Friday, October 5, 2007

Peorð

The most mysterious rune: peorð. Dice box? hmm.

The rune poem says,
"peorð byþ symble plega and hlehter / wlancum [on middum], ðar wigan sittaþ / on beorsele bliþe ætsomne"

which means

"peorð is a source of recreation and amusement to the great, where warriors sit blithely together in the banqueting-hall."

Is it a feasting bench tipped over? a headless seated person with bent knee and elbow?

Folk mostly agree that "it's meaning is obscure", though some suggest a tree, pear or apple. If so, maybe it's Iduna presenting herself as the eternal source of Life.

And it the name of the manga goddess. There's a weird cultural link probably worth a master's thesis: "Norse Myth in Japanese Popular Culture".

In any case, it keeps coming up at unexpected moments. Feast-halls aside, it's gestalt feels definitely female. Speaks to me in some odd way.

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