“The unwise man
is awake all night
and thinks of all sorts of things.
Tired is he
when the morning comes
and his problems unchanged.”
- Hávamál
is awake all night
and thinks of all sorts of things.
Tired is he
when the morning comes
and his problems unchanged.”
- Hávamál
Literal Meaning & History
If you utter the name of the rune out loud you can hear what it means.
The word means ice. The literal state of being frozen solid.
Contextually, colloquially, it was not uncommon to refer to winter weather and the covering of snow in terms of ice either. That ice had been laid across the land. Similar to how in English one could say the land was iced over.
Figurative Meaning & Symbolism
If there is one key word to describe this rune and it’s meaning it’s “frozen”.
No, not as in the movie, fuck that.
As in literally cold and unmoving.
As in figuratively cold and unmoving.
No, not as in the movie, fuck that.
As in literally cold and unmoving.
As in figuratively cold and unmoving.
It is the permanence of self. (No matter how far you go, you will always be there.)
It is inaction.
It is stagnation.
It is perfect focus and concentration.
It is the enduring patience.
It is deep contemplation and meditation.
It is standing still.
It is rest.
It is inaction.
It is stagnation.
It is perfect focus and concentration.
It is the enduring patience.
It is deep contemplation and meditation.
It is standing still.
It is rest.
This is laying around the house and doing absolutely nothing for days on end.
This is getting stuck in a pattern of doing the same things day in and day out though you are busy and working all the time.
This is getting so lost in concentration as you draw that when you raise your head hours have whisked by and it’s nearing dawn.
This is being unable to put down the book.
This is the deep breath and repeated correction of unwanted behaviour in a pet or a child without a spark of anger.
This is getting lost in thought and spacing out on the bus so that you miss your stop.
This is sitting and meditating for an hour.
This is the status quo, unchanged and unmoving.
This is the rest stop along the way, where you sit and breathe for a while.
A moment frozen in time.
A man frozen in the pattern his life.
A computer frozen and won’t boot up.
A man frozen in the pattern his life.
A computer frozen and won’t boot up.
Suggested Homework
Find two examples for your life.
Find a habit that you’re failing to brake, that you may not even be trying to break, even if this habit isn’t exactly a good one. It doesn’t have to be a bad one either, just persistent and not a good or helpful one.
Do you chew your nails?
Do you always need to check something?
Do you spend too much time on something?
Do you keep doing the same thing the same way though there’s no benefit to doing it, or doing it that way?
Do you chew your nails?
Do you always need to check something?
Do you spend too much time on something?
Do you keep doing the same thing the same way though there’s no benefit to doing it, or doing it that way?
Write this down and try and write down how you fell into this pattern and how long it’s persisted and why you’ve not tried or not been able to change it.
Then find something new.
It can be something that you’ve recently started, or would like to start doing.
Something you want to keep as a persistent figure in your life.
Some form of exercise?
Some creative endeavors?
Something spiritual?
A new person?
Any recent addition or change will do, as long as it’s something you want.
It can be something that you’ve recently started, or would like to start doing.
Something you want to keep as a persistent figure in your life.
Some form of exercise?
Some creative endeavors?
Something spiritual?
A new person?
Any recent addition or change will do, as long as it’s something you want.
Write this down and try and write down why you want this to stay in your life, how you can implement this into your established pattern, and what it’s worth to you.
There is no promise this will break old patterns or establish new ones but being aware of them can help.
And keep it small, if at all possible. We’re doing examples for homework, not overhauls.
