Anei heard crunching and twisting coming from somewhere on her right. Her ears were ringing, and her head was pounding. She knew she was in her room by the familiar smell, something akin to old dirty clothes and pencil shavings, but there was someone not entirely familiar there with her. The noise became unbearable.
“Stop,” she croaked out of her raw throat and tried to move her head. The noise ceased and an unfamiliar raspy voice spoke just a few inches from her ear.
“Take it easy, child. You’ve been very ill, and the medicine I’ve given you will only work so fast.”
Anei took a tentative swallow and was grateful that her mouth and throat were no longer swollen, but there were little cuts all over the inside of her mouth and lips that were exceedingly uncomfortable. She opened her crusted eyes but regretted it immediately. The room was too bright, and there was far too much color. Anei tried to lift her hand to her eyes, but her arms still felt like they were filled with lead.
“Who… Who are you?” she rasped out.
“I go by many names, but you need not worry about that right now. For now, you need to drink the rest of this elixir. It will help you.” The old woman bent over and lifted a heavy metal chalice from the floor.
The liquid inside smelled disgusting, as if she grabbed everything in a forgotten cupboard, along with the dried excretions of an animal, and mashed it all together. Anei, with no energy to fight, let the old woman lift her head with her bony fingers. The moment she put the chalice to Anei’s lips, however, she gagged forcibly.
“Good. This means your body is healing. I’ll plug your nose to make it easier to drink. When you finish, I’ll give you a spoonful of cinnamon honey, which will make the taste go away.”
Anei let the wrinkled bony fingers pinch her nostrils and tip the cup into her mouth.
She laid her head back down and immediately felt the warmth spread through her body. Some of her muscles started to loosen up a bit, and her bones felt like they were draining the lead that was weighing them down. The warmth traveled lazily up into her head and she felt the fog lift. When Anei braved opening her eyes, the light and color didn’t seem quite as insulting. She turned her head to look at the old woman beside her.
Anei stared in wonder. Something, a memory, was trying to break free of the illness in her mind and come to her attention. When the woman looked up from her mortar and pestle, Anei gasped. The woman’s eyes were no longer clouded and white as before, but they were a deep forest green that were full of archaic knowledge. The wrinkles of her years were etched around them, but they showed the beauty of her wisdom too.
The woman laughed heartily at the confused gaping expression on Anei’s face.
“You’re wondering about my eyes,” she said, as if reading Anei’s thoughts.
“Well, yeah, actually,” Anei said more rudely than she intended.
“I was blind, child… was. ‘Tis the curse of my kind.”
“Your kind? Like, old people?”
The woman cackled loudly. Her teeth were jagged and she was missing quite a few.
“I’m much older than I look,” she said.
That surprised Anei, since the woman already looked about 104.
“How –“ Anei stopped suddenly. Her mother always told her never to ask a woman her age or weight.
“How old am I? You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” the woman said, going back to her mixing. She kept randomly pulling leaves and powders from the large bag next to her chair and throwing them into her mortar.
“What are you doing here?” Anei finally asked, sounding braver than she felt. She wasn’t very bothered by the woman’s presence, though. It was as if she was supposed to be there.
Anei suddenly remembered the vision she’d had just before blacking out. She was at the woman’s house, and the old woman could see her there. It was like one of her dreams, but not really, because she was actually awake.
“I am here because I received your message,” the old woman said simply.
Anei was astonished. Unconsciously, she lifted her hand to her neck and realized that the old woman’s presence, without a doubt, had something to do with the mysterious mark on her neck, the brand that looked like a downward slanted F.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand what’s happening, Ms. –“ Anei stopped, realizing she still didn’t know the woman’s name. “What is your name?”
“I told you. I go by many names. For now, though, you may call me Cali.” Anei nearly trembled with fear. The woman’s voice was strong and it resonated inside her, like it was an ancient voice, one that has experienced many days and historical events. In just the utterance of her name, there was power in the tone that Anei could not quite comprehend. She did know, however, that this woman, Cali, feels older than she looks.
The old woman sighed heavily and went back to crunching the ingredients, staring at them intently. “Well, I suppose I should tell you as much as I can. If you don’t hear and understand the meaning of your Rune, you’ll get sick again, even worse than before, and I won’t be able to cure you. You are the Foreseer, Anei, for the Um von der Odin, or the Order of Odin. You were chosen many, many years ago to help bring the message of the runes to the world when the time came.”
