Rune 5 of 24 · Freyr's aett
Raidho
“riding; journey” · sound: r
Can be drawn reversed when reversals are on.
Historical evidence
Old English rad and Norse reið both mean riding. The Old English poem says riding seems easy to warriors indoors, and is another matter on a strong horse along the high roads; the Norwegian poem calls it the worst thing for horses.
The name Raidho is a modern reconstruction of the Proto-Germanic name; the Elder Futhark’s own names are not recorded.
In the rune poems
Original
Rad byþ on recyde rinca gehwylcum
sefte ond swiþhwæt, ðamðe sitteþ on ufan
meare mægenheardum ofer milpaþas.English
Riding is easy for every warrior indoors, and hard work for the one who sits up on a powerful horse over the long miles.
Original
Ræið kveða rossom væsta;
Reginn sló sværðet bæzta.English
Riding is said to be worst for horses; Reginn forged the finest sword.
The Norwegian rhyme pairs each rune with a second line that rhymes with the first and often has no obvious connection to it.
Original
Reið er sitjandi sæla
ok snúðig ferð
ok jórs erfiði.
iter ræsir.English
Riding is the joy of the rider and a swift journey and the toil of the horse. Journey [Latin iter]. Ruler.
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: journey, movement, right order
Upright
A journey, literal or not, and the rhythm of getting somewhere. Things moving in the right sequence.
Reversed
Delays, a journey going wrong, or a plan out of order. Rethink the route.