Wunjo

First Ætt – Freya's Ætt
Phonetic Value: W or V
Pronounced: WOON-yo
Other Names: Wynn, Wyn, Wunja, Winja
Color: Yellow

Herb: Flax
Gemstone: Diamond
Tree: Ash
Deities and Myths: Freyr, Odin, Baldur, Asgard
Meaning: Joy

Keywords:  Joy, Comfort, Pleasure, Bliss, Happiness, Harmony, Spiritual Joy

When Interpreting Upright: Wunjo indicates a general happiness and positive outcome for any runes drawn with it. In relationships, it stands for a shared joy or happiness, comfort in each other, indicating that the couple will be a happy one. It is a rune of balance and harmony, it is perfection. Spiritually, you may find yourself at one with the divine, in a perfect balance with yourself, at peace. Wunjo is the comfort of fellowship, the happiness of relationships between people, family, friends, lovers. It is the achievement of goals, that sense of accomplishment when you know you've done well. It is the absence of sorrow, pain, depression. Wunjo signals better times to come. It is also associated with hope, enlightenment, wisdom earned. With wisdom earned there usually comes a price of experience. Some times you must experience darkness to see the light.

When Interpreting Merkstave (Reverse or Upside Down): When you find Wunjo Merkstave, you are receiving a warning of things to come. There will be a dark period in your life. Pain, anger, sorry, depression, negativity, any or all. A crisis or difficulty is at hand. Remember not to let past problems stop you from moving forward. It is up to you to decide how you will experience this crisis. Try to remember that it will pass and try to look at it as a learning experience. Examine it from all angles and try to learn from it instead of losing yourself in it.

Draw Wunjo on your forehead to help alleviate depression. Create bindrunes with Wunjo and carry them around in your pocket.

Disclaimer: This is not the end-all only interpretation for runes of the Elder Futhark. This is a learning guide written by me for teaching purposes. Each rune guide is a compilation of information that I’ve put together over the years. It is, by far, not the only source for runic meanings and I encourage everyone to research the runes further. Find out what each rune means to you.