Study › Runes & Norse › Berkana
Berkana (ᛒ) is the eighteenth rune of the Elder Futhark. Also spelled Berkano, it belongs to the birch tree and to feminine energy: care, motherhood, nurture, protection and quiet growth. Reversed, its meaning turns against you.
Keywords: nurture, growth, fertility, care, motherhood
What does the Berkana rune mean?
Berkana is the eighteenth rune of the Elder Futhark. It comes after Teiwaz, and Ewaz comes after it.
It belongs to the birch tree and to feminine energy in all its forms — care, motherhood, protection, health and prosperity. In magick Berkana is used for protection and health, in women's magick, and in work concerning children. It is the best protective rune for an infant, and in that case it should stand alone, without other runes beside it.
Teiwaz and Berkana are opposite archetypes that complete each other. Teiwaz is the male archetype, the warrior. Berkana is the female archetype, the mother. Like a man and a woman in marriage, together they make each other stronger than either one alone, and their union gives them far more power to create in this world.
Berkana is the feminine principle — mother and Mother Nature, the Earth, growth, fertility and prosperity. Tied to the birch, it is a gentle, caring energy that nurtures and supports development and growth, and that also protects and shelters.
Its opposite and partner is Tiwaz, the warrior.
Berkana in a reading
Berkana in love
Upright: A nurturing love. The relationship grows. Fertile ground for love. Tender care. Motherly love.
Reversed: Smothering or neglect. Growth is blocked. Barren feelings. Care withheld. Mothering the partner.
Berkana and money
Upright: Nurturing investments. Slow, steady growth. New ventures flourish. Careful management. Family support.
Reversed: Neglected finances. Stunted growth. Ventures fail to take root. Careless management. Dependence on family.
Berkana and health
Upright: Nurturing the body. Healthy growth. Fertility. Good care. Pregnancy or motherhood.
Reversed: Neglecting the body. Growth problems. Fertility issues. Poor care. Difficulties with pregnancy.
Berkana on the spiritual path
Upright: Nurturing the soul. Spiritual growth. Creative fertility. Self-care. Connection with the Great Mother.
Reversed: Neglecting the soul. Growth is blocked. Creative drought. Self-neglect. Disconnection from the feminine.
Berkana reversed
Reversed, Berkana withdraws its care: nurture is missing, growth stops, and the ground turns barren. It asks who or what needs looking after.
Berkana in the rune poems
The rune poems are the oldest sources for the runes' meanings. Here is what each one says of Berkana, first as written, then in English.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Bjarkan er laufgrønstr líma;
Loki bar flærða tíma.Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub;
Loki was fortunate in his deceit.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Bjarkan er laufgat lim
ok lítit tré
ok ungsamligr viðr.
abies buðlungr.Leafy twig
and little tree
and fresh young shrub.
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
Beorc byþ bleda leas, bereþ efne swa ðeah
tanas butan tudder, biþ on telgum wlitig,
heah on helme hrysted fægere,
geloden leafum, lyfte getenge.The poplar bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers,
for it is generated from its leaves.
Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned
its lofty crown which reaches to the skies.
Questions
How do you pronounce Berkana?
Say it "BER-kah-nah".
What does the Berkana rune look like?
Berkana (ᛒ) is like the letter B with pointed bowls.
What does Berkana mean reversed?
It asks who or what needs looking after.