Hagalaz
Hagalaz is the ninth rune of the Elder Futhark and is the start of the second aett. In my blog series, it also marks the return of stanzas from the Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic Rune Poems, as well as a stanza from the Old English Rune Poem. As with Raidho, the three stanzas generally agree on the meaning of the rune, in this case, hail. From Wikipedia:
Old English Rune Poem:
Hail is the whitest of grain;
it is whirled from the vault of heaven
and is tossed about by gusts of wind
and then it melts into water.
Old Norwegian Rune Poem:
Hail is the coldest of grain;
Christ created the world of old.
Old Icelandic Rune Poem:
Hail is cold grain
and shower of sleet
and sickness of serpents.
These stanzas agree not only on the high-level meaning of hail, but also on what hail portends. In each stanza, hail descends from the sky and hints at some sort of ill-event coming with the hail; this makes sense as hailstones could damage crops. In the Old English and Old Norwegian stanzas, there's also a suggestion of a time after the storm as well. I believe the use of "hail" to describe this metaphorical storm is important. Where other forms of icy weather are seasonal, hail isn't. Nor is it geographically bound. Hail, per Wikipedia, is linked to thunderstorms, which means it can occur throughout the year. It is also difficult to predict, even today, and hailstones can and do cause damage when they fall. Taken together, Hagalaz's hail isn't just a small ball of ice falling from the sky; it's a hailstorm showing up out of nowhere, bellowing thunder, crushing crops, and rattling the walls, until it passes as suddenly as it came, leaving meltwater and damage behind.
There's no need to reimagine hail in a modern context. Hailstorms are difficult to predict, can occur in any season, and even now can leave considerable damage in their wake. What, as a reader, interests me the most about Hagalaz as hail is the glimmer of hope in the Old English and Old Norwegian rune poems. In this glimmer, I see the potential after the storm. When a storm fells a tree, new life forms in what remains: the tree's wood is eaten by insects and seeded by mushroom spores. The ground that the tree once shaded is exposed to sunlight, letting new growth emerge in the space left behind. The tree is gone, but life continues. So too, I think, with Hagalaz and its hailstorms.
It is this same opportunity that I think represents Hagalaz's bright meanings. Hagalaz at its best is harnessing the change from the coming storm and using it to move forward in the right direction for you. It is standing in the storm, letting the winds rage and lightning streak the sky, and knowing that this too shall pass. In Hagalaz, I see the opportunity to be the storm, to bring about the creative destruction needed to make room for new growth.
The Hagalaz of the runic poems is the murky side of this rune. It is the sudden storm wiping out everything you built and planned, leaving wreckage in its wake. It is standing in the damage after the storm, lost and shell-shocked. It's trembling in your shelter as the storm rages around you, paralyzed with fear. It can even be an unchecked self-destructive impulse, sabotaging your life.
When I see Hagalaz in a reading, I know a storm is coming, if it hasn't arrived already. So I ask: what does the storm portend? And am I prepared for it? For context on that storm, I pay particular attention if runes in the same aett as Hagalaz appear in the reading: Nauthiz, Isa, Jera, Eihwaz, Perthro, Algiz, and Sowilo. Within my reading practice, I also give extra weight to the runes in the same position on the first and third aettir, Fehu and Tiwaz. These relationships can show how Hagalaz's storm may arrive, and how its aftermath may be managed. Fehu's presence may indicate a profitable opportunity hidden in the storm. Tiwaz's justice may indicate the storm is needed to redress an imbalance.
In the end, Hagalaz is the storm. It is how we react to it that determines what it means for us.
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