Eolh-secg/Elhaz


Original meaning: Positive influence
Creativity and artistry are well favored. New career, or opportunities for advancement. You may be learning something new.

Eolh-secg is primarily know as the rune of defense, it is the rune of sacred ground, of sanctuary. It's protection is passive, but brings forth painful results. The rune poem verse packs a warning, do not violate warded places. Eolh-secg is related to the concept of the sacred, that dedicated to the divine which cannot be violated. Eolh-secg invokes the divine's protection, and can be used to communicate with the divine. Its rune verse is similar to that of Thorn's, both being defensive runes. The primary difference however is while Thorn is geared to an active defense and can be used offensively, Eolh-secg is oriented towards passive protection. This passive protection is the protection of the gods and that which they make sacred.

This concept of the sacred is linked to the concept of wih, that which more properly belongs to the realms of the gods and not that of the mundane world. Wih is a divine state, one that belongs to a higher plane. The alternative rune name Ealh was used of places that were also called in Old Norse ve a word which derives from the proto-Germanic ancestor of the word wih "sacred." This linkage to the idea of the "sacred" brings with it the awe and fear of the divine, and herein rests the power of the rune Eolh-secg. For the uninitiated, or the unenlightened to attempt to touch the divine could result in dangerous consequences "burning with blood any man that tries to grab it." Ancient Germanic law prescribed the death penalty for those that stole from temples or other holy sites or otherwise desecrated them.

In divination Eolh-secg may indicate a period of safety and security or a time when safety and security is called for, it could indicate contact with the divine or that divine protection is coming. In spellwork its primary use is related to defensive spells and warding. Its defense being passive, while Thorn's is more aggressive.