Today we are a bit more insulated from starvation, but not from the vicissitudes of fate. Our projects can go awry despite our best efforts thanks to a sudden turn of ill luck. Hagalaz, the Hail-Rune, reminds us that all we do can be ripped asunder by a change in the weather. It reminds us to plan ahead, but also reminds us that there are disasters which are past all our planning. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said "into each life a little rain must fall." Hagalaz goes Longfellow one better: it reminds us that sometimes the rain will actually be fist-sized lumps of ice flung from the sky at high speeds. It is not a comforting rune: many runeworkers consider it the worst one of all when it comes up in a reading.
But Hagalaz nevertheless plays an important role in the functioning - indeed, in the creation - of the universe. When the fire of Muspelheim met the ice of Niflheim in the great abyss of Ginnungagap, the hail and storms of eitr (frozen poison) which arose gave birth to Ymir, the primal frost giant who would sire the entire race of jotuns (giants): later Ymir's bones and blood would be used to form the world of men. Hagalaz may be one of the most baneful of the runes, but it is also one of the holiest.
Hagalaz teaches us humility: it reminds us of our mortality and our limitations. While we cannot avoid the storm, we can make preparations for the hard times to come. And if we must be conquered by forces beyond our control, we can at least face defeat with honor, courage and dignity. As Hávamál 75-76 reminds us:
Cattle die and kinsmen die,
thyself too soon must die,
but one thing never, I ween, will die, --
fair fame of one who has earned.
Cattle die and kinsmen die,Used in magic, Hagalaz can cast a terrible curse on opponents, crushing their plans and destroying all their work and all they hold dear. It can also be used to destroy any magic sent against you: its icy hail can quench the fires which might burn you and transform the poison sent against you. Many runesters use Hagalaz as a gateway to Helheim, land of the dead -- another realm associated with implacable change and destruction. Others use it for journeys to Niflheim, realm of the Frost Giants.
thyself too soon must die,
but one thing never, I ween, will die, --
the doom on each one dead.
Today many who have faced tragedy or crisis are encouraged to "get over it," "forget about it" and "quit holding onto the past." (Of course, most would happily let go of their pain if only they could!) While it is a destructive rune, Hagalaz can also be useful in healing those wounds it has caused. It can force us to face our loss, then give us the purifying grief which the Greeks called catharsis. It allows us to cast our poison into the void and let it bring forth new life.
4 comments:
Just now reading through your rune posts and I must say I'm quite pleased with your interpretations as much as I am with reading your book. Great work, keep it up!
CAN THIS RUNE BE USED FOR CASES OF PESTIFEROUS NEIGHBORS AND THEIR DRUG DEALER GUESTS WHO JUST WON'T STOP DOING WHAT THEY DO TO DESTROY YOUR ACTUAL RIGHTS TO LIVE WHERE YOU LIVE
also just how would i call upon this rune for this? as with those who use the banishing pentacle to keep away troublesomes?
@ms, maybe it is advisable to use Isa to freeze their actions first. Just mentally project it over the area or onto the individuals when you see them.
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