Ramblings of Roving Rune Caster
The rune Hagalaz is the ninth rune in the Elder Futhark. It is the rune of disruptive natural forces, elemental power, and hail. If this sounds somewhat alarming - all right. But, you shouldn't look at it as "frightening" or "unnatural." The power of Hagalaz can be found in the Nordic myths of the very creation of the multi-verse.
In the very beginnings of pre-time, before the earth or the seas or the sky, there was Allfather. He had never been seen, felt, or created. He just was. Anything he wished came into being. And, nothing came into being without his wish. Back then, in the middle of space, there was a huge chasm, the Ginnunga-gap. Its vast size was unknown; nobody could see near to the bottom.
On the north side of Ginnunga-gap was Nifl-heim. The land of cold and dark and mist. From the internal, bubbling cauldron in the center of Nifl-heim flowed the twelve rivers, Elivagar. As the waters of Elivagar approached Ginnunga-gap, they turned to ice. Huge skyscraper-sized chunks of ice broke off and fell into the abyss with a deafening roar, which can only be understood by those of us who have spent time in the far north.
On the other side of the abyss, directly across from Nifl-heim, was Muspells-heim. It was the home of brightness, light and the internal, elemental fire. Its borders were guarded by the flame giant, Surtr. He protected the frontier by swinging his flaming sword. As he did, sparks flew off and many fell into Ginnunga-gap. As you can guess, fire and ice do not go together well. Where they met, a dynamic reaction occurred and steam was created. When this steam flowed upward, it again cooled and developed into rime ice. Two significant creatures were created from this rime. One was Ymir, the ice giant; the other was Audhumla, the gigantic cosmic cow. The cow provided nourishment for the giant. Ymir, on the other hand, battled the gods as soon as he saw them. However, there was more to Ymir; he was the creation of two races of beings, the ice giants and the gods. Odinn and his two brothers, Vili and Ve, are examples. In the end, Odinn and his family, killed Ymir and most of Ymir's race. You see, the gods and the ice giants represent opposites - good and evil. But, when it was all over, Odinn and his brothers used the body of the giant to make the earth.
This is a very brief version of several fables from Nordic mythology. But, it illustrates several points which are inherent in Hagalaz. First, notice the heat and cold positioned against one another. The reaction of their meeting was quick, certain, and violent. So it is today in the mundane world. A cold front and a warm front meet, and there is rain and violent weather. Depending on how cold (or hot) one is compared to the other and how quickly they come together, we might see a summer storm, a thunderstorm, or even a hurricane.
But, this violent reaction is required. It dissipates the energy and refreshes the land, giving nourishment to plants, animals, and humans. Without the storms, the atmosphere might become even more violent. Without the rain, the land would become a desert. In the same way, the violent combination of the ice from Nifl-heim and the sparks from Muspells-heim created more violence -Ymir. But, the result was even greater good. Two races created-the formation of the ever nourishing Audhumla, and the building of earth.
As is usually the case with the magic of the runes, this myth of creation also holds truths for us in several realms. We can't expect peace if we are not balanced between our mundane goals and the Self, or if we are torn between conflicting ideal or desires.
So, what does drawing Hagalaz tell us? You've heard me say it before. Meditate and strive to know the Self. Look at all realms of your life and try to determine where the imbalance is, then move to the Self by adhering to natural law.
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