Study › Runes & Norse › Mannaz
Mannaz (ᛗ) is the twentieth rune of the Elder Futhark. Its name means "man", and its meaning is the conscious mind: intellect, logic, humanity and the society people build by working together. Reversed, its meaning turns against you.
Keywords: consciousness, humanity, intellect, society, cooperation
What does the Mannaz rune mean?
Mannaz is the twentieth rune of the Elder Futhark. It comes after Ewaz, and Laguz comes after it.
Its name means "man", and it belongs to the conscious part of the mind — everything to do with logic, with society, and with working alongside others. Society itself is the expression of Mannaz energy. In magick it is used for good social relations, a healthy sense of self, and the ability to connect, cooperate and build with others. It can also simply mean a person.
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.
Mannaz is a person, and also groups of people. It belongs to every kind of social institution — school, workplace, anywhere people work and speak together — and to humankind as a whole. Where Ewaz is the subconscious, Mannaz is consciousness, and it means success in all these fields.
Its partner is Ehwaz, the subconscious that carries the conscious mind.
Mannaz in a reading
Mannaz in love
Upright: A conscious relationship. Kindness and understanding. A meeting of minds. Friends and community support you. Working as a team.
Reversed: Unconscious patterns. Selfishness. Overthinking love. Isolation from others. Competing instead of cooperating.
Mannaz and money
Upright: Conscious spending. Ethical business. Clever planning. Good networking. Successful teamwork.
Reversed: Careless spending. Exploitation. Poor planning. Isolation hurts business. Conflict at work.
Mannaz and health
Upright: Mindful self-care. Compassion for yourself. A clear mind. Support from others. Working with healers.
Reversed: Mindless habits. Harsh self-judgement. Mental overload. Isolation. Refusing help.
Mannaz on the spiritual path
Upright: Expanding awareness. A sense of shared humanity. Understanding through study. Spiritual community. Serving others.
Reversed: Limited awareness. Loss of compassion. The intellect blocks intuition. Spiritual isolation. Serving only yourself.
Mannaz reversed
Reversed, Mannaz clouds awareness: people are ignored, the mind is unclear, and you work alone. It asks who could help you.
Mannaz in the rune poems
The rune poems are the oldest sources for the runes' meanings. Here is what each one says of Mannaz, first as written, then in English.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Maðr er moldar auki;
mikil er græip á hauki.Man is an augmentation of the dust;
great is the claw of the hawk.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Maðr er manns gaman
ok moldar auki
ok skipa skreytir.
homo mildingr.Delight of man
and augmentation of the earth
and adorner of ships.
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
Man byþ on myrgþe his magan leof:
sceal þeah anra gehwylc oðrum swican,
forðum drihten wyle dome sine
þæt earme flæsc eorþan betæcan.The joyous man is dear to his kinsmen;
yet every man is doomed to fail his fellow,
since the Lord by his decree will commit the vile carrion to the earth.
Questions
How do you pronounce Mannaz?
Say it "MAHN-nahz".
What does the Mannaz rune look like?
Mannaz (ᛗ) is two uprights joined by an X at the top.
What does Mannaz mean reversed?
It asks who could help you.