It sounded like English, most of it at least, but Anei had absolutely no idea what the old woman just said. She stared at her, willing her to continue. When it was obvious Cali wouldn’t go on, Anei cleared her throat and said, “um, I didn’t really understand any of that. What do you mean I was chosen many years ago? What is this Order of Odin? What message?” Cali put her hand up to stop Anei from continuing her tirade of questions.
“You must learn to control your questions, Anei, or you will not receive the answers you seek.” She let the reprimand sink in for a moment, and then continued.
“The Order was created over 2500 years ago, when the wisdom of the Ancients was nearly lost forever. A group of 24 devoted followers of the Norse Gods made a pact with the Völva, or spae-wives, of Frigg and Odin. The pact said that when the world was ready, the wisdom of the runes would be brought by the Messengers in order to bring peace and enlightenment to Earth. Only when all 24 of the original Messengers were reincarnated to Earth would the runes begin to appear. Apparently, the last of the 24 has been born recently.”
Deadpan. Anei stared at the old woman blankly; she was convinced one of them had lost their mind.
The information tried desperately to sink into Anei’s brain. Some of it made sense, but most of it sounded fantastical and surreal. She wasn’t exactly sure what it was she was trying to believe either. She hadn’t the faintest idea of who or what frig and oh din were, or a spay-wife, either, which Cali seemed to associate with a car. The only kind of spay Anei had ever heard of had to do with animals.
“What’s a spay-wife?” she asked, thinking that would be a good place to start and would be easiest to understand.
“A Witch or Sorcerer under the guidance of the Goddess Frigg.”
Or not.
“Um, okay. I still don’t understand. A group of witches were asked to make a pact with a group of religious followers to bring a message to Earth at a later time? Why not then?”
“Because those were dangerous times and it would have been far too easy for the message to be lost or misinterpreted,” Cali said simply. “It was a time where the ancient knowledge of our homeland was becoming more and more misunderstood, and therefore forbidden. But, we mustn’t carry on this way, Anei. I must tell you about the rune.
“The pact that was made cast a powerful spell that has hidden the souls of the 24 Ministers until the world was ready for the information. Every Minister will teach their rune through example. They will have a purpose, an influence in one way or another.
“The spell was cast so it would be impossible to ignore the message. The rune will appear on the Minister as a brand, and if ignored, will negati
vely affect the body, the mind, or the soul of the bearer in a way only that particular rune could. Where the Ministers are, a Völva is close by to assist; however, you, my dear, as the Foreseer and the original Minister, will be of paramount importance to the cause. The Völva will only need to assist if absolutely required.”
“I don’t understand. What is it that I’m supposed to do?” Anei asked, apprehensively.
“As the Foreseer, you have the powers of premonition and projection. You must use these powers to answer the call of the Order.”
“But I” – Cali’s head jerked up and she glared at Anei, clearly annoyed by the interruption.
“Your particular rune is Ansuz, the rune of Odin himself. Your mouth and mind are symbols of its meaning, which would explain your particular afflictions. You receive premonitions, divine communication, and now that you have received your rune, if you ignore those messages, you will risk becoming ill again or going Reverse – that means your rune will flip itself over and your powers will become a force of negative energy, which will destroy you, thereby taking the last of your particular message from this world.
“Your power as the Foreseer will grow, as they already have, and it will be up to you to teach the others their runes. But you must keep your powers a secret, Anei, if only for your protection.”
“Protection from what?” Anei’s voice shook as she asked the question.
“From people, child. All of the Runic Ministers will need to lay low until the power of 24 is united as one. Otherwise, you risk… experimentation and aggression toward your kind, and if that should happen, the wisdom will be lost forever and the world will dip into a state of ignorant darkness it has never truly known.”
Anei let the words fall through the cracks of her mind. This would explain her prophetic dreams, but she had no idea what ‘projection’ was or what she would have to do in order to deliver the messages she receives. What if she gets a premonition for someone she doesn’t know or can’t find?
“How is any of this possible?” Anei asked, feeling overwhelmed and more than a little scared. “How did the brand actually get onto my neck? Why can’t my mom see it? How could it infect me like it did?”
The old woman grinned. “Magick, child, that’s how. As I said before, the pact you and your comrades made all those centuries ago cast a spell onto your souls so your message couldn’t be ignored. Only Runic Ministers and Völva can see the brand because it’s cloaked with the magick the Völva put on the symbols to hide them through time and space.
