof, right?).
Many sources also related this to Yggdrasil and/or the Tree of Life, prayer, and communication to the spirit world and the divines. I think this is pretty obvious going by the shape - yep, looks like a tree, and yep, absolutely resembles a person with arms wide in prayer. Thus, if you want to draw deeper associations to this rune on those interpretations, I think that makes a lot of sense.
Upside down, this rune exists as "yr" in the Younger Futhark, representing the letter R and translated as "yew" (which in the Elder Futhark, is Eihwaz, ᛇ , which we talked about waaay back on day 9). In the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc it's "calc", representing and the letter K, and it could mean "chalice" or "chalk" maybe. For me, when I see this rune upside down, I think of the modern-day peace sign, ☮ . That was created by Gerald Holtom in 1958, and it stands for nuclear disarmament originally, but now is generally "peace".
Given that the "elk-sedge" interpretation of the rune seems to be *armed* self defense in some way, turning it upside down as an emblem of *disarming* seems appropriate, even if the symbol is not at all related to runes (it's a combo of the semaphore signals for "N" and "D").
Funny little coincidence, that.
Personally, martial artist and instructor, this rune REALLY speaks to me in terms of self defense. The idea that you learn, you arm yourself, but you only use it in defensive uses is the basic premise of all martial arts training that has any relationship to self defense. I really should be wearing this rune a lot as well as Tiwaz, the rune I wear all the time. I think I'll make it a point to include it on my person as much as possible going forward.
As an aside, this is one of those runes that some Nazis have slimed, so I reiterate, they can fuck right off.
