Rune 8 of 24 · Freyr's aett
Wunjo
“joy” · sound: w
Can be drawn reversed when reversals are on.
Historical evidence
Old English wynn, 'joy', described in the poem as known by one who has little woe or sorrow. It was dropped from the Younger Futhark.
The name Wunjo is a modern reconstruction of the Proto-Germanic name; the Elder Futhark’s own names are not recorded.
In the rune poems
Original
Wenne bruceþ, ðe can weana lyt
sares and sorge and him sylfa hæfþ
blæd and blysse and eac byrga geniht.English
Joy is had by the one who knows little of woe, of pain or sorrow, and has for himself prosperity and happiness, and plenty of strongholds too.
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: joy, contentment, belonging
Upright
Joy, comfort and harmony with others. Something is going well; notice it.
Reversed
Discontent, or joy that depends on circumstances you cannot control. Isolation from the group.