The Web of Wyrd and the Design of Norse Runes

The Web of Wyrd—which is portrayed by the cross-hatching of nine lines—represents the web of fate and alludes to the idea that the were “weavers of fate.” It has been said that the Web contains all the runes, which are letters in the runic alphabets used to write various Germanic languages. The name rune means “secret, something hidden,” indicating it was originally known to only a few. The myths of Odin, the Norns and others infer the runes had magical properties.

Runes Can Be Overlaid on the Web of Wryd

To check whether or not all the runes can fit somewhere into the Web of Wyrd, I mapped each of the runes from the Elder Futhark, which is the oldest of the rune alphabets. I created an infographic based on that exercise, which you can acquire by signing up for the The Tollkeeper Blog. It’s quite lovely, and convincingly demonstrates that the Web can indeed contain most or all of the runes.

I’m still not sure of whether the Web of Wyrd existed in the Norse era or is a more recent invention, possibly linked to Asatro, the modern worship of the Norse gods. Whichever it is, it’s an intriguing symbol. The name references the Norns, who were known to weave webs of fate, but it also echos the network of life that is presented by Yggdrasil, the Norse Tree of Life.

In addition, of course, the runic connection invokes the one of the more famous activities of the Norns: the carving of runes into wood. We should note, of course, the runes were seldom written but, rather, carved into wood, bone, stone, metal, or some other hard surface. The angular shapes of the runes lent themselves to carving. This largely explains how a cross-hatching of nine lines (which is basically the Web of Wyrd is) can contain them so well.

Thanks to Cyndi for the Web

By the way, if you get the paperback version of The Tollkeeper, you’ll notice that each chapter starts with a small icon of the Web of Wyrd. My lovely wife Cyndi created that version and has even made a t-shirt with the Web of Wyrd on it. Since runes play an important role in the book, it all makes sense in the end.  It’s all, ahem, connected.

 

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