Study › Runes & Norse › Wunjo
Wunjo (ᚹ) is the eighth rune of the Elder Futhark. Its name means "joy", and its meaning is fulfilment: the result you wanted, reached. It closes many rune formulas for that reason. Reversed, its meaning turns against you.
Keywords: joy, fulfilment, pleasure, success, contentment
What does the Wunjo rune mean?
Wunjo is the eighth rune of the Elder Futhark. It comes after Gebo, and Hagalaz comes after it.
Its name means "joy", and it stands for reaching the result you wanted. It is often placed at the end of a rune formula, so that whatever the runes before it set in motion arrives at an outcome that brings real happiness — for we often get what we asked for without it making us happy, and Wunjo makes sure that it does. Its nature is pure joy, which has its shadow side: a childish, uncritical contentment that clouds clear judgement. It is worth noting, too, that the state of Wunjo is not very productive and does not lead to growth, since a truly contented person rarely seeks to change.
The idea of Wunjo is joy, and it is no accident that it follows Gebo: when you are in balance and harmony with yourself and others, joy arises on its own. Happiness is what most people want, and that is what Wunjo represents — a settled state in which you feel fulfilled.
It follows Gebo, and it ends the cleansing formulas with Dagaz.
Wunjo in a reading
Wunjo in love
Upright: Joy in each other. A fulfilling relationship. Pleasure shared. Love that succeeds. Content together.
Reversed: Joy is missing. Something is left unfulfilled. Pleasure turns to routine. The relationship falters. Restlessness and dissatisfaction.
Wunjo and money
Upright: Joy in the work. A goal is reached. Money spent on pleasures. Financial success. Satisfied with what you have.
Reversed: The work brings no joy. Goals are left unmet. Overspending on pleasures. Success slips away. Never satisfied.
Wunjo and health
Upright: A joyful mood lifts the body. Needs are met. Enjoying the body. Recovery goes well. At ease and content.
Reversed: Low mood weighs on the body. Needs go unmet. Pleasure turns to excess. Treatment fails to help. Discomfort and unease.
Wunjo on the spiritual path
Upright: Spiritual joy. A deep sense of fulfilment. Delight in simple things. A goal of the soul reached. Inner peace and contentment.
Reversed: Joy is absent within. Emptiness inside. Chasing pleasure instead of meaning. Spiritual effort fails. Inner discontent.
Wunjo reversed
Reversed, Wunjo turns joy away: a wish goes unfulfilled and contentment is lost. It asks whether what you want would truly make you happy.
Wunjo in the rune poems
The rune poems are the oldest sources for the runes' meanings. Here is what each one says of Wunjo, first as written, then in English.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Icelandic Rune Poem
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
Wenne bruceþ, ðe can weana lyt
sares and sorge and him sylfa hæfþ
blæd and blysse and eac byrga geniht.Bliss he enjoys who knows not suffering, sorrow nor anxiety,
and has prosperity and happiness and a good enough house.
Questions
How do you pronounce Wunjo?
Say it "WOON-yoh".
What does the Wunjo rune look like?
Wunjo (ᚹ) is like the letter P with a pointed bowl.
What does Wunjo mean reversed?
It asks whether what you want would truly make you happy.