The Twentyfifth or Blank Rune

The unseen hand that guides me
reveals enough to point the way
concealing all the rest

Names - Wyrd, Yr

Pronunciations - "werd" "yer"

Phonetic Value - silence

Symbolism - The Roots of Yggdrasil, the tree of the world

Keywords - The Unknown

The symbolism of this rune is said to be that of the world tree Yggdrasil and resembles the popular symbol for peace without the enclosing circle.

As such, this pictogram is very similar to a reversed depiction of the runic symbol for Elhaz. The meaning of this particular symbolism would lead the reader to believe that the fate implied in Wyrd is one against which it would be fruitless to attempt a defense.

Phonetically, this rune is said to represent silence. Certainly, while human language has evolved and changed much over the eons, it can be argued that silence has not. This only serves to support the essential meaning of this rune as an indicator of the unknowable or the unanswerable.

There is little or no historical support for a "Blank Rune" in runic divination. It was not included in the Elder Futhark and it was only later that it began to be incorporated into younger futharks by Anglo-Saxons in England.

From there this rune made it's way into 16 letter Nordic rune Futharks and wasn't to gain much more popularity until it began to be widely incorporated into rune-castings by runic practitioners in the 1960's.

It has been suggested that if you bought a rune set with a blank piece, it would be appropriate to save it in case you lose another rune piece, but you wouldn't be encouraged to include this rune in your casting.

There are very strong opinions offered by many experts that this rune should not ever be used in a rune casting. There are also strong opinions that the use of this rune was merely lost and now, "rediscovered" as it were, it is entirely appropriate to employ this rune in magical or divinatory works.

Yet, a word for this rune, Wyrd, exists and this word clearly has a significant historical heritage and the concept of the "unknowable" or the "unknown" is not entirely absent from runic poems of the day.

Neither is the concept of things which cannot be revealed particularly alien to any other form of divination. Even the popular (if entirely unreliable) "magic eight ball" toy popularized for children has an "answer unknown" response among the possible selections.

We will leave it up to each individual to use, or reject this particular rune as they see fit. As always, these decisions are best left up to whatever works for you rather than blindly deferring to the opinion of "experts" however well published and respected they may be.

Magically (if used) this rune can be invoked for matters requiring subterfuge and concealment.

In divination (if used) Wyrd can reveal more by its absence or by the runes surrounding it in a casting than it will reveal on it's own and it can represent any of the following forces.

WYRD UPRIGHT: The unknown or unknowable, fate, karma, protection or guidance from an unknown source, faith.

WYRD MERKSTAVE: Betrayal, inescapable fate, loss of faith, misdirection, false gods or false prophets.


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