Mannaz, the Rune of Identity

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Meaning: man    Phonetic equivalent: 'm'

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem

The joyous man is dear to his kinsmen;

yet every man is doomed to fail his fellows,

since the Lord by his decree

will commit the vile carrion to the earth.

Norwegian Rune Poem

Man is an augmentation of the dust;

great is the claw of the hawk.

Icelandic Rune Poem

Man

delight of man

and augmentation of the earth

and adorner of ships.

Mannaz

Cala Gobraith, 2009

Mannazi- essence of identity, of

mien and character, shaping mannerisms,

maintaining outer appearances and

misconceptions of the inner nature.

Man is many things- that which is boldly shown

married to that which is shyly hidden,

merged to create that which we think we know.

Krasskova sees Mannaz as social interaction, balanced partnership of give and take, relationships of any kind and, to some extent, healthy social boundaries.

Aswynn sees this rune as representing man, humanity, cooperation of people sharing the same environment to the benefit of the tribe or community, the human condition, social structures and social responsibility.

To Melville, this rune's aspects include the self, family members, friendship, rational intelligence, race memory, transcendental consciousness, the individual as a microcosm, spiritual healers, and concepts of identity. Associations: deity- Heimdall, tree- holly, plant- mandrake, animal- man, bird- hawk, zodiac- Aquarius, color- red, element- water/air.

Oswald associates Mannaz with humanity, the Self, the inner being, the soul, man or womanhood, people in general, tolerance, broad-mindedness, devotion, kindness, charity, and a willingness to change. Associations: deity- Heimdall, Odin and Frigg, tree- holly, plant- madder, astrology- Jupiter, color- deep red, element- air, stone- garnet.

Diana Paxson sees Mannaz as humanity, what it means to be human, dependence of humans upon each other, mankind as divine and animal, and the identity and function of a person.

Mannaz is another rune dear to me, this time because I associate it with anthropology, which is one of my loves. Anthropology is the study of man whenever and wherever he has existed. Mannaz, to me, is the rune of humanity and of identity.

Meditation associations: DNA helix, binary code, label tag, loss of identity, Latin naming, identity of people, self or object, loss of individuality as one 'cell' in a social beast's body.

Runes: Theory and Practice, Galina Krasskova

Power and Principles of the Runes, Freya Aswynn

The Book of Runes, Francis Melville

Discovering Runes, Bob Oswald

Taking up the Runes, Diana Paxson