“It will take the rest of your life, Anei, to find the rest of the Ministers. You, with your powers of premonition and projection, as well as your intelligence and intuition, will be able to help the Ministers with their runes, and to find the most appropriate way for them to bring their message to the world.”
“What is projection,” Anei asked quickly.
“You did it earlier today. You left your body and astral projected to me to tell me you were ready.”
Anei stared at her in disbelief.
“That power will become easier with time, and more developed so you can manipulate time and space. You are the first Minister, so there is a leniency and learning curve in the spell, which means you will be given some time before the next message.”
“How much of a learning curve?”
“Hard to say. When you’re ready, you will know,” Cali said matter-of-factly. “Now, I must explain to you the full meaning of your symbol before you become ill again. You’re already starting to break another sweat.
“You, Anei, have received the Rune of Ansuz. Your name itself, oddly enough, is a derivative of the name Ane, meaning ‘favor,’ or ‘grace.’ I’m betting your father named you?”
“Yes, but how –“
“He is your direct descendent and knows of the ancient Order,” Cali said with a gentle, knowing smile.
“Your rune, Anei, is said to be Odin’s Rune, but when reversed or shrouded with negative energy, it is Loki’s, the trickster Norse God. Ansuz is a rune of divine power, communication, prophecy, and revelation. Its holder will be the bringer of compassion, sound advice, and instruction; one who embodies wisdom and knowledge of the Universe. This is why your job will be to help the other Ministers. You are the teacher.
“Take heed, Anei, as I said before, should you fail at delivering the message by your own fault, you will become deathly ill or your rune will reverse, and you will be destroyed, taking the wisdom with you.
“One thing you must always keep in mind is that the message you bring may not always be wanted or appreciated, but you must always follow the guidance of your powers. Always,” she said so sternly Anei shivered.
“Now, your mother will be home soon, so I must be going. She cannot know I was here, nor what you are up to. Do you understand what I have told you about that symbol?”
Anei stared at her and nodded. “Yes, I think so. I’m a Runic Minister of an ancient order with powers to deliver messages by premonition and astral projection to help bring peace and knowledge to the world.” The words felt ridiculous tumbling out of Anei’s mouth. The old woman smiled and patted Anei gently on her cheek.
“You will know when the next message comes. Until then, study hard the Norse history of mythology and ancient runes, and come and find me if you have questions.” With that, the old woman dropped her things in her bag, got up and walked out of the apartment without a backward glance.
Anei plopped down and stared up at the ceiling. Suddenly, some things her father said to her made sense, like, “Anei, one day you will find that your life is meant for something far greater than my own.” There was so much to learn about these runes, the Order, and the Gods Cali had spoken about. Her father’s curiosity and scholarly spirit filled her with a great jolt of excitement in anticipation of the learning she was about to undertake, the destiny of the life she was just shown, and the change she would help bring to the world.
The world was transforming, and she would be a part of it.
A Brief Commentary of the Rune
Anzuz means god, or ancestral god. In particular, it is Odhin’s rune. Odhin is the All-father in northern belief systems, and in his threefold aspect, he gave two gifts to the first man and woman, Askr and Embla. These gifts were anda (spirit/breath/animation) and odhr (inspiration). This is the rune of ecstasy, but ecstasy in the sense of transcendence, connection to the divine.
Odhin was said to have hung from the tree of life, Yggdrasil, for nine days, upside down and stabbed in the gut, when the runes appeared before him bearing the knowledge of all the ages. Therefore, Ansuz is the receiver and transformer of the runes. It is the message from the gods, the bringer of truth and numinous knowledge. This type of wisdom is expressed through human action and behavior.
This rune is also the one of poetry, word, song, and chants or incantations. It’s ancestral power through that knowledge that connects us to our ancestors and to the gods. This rune represents the link between god and man through the vessel of the human experience.
Keywords associated with Ansuz are word-song, ecstasy, reception and transformation, expression, container, numinous knowledge, inspiration.
This commentary was written as an adaptation from Edred Thorssen’s book, Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic.
Connect with and About the Author
Rae lives in Denver, Colorado with her furry kids and a great entourage of voices and various spirit personalities that surround her, which compel her to write stories and make those characters more real than any therapist could possibly explain. She is a newly published author with an undying love for avoiding social interaction, so if you’d like to contact her, please visit one or all of her virtual social sites:
Rae Avery Official Website
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Twitter: @raeavery8283
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Thank yo
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Rae Avery
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