Rune Study Group: Mannaz

Mannaz: Pronunced "mawn-nawz" (English) or Maan-Eaz (American)

Looks like a capital M with the top part crossed.

The three fold gift of the Gods – Consciousness – Breath - Form. We are only human when flesh, man or mankind. The rational mind.

Humanness, with all of its pluses and minuses; nobility, power of spirit, awareness, social order, intellectual power.

Interdependence = results, relationships. It is indicative of the interrelationship between Huginn, and Muninn (Odhinn’s ravens), thought and memory (2 hemisphere’s of the brain), race memory (from your ancestors).

Matters of the mind, including the awakening of psychic forces.

You share a piece with all other humans. You are like us. We are like us. Only by understanding the tribal spirit of man, can you truly take part. To understand is to be a part of the family and enjoy the three-fold gift. To not understand, you cannot claim its rights, you cannot be ‘chosen’, and your workings will be twisted and undone.

Merkstave, cunning, slyness, manipulation, craftiness, calculation. Expect no help now.

As a person, a seeker of knowledge

Man was largely a term used to denote human among the Germanic peoples. Old English used the terms wer and wif to distinguish between the sexes. The Germanic root *Mannaz therefore seems to refer to humans in particular. This likely comes from the Indo-European base *man- and may be related to *men- ("To Think") though this is somewhat controversial. If accepted, humans would literally be "The Thinking Ones."


The Rune Poems speak of joy from social contact and sorrow from the parting of death. The Old English Rune Poem is perhaps the most clear in this regard. The OIRP is a bit more complex in that you have three images: Joy at social connection, sorrow at death, and the war band representing both at once. Finally the ONRR seems to take a more pessimistic role, connecting with the latter two aspects of the OIRP: Death and the predatory nature of the swooping hawk (i.e. viking band?).

A quick summation would be that this seems to represent the mysteries of what it means to be human. THis includes the consciousness gifts given to us by the Aesir, but also the totality of our social interaction.

Mannaz - The Self

Hi einhverfr,

I do agree with your quote

"A quick summation would be that this seems to represent the mysteries of what it means to be human. THis includes the consciousness gifts given to us by the Aesir, but also the totality of our social interaction."

The Self
Sun and moon
and your own heart
seak always of that which abides.
In solitude and stillness
know the journey
begins and ends
with the self.

Ralph H. Blum, The Rune Cards

Regards,
Crazy Raven