Sowilo (ᛊ): meaning of the rune of the sun and direction

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Sowilo, ᛊ, sixteenth and last rune of the second family of the Elder Futhark, named after the sun. Runic poems, mythology and modern symbolic reading.

Key points

Rune	ᛊ (Sowilo)
Phonetic value	s
Reconstructed name	*sōwilō (reconstructed)
Meaning of the name	sun
Family (aett)	Second, 8th rune of the family
Position in the futhark	16 of 24
Reversed reading	No: the rune is symmetrical

Who is Sowilo?

Sowilo is written ᛊ: a zigzag line, reminiscent of a lightning bolt or an angular letter S. It is the sixteenth rune of the Elder Futhark and represents the sound s.

Its reconstructed name *sōwilō means “sun”. This rune closes the second family, after the colder runes of hail, need and ice.

The rune's name and its meaning

The name *sōwilō is reconstructed from Gothic sauil and Old Norse sól, both meaning “sun”. Old English sigel also designates the sun, but the word has another sense, that of a jewel or a brooch, which has led commentators to remark on the resemblance between a bright jewel and the star.

In Norse mythology, the sun is personified by a female deity, Sól (or Sunna, a common Germanic name), who drives a chariot drawn by horses, pursued by a wolf. The second Merseburg charm, copied in Germany in a 10th-century manuscript, also names Sunna among its deities.

What the runic poems say

Poem	What it says (summary)
Anglo-Saxon runic poem	The sun is the hope of sailors when they travel the path of the fish, until the horse of the waves brings them back to land.
Norwegian runic poem	The sun is the light of the lands; I bow before its sacred judgement.
Icelandic runic poem	The sun is the shield of the clouds, a dazzling ray, the destroyer of ice.

All three poems share the idea of a light that guides or melts. The Anglo-Saxon poem adds a detail about navigation.

Inscriptions and ancient uses

The rune appears in the row of runes on the Kylver stone (around 400), in sixteenth position. In inscriptions, it mainly serves to write the sound s, which is very common.

Its shape varies greatly from one region and era to another: three strokes, four strokes or more, in the Elder Futhark as in the scripts derived from it. One should therefore not assume that the form seen today is the only ancient form.

Sowilo in a modern reading: upright

Reminder: rune casting is a modern practice. Here is what contemporary books say.

Upright, Sowilo is associated with clarity, energy, a sense of direction and the success of an effort. Many authors take up the image of the sailor who steers by the sun and see in it a rune of direction, one that helps you know where you are going.

In a spread, it may be taken as an invitation to clarify a goal or to recognise what has already been achieved. It guarantees no success: the sun shines, it does not do the work for you.

A rune without reversal

Sowilo is symmetrical by rotation: rotated by a half turn, it keeps the same shape. It therefore has no reversed reading.

Some authors play on the idea of a brightness that can also blind: too much light prevents you from seeing the details. This is not a rule of reading, but a way of asking yourself about balance.

A reflection exercise with Sowilo

In the morning, step outside for a few minutes to expose your face to daylight (never look directly at the sun: it can damage your eyes). Note three things you want to bring into the light in your day.

In the evening, review them: which ones have moved forward? Which ones need another day?

Sowilo's place in the futhark

Sowilo is rune no. 16 of 24. It occupies position 8 in the second family (aett), sometimes called the Hagal family. It follows Algiz and precedes Tiwaz.

Sowilo ends the second family on a luminous image, which allows some authors to read it as an exit point after trials. This is a modern reading; the ancient sources do not present the series as a story.

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.