Freya's Aett · Rune 1
Fehu
“Cattle, Wealth” · sound: F
Keywords
wealth · abundance · prosperity · generosity · cattle · mobile property
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What Fehu means
Fehu represents mobile wealth, cattle, and abundance. In ancient Heathen society, cattle were the primary measure of wealth and status. This rune teaches that wealth is not merely material accumulation but a force that must flow and be shared to maintain social bonds and honor. Hoarded wealth breeds discord, as the Norwegian rune poem warns, while generously shared wealth nourishes community. Fehu reminds the practitioner that true prosperity lies in the cycle of giving and receiving.
Fehu in the historical rune poems
Three medieval poems preserve the meanings of the runes — the oldest testimony we have.
Wealth is a comfort to all men; yet must every man bestow it freely, if he wish to gain honour in the sight of the Lord.
Wealth is a source of discord among kinsmen; the wolf lives in the forest.
Wealth is a source of discord among kinsmen, and fire of the sea, and path of the serpent.
Correspondences
Deities
Freya · Freyr
Element
fire
Color
red