Rune 20 of 24 · Tyr's aett
Mannaz
“human being” · sound: m
Can be drawn reversed when reversals are on.
Historical evidence
The human being in all three poems (man, maðr). The Old English poem notes that each person is dear to their kin, and yet each must part from the others in death.
The name Mannaz is a modern reconstruction of the Proto-Germanic name; the Elder Futhark’s own names are not recorded.
In the rune poems
Original
Man byþ on myrgþe his magan leof:
sceal þeah anra gehwylc oðrum swican,
forðam drihten wyle dome sine
þæt earme flæsc eorþan betæcan.English
A man in his gladness is dear to his kinsman; yet each must fail the other, because the Lord by his decree will commit the poor flesh to the earth.
Original
Maðr er moldar auki;
mikil er græip á hauki.English
Man is an increase of dust; mighty is the grip of the hawk.
The Norwegian rhyme pairs each rune with a second line that rhymes with the first and often has no obvious connection to it.
Original
Maðr er manns gaman
ok moldar auki
ok skipa skreytir
homo mildingr.English
Man is the delight of man and an increase of dust and the adorner of ships. Man [Latin homo]. Generous one.
Each Icelandic stanza ends with two words: a Latin gloss of the rune’s name and a poetic word for a king or chieftain that alliterates with the rune. Both are translated as they stand.
Original texts as printed in Bruce Dickins, Runic and Heroic Poems of the Old Teutonic Peoples, Cambridge University Press, 1915. Public domain. The English translations are Scryway’s own, made line by line from these texts; square brackets mark uncertain or added words. No published translation is reproduced.
Modern interpretation
From 20th-century and later divinatory practice, written for Scryway. Not a historical meaning.
Keywords: self, community, the human condition
Upright
Yourself among others: identity, relationships, mutual help, and awareness of your limits.
Reversed
Isolation, or being judged and judging harshly. Self-deception.