Study › Runes & Norse › Ingwaz
Ingwaz (ᛜ) is the twenty-second rune of the Elder Futhark. Its meaning is wholeness: a complete, sealed and balanced system, strong because nothing leaks out of it. It is tied to the god Ing, another name for Freyr. It cannot be reversed.
Keywords: wholeness, completion, fertility, balance, potential
What does the Ingwaz rune mean?
Ingwaz is the twenty-second rune of the Elder Futhark, closely tied to the god Ing (Freyr), lord of prosperity, health and fertility. It comes after Laguz, and Othala comes after it.
It stands for a whole and complete system, one that flourishes because of its own balance and the strength that balance brings. Ingwaz is a healthy body and sound energy that loses nothing of itself. In magick it can stand for any whole system: in relationships, a lasting and harmonious bond; in finances, a mature business. It also describes an egregore — a self-sufficient structure of energy and information.
Laguz and Ingwaz are opposite archetypes that complete each other. Laguz flows and moves. Ingwaz is complete, and nothing flows out of it. Together they are stronger than either one alone.
Ingwaz is the idea of wholeness and completeness. It can also be written as a simple rhombus with no tails — an enclosed, self-sufficient whole. It also represents a seed that has potential. Ingwaz is a non-reversible rune.
Its god is Freyr; its flowing opposite is Laguz.
Ingwaz in a reading
Ingwaz in love
A complete union. A stage of the relationship completed. Fertile love. Harmony of masculine and feminine. Great potential together.
Ingwaz and money
A secure, self-sufficient position. A project completed. A fruitful investment. Balanced finances. Potential for growth.
Ingwaz and health
Body and mind whole. Full recovery. Fertility. Hormonal balance. Untapped reserves of strength.
Ingwaz on the spiritual path
Inner wholeness. A stage of the path completed. Seeds of new growth. Balance within. Potential ready to unfold.
Can Ingwaz be reversed?
No. Ingwaz looks the same either way up, so it has no reversed meaning: it reads the same however it falls.
Ingwaz in the rune poems
The rune poems are the oldest sources for the runes' meanings. Here is what each one says of Ingwaz, first as written, then in English.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Icelandic Rune Poem
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
Ing wæs ærest mid East-Denum
gesewen secgun, oþ he siððan est
ofer wæg gewat; wæn æfter ran;
ðus Heardingas ðone hæle nemdun.Ing was first seen by men among the East-Danes,
till, followed by his chariot,
he departed eastwards over the waves.
So the Heardingas named the hero.
Questions
How do you pronounce Ingwaz?
Say it "ING-wahz".
What does the Ingwaz rune look like?
Ingwaz (ᛜ) is a diamond, or two crossed X shapes forming one.
Can Ingwaz be reversed?
No. Ingwaz looks the same either way up, so it has no reversed meaning.