Study › Runes & Norse › Ewaz
Ehwaz (ᛖ) is the nineteenth rune of the Elder Futhark. Also spelled Ewaz, its name means "horse", and its meaning is the vehicle: the means that carries you on, trust, and the subconscious mind. Reversed, its meaning turns against you.
Keywords: movement, vehicle, trust, subconscious, navigation
What does the Ewaz rune mean?
Ewaz is the nineteenth rune of the Elder Futhark. It comes after Berkana, and Mannaz comes after it.
Its name means "horse", and it stands for movement — close to Raidho, but where Raidho is the journey itself, Ewaz is the vehicle that carries you through it. Odin's horse Sleipnir, the eight-legged steed that bears him instantly across the nine worlds, is the great example. In that sense Ewaz also belongs to the shamanic journey, where the vehicle is the drum and its beat. And it reaches into the subconscious mind and the animal nature of the body — the instincts, emotions and urges, and the hidden forces that move below conscious awareness.
Ewaz and Mannaz are opposite archetypes that complete each other. Ewaz, the "horse", is the subconscious mind. Mannaz, the "man", is the conscious mind. A person travels further and does more with a horse, and in the same way, aiming the conscious and the subconscious mind at one goal brings powerful results.
Ewaz means horse, so it stands for movement of every kind, and for the means by which movement happens. In a spread Ewaz means movement and activity; reversed, it can mean a lack of movement — stagnation and inactivity.
Its horse is like Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged steed. Its partner is Mannaz.
Ewaz in a reading
Ewaz in love
Upright: The relationship moves forward. Travelling together. Deep trust. An instinctive bond. Navigating challenges together.
Reversed: Stuck in place. Going separate ways. Mistrust. Unconscious patterns clash. Lost in conflict.
Ewaz and money
Upright: Progress in business. The right tools for the job. Trustworthy partners. Good instincts. Skilful navigation of the market.
Reversed: Business stalls. Unreliable tools. Untrustworthy partners. Poor instincts. Losing your way in the market.
Ewaz and health
Upright: Active movement. The body as a reliable vehicle. Trust in the body. Listening to instinct. Finding the right treatment.
Reversed: Too little activity. The body breaks down. Distrust of the body. Ignoring instinct. Lost among treatments.
Ewaz on the spiritual path
Upright: Spiritual progress. The body as the soul's vehicle. Trust in the process. Wisdom of the subconscious. Inner guidance.
Reversed: Spiritual stagnation. Neglecting the body. Distrust of the process. Buried fears surface. The inner compass is lost.
Ewaz reversed
Reversed, Ehwaz stalls: the means fail, trust is broken, and instinct misleads. It asks what you are relying on that cannot carry you.
Ewaz in the rune poems
The rune poems are the oldest sources for the runes' meanings. Here is what each one says of Ewaz, first as written, then in English.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Icelandic Rune Poem
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
Eh byþ for eorlum æþelinga wyn,
hors hofum wlanc, ðær him hæleþ ymb[e]
welege on wicgum wrixlaþ spræce
and biþ unstyllum æfre frofur.The horse is a joy to princes in the presence of warriors.
A steed in the pride of its hoofs,
when rich men on horseback bandy words about it;
and it is ever a source of comfort to the restless.
Questions
How do you pronounce Ehwaz?
Say it "EH-wahz".
What does the Ehwaz rune look like?
Ehwaz (ᛖ) is like the letter M.
What does Ehwaz mean reversed?
It asks what you are relying on that cannot carry you.