The Old Ways

Younger Futhark · Freyr's Ætt

Úr

“Drizzle / Slag / Aurochs” · sound U · OOR

What Úr means

Primal force, endurance, the raw material from which form is beaten — the rain that feeds the earth

In the older 24-rune Elder Futhark, Úr corresponds to Uruz.

Úr in the rune poems

The Norwegian and Icelandic rune poems are the medieval testimony to the sixteen Younger Futhark runes — the oldest verse describing each stave by name.

Úr er af illu jarne; / opt løypr ræinn á hjarne.
“Slag comes from bad iron; the reindeer often runs over frozen snow.”
Norwegian Rune Poem (13th c.)
Úr er skýja grátr / ok skára þverrir / ok hirðis hatr.
“Drizzle is the weeping of clouds / and the harvest's ruin / and the herdsman's hate.”
Icelandic Rune Poem (15th c.)