Runes · Týr’s ætt
Dagaz
Sound: d · The name: day
- daylight
- awakening
- a turning point
What the old rune poems say
Only the Old English poem covers this rune: ‘Day, the glorious light of the Creator, is sent by the Lord; it is beloved of men, a source of hope and happiness to rich and poor, and of service to all.’
How it is read today
Modern rune readers take Dagaz as the rune of daybreak, the moment when dark turns to light. The modern books speak of clarity, of a fresh start and of seeing something in a new way. This is a modern reading of the Old English day.
Reversed
This rune looks the same turned round; modern books give it no reversed meaning.
As your rune of the day
Begin this day as if it were new, because it is.
Look at something familiar in the morning light, with fresh eyes.
Reading runes as an oracle is modern, from Guido von List (1908) and Ralph Blum (1982); the people who carved them, Vikings included, used them for writing, names and charm words.