---

Another rune that appears to be connected with an older symbol-the splayed human hand which it resembles, an instinctive sign for warding off harm. Outlines of the human hand have been discovered in caves where prehistoric men once lived. The American Indians used this sign for peace. similar symbols, but with five branches, are used in North Africa to turn aside the evil eye.

A reasonable objection can be made that if Eolh is meant to represent the human hand, it should have five branches. In fact, it is one of the less understood runes. In later rune poems it seems to have stood for elk-sedge, which may be though kind of marsh grass that elk feed upon. But it has also been interpreted as willow, sea-holly, swan, and even as the sign of an obscure god named Alcis mentioned by Tacitus.

One thing at least is known: the rune was carried by warriors to protect them in battle, In the Old English Rune Poem the connotation of warding off survives:

Elk-sedge usually dwells in a marsh, growing in the water; it gives grievous wounds staining with blood every man who lays a hand on it.

Anyone who as a child has tried to tear a handful of marsh ferns will understand all too well what is meant here. The fibers in the stems of ferns part and cut like razors through the skin. This verse is very similar to the one representing Thorn.

In the Norwegian Rune Poem, Eolh is linked with the claw of a hawk. Pictorially, this is the best correspondence. In the burial mound of a shaman discovered near Copenhagen the claw of a falcon was found along with other magical articles. The talons of a hawk are the focus of its power; with them it catches and kills its prey. The Teutonic peoples would have a knowledge of their great strength. Very likely the mummified claws of hawks were used magically to embody the speed, nobility and power of these great birds. Among the American Indians the eagle occupied a prominent place in the magical hierarchy.

Whatever the rune may have originally stood for, its abstracted meaning is generally agreed upon-stay away or suffer unpleasant consequences. It is a kind of shield which the person who presents it erects before him.

---

MEANINGS:

UPRIGHT:

Shield, protection, defense, turning away harm, warding off evil, watchfulness, care, guardian spirit, friend in need, assistance in danger, help in battle, unexpected ally, attack reflected back on its source.

REVERSED:

Taboo, forbidden, what must be avoided at all cost, danger, warning, repulsion, turning away, warding off, holding at arm's length, denial, fear of involvement, over protectiveness, unperceived threat.

KEY: PROTECTION