The rune Ehwaz is the nineteenth rune in the Elder
Futhark. It is the rune of movement, progress, and a horse. In the popular metaphysical culture, this rune is seen as a type for an individual’s journey to the Self. Well, yes. But, like so many of the runic glyphs we’ve looked at, there is more to the story. Ehwaz speaks of a duality. Some would say two aspects of the same thing. But, really it is two different, distinct beings working together to get to the same place or to achieve the same goal. In order to get from one place to another in an effective, efficient manner the ancient Nordic traveler required a horse. More than that. The horse and rider had to work together. It just doesn’t work if the traveler wants to go north and the horse keeps trying to go south.
The mythological type of Ehwaz is Odinn and his eight legged steed, Sleipnir. The father of the gods rode this mighty mythological monster from world to world as he traveled the nine worlds of Yggdrasil. This pair moved freely across boundaries and to the ends of the world tree because they worked together. There is another interesting thing we should note before we leave the mythological roots of Ehwaz. The horse is also connected to the concept of fertility. Therefore, the horse is important to the fertility god Freyr.
There are many other examples of this duality. The ancient Germanic kings were often seen as dual leaders, serving as both the political and religious leader. Other examples include horse and chariot; body and soul; man and woman; and on the mundane level in today’s world, driver and car.
One of the examples we looked at above was the pairing of “man/woman.” This rune can represent the perfect example of marriage. The man is a distinct person. The woman is also a distinct person. Together they travel life on the same path. Maybe, neither one of them could live their life to the fullest alone. But, together, hand in hand, they support each other and travel to new places, doing new things.
Another pairing or duality we mentioned, was the concept of body and soul. This is really the very core of understanding the meaning behind Ehwaz. But the ancient Norse had a somewhat different way of explaining it. They would use the word fylgja. We would translate this word as a fetch. A fetch is a type of ghost, wraith, shade, or specter. Another word often used is doppelganger. A doppelganger is a ghostly or spiritual double of a person living in the mundane world. Some would say a fetch haunts its double. But, as we understand this word today, I think we miss the point. A fetch does not hang around a mundane being just to make life miserable for them. Fetches are far too important for this. The way I sometimes explain it is to see the fetch as a combination of a pattern and a very stern guardian angel.
Our fetch is the pattern we should follow in our journey to the Self. Each of us has a fetch which shows us what we should be or what we would be like at the end of our journey to the Self. By emulating our fetch, we come closer to the Self. But the fetch is more. It reminds us. It nudges us. It may even confront us. That aspect of ourselves we call conscience is part of our fetch. If we listen to it, our fetch will do everything unhumanly possible to lead us to our spiritual fullness. It might even be said that our fetch tries to protect our-Self from ourself.
So, the bottom line about Ehwaz is that it represents a working duality, one which is required to successfully complete the journey to the Self. When we see this rune in a spread, we want to pay attention to that “still, small voice” which is showing the way.
In the same way, when we see Ehwaz inversed, we need to pay particular attention. This is a very pointed notice that we are not where we should be on our path to the Self. So what are you going to do about it?
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