The fifth rune in the futhark from the Rök stone has the same name as in the Elder Futhark, but it’s changed a bit, become rounder, that’s why I’ve adapted the interpretation of it. As always, Reiðr translates as riding or ride. For those who might object, I have checked the dictionaries. Neither the Icelandic one or the Old Norse one says anything about a cart, chariot or a wagon. Even if that’s what you normally come across when looking for interpretations for Reiðr. The word also closely resembles the Scandinavian words for ‘a ride’ and ‘to ride’ Because of this, I’ve mainly focused on the journey aspect of this, the fifth of the Rök Runes.
When it comes to travel or journeys, I believe Reiðr speaks of both physical travels, as in everything from walking to going around the world in a cruiser, and also astral travel. Other associations are relocation, progress, evolution, learning, self-improvement. There are many different kinds of journeys, and most of the time we are on one or more journeys in our daily lives. As a rune of movement, it can also be associated with rhythm and dancing. As you might have heard, the Vikings travelled a lot by boat.
What you might not know (thanks to bad TV-shows not telling the truth), is that only a small part was plundering and pillaging. Most of the journeys were done to explore, discover, make new connections, find a new place to settle or to trade. The Vikings went far and wide. They went as far as North America in the West, Greenland in the North, The Caspian Sea in the East, and Jerusalem in the South.
As for health-related questions, there is the digestive tract, the excretory system, the menstrual cycle, the circulatory system, and the respiratory system. All of these are dependent on rhythm and movement. The appearance of Reiðr in a reading may also be connected to a vehicle or other means of transportation.
The advice we get from Reiðr, is to make sure you’re on this path for more than the end goal. You have to enjoy the journey or the path wasn’t yours, to begin with. Make sure you keep a stable rhythm in what you do. For the Merkstave interpretation, I would associate it with a stand-still, stagnation, something blocking the road ahead, or a lack of direction and a goal. In the rhythm sense of things, one could speak of a disturbed rhythm of some sort. There’s also the possibility of mechanical problems.
Leave me a comment below with your take on the rune. As always. If you want a reading, you’ll find prices and info here: https://lindaursin.net/library/ And my shop is at https://lindaursin.net/magical-creations
