Laguz (ᛚ): meaning of the rune of water, sea and flow

Who is Laguz?

Laguz is written ᛚ: a vertical staff to which an oblique stroke rising upward is attached, like a leaning L or a curved stick. It is the twenty-first rune of the Elder Futhark and represents the sound l.

Its reconstructed name *laguz designates water, a lake or the sea. Another, rarer hypothesis proposes the name *laukaz, “leek”.

The rune's name and its meaning

The name *laguz is reconstructed from Old English lagu (the sea, water) and Old Norse lǫgr (liquid, sea).

The leek hypothesis rests on ancient inscriptions, such as the Bülach fibula (Switzerland), where the rune seems to abbreviate laukaz. According to some authors, the leek was associated with fertility; some late Scandinavian manuscripts also list laukr among the names of the rune. There is no consensus.

What the runic poems say

The poems show water in three guises: the dangerous sea, the waterfall, and the calm expanse.

Inscriptions and ancient uses

The l rune appears in the row of runes on the Kylver stone (around 400), in twenty-first position. It serves to write the sound l, common in names. In the Younger Futhark, it keeps its form and takes the name lǫgr, which makes it one of the most stable runes in the series.

Its form is identical to that of a letter of the Raetic alphabet, one of the alphabets of northern Italy from which the runes may derive. This makes Laguz one of the runes whose graphic origin is easiest to trace.

Laguz in a modern reading: upright

Reminder: rune casting is a modern practice. Here are the readings of contemporary books.

Upright, Laguz is most often associated with intuition, emotions, and whatever flows and changes: water takes the shape of what contains it. Many authors also read in it the unconscious, dreams and the feeling of letting oneself be carried. They sometimes recall that, in Norse tales, water is also that of the well of Mímir, where Odin is said to have left an eye in exchange for wisdom: water as a source of knowledge.

In a spread, it may invite you to listen to what you feel before deciding. It does not say which emotion will pass through you: it suggests leaving room for it.

Reversed Laguz

Reversed, Laguz is read as a blocked flow: confusion, fear of letting go, emotions held back or overflowing. Other authors see in it a need for a shore, for clear limits.

These are modern conventions. If you are going through a period of intense anxiety or sadness, talk to someone close to you or to a professional: a rune reading does not replace real support.

A reflection exercise with Laguz

Take a sheet of paper and write without stopping for five minutes everything that passes through your mind, without correcting or judging. Then underline a word or phrase that recurs.

Then pause near water if you can (river, fountain, simply a glass of water) and observe it without looking for anything. Always stay at a safe distance from the edge.

Laguz's place in the futhark

Laguz is rune no. 21 of 24. It occupies position 5 in the third family (aett), sometimes called the Tyr family. It follows Mannaz and precedes Ingwaz.

Laguz follows Mannaz: the human being, then the water that surrounds it. The next rune, Ingwaz, introduces an ancient hero.

To see all the runes in relation to one another, see the rune guide and the page the Elder Futhark: history and reading of the 24 runes.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the runes.