Othala, Eþel: Legacy
Othala, -, Eþel
ᛟ
Ancestors we praise,
For we inherit their gifts
Lessons to be learned
Pronunciation: Othala: OH-tha-la, Eþel: EH-thale
Literal Translation: inheritance, ancestors, ancestry, heritage
Sound: O, Œ
Magical Correspondences: Ancestors, Home, Goals, Realization, Legacy, Invoking Odin
Divination Meaning Upright: Othala and Eþel proclaim that the time has come to concentrate your efforts on the goals you most want to achieve: a job, the love of a person, or the realization of a project. If you scatter the energies in multiple directions, you will not be able to accomplish anything, and you will feel frustrated. Perhaps this is a period of renewal. Getting rid of relationships that lead nowhere and starting new projects can be very positive. You must accept that life takes away some things to offer new ones. It is good that you make this truth your own to keep yourself open to changes.
Divination Meaning Reversed: Excessive attachment, both to people and to material, cultural or social goods, is not a good counselor. If you accept that everything is undergoing change, and that losses can mean new gains, you will feel freer and will be able to live according to your way of being. You have to learn to adapt to circumstances and learn from every experience. In this way, you will make the most of situations, and you will not suffer when your desires are not satisfied, when you will have to face a separation (in your personal relationships or at work), when you will not achieve the desired success or, simply, when you realize you were wrong.
Delving into the Runes: Othala and Eþel are the Runes of family and inheritance, legacy and heritage. They showcase and highlight that to which we belong with regard to our family. They are Runes that demonstrate that we are responsible for our heritage, both that which we inherit and that which we pass down. This is your lot in life, and all the primal ingredients that make up who you are and what you bring into this life stem from your family. In ancient Norse culture, when a leader of an estate passed away, the members of the estate would erect an othal stone. On this stone were carved Runes, describing for whom the stone was raised, as well as who raised it.
Othala is normally the second to last Rune in the Elder Futhark, while Dagaz is last, but even when the day begins we begin it in our home wherever that may be, and may we always find our way back home. Family was of the utmost importance to the Ancient Norse, and should still be considered today; whether blood, chosen or found. To the Ancient Norse, there was no greater success than a well-established and abundant farm, family, and community. All of the energies of the Runes lead up to this. Othala and Eþel show us that connection to our ancestors, and all that we have gained from them.
These are Runes of inheritance and kinship: the clan stronghold. Othala and Eþel signify all that is important in loyalty to one’s family and clan. In the sense of Othala and Eþel, this doesn’t just mean family. It can mean connection to any group or organization to which you belong: religious, social, school, work, etc. In all things, we must remember the inheritance of the ancestors who came before us. We all come from ancestors who struggled and fought to get us to this day. They didn’t have the hospitals, grocery stores, doctors, or any other modern conveniences that we take for granted.
This means we have a responsibility to ourselves, our families, and our communities to bring the gifts we bear, both to our clan, kin or family, and to the world at large. Othala and Eþel can represent the physical inheritance from our family, as well as the financial inheritance. It most often signifies our orlog; the luck and Wyrd that is passed down from parent to child. When Othala or Eþel show up in a reading, it is encouraging us to remember that which we’ve inherited, and to keep in mind the tribe or family of which we are a part. In all things, we must honor our ancestors by trying to make the world a better place, as much as we can, for our tribe and the world in general. To live a self-absorbed and selfish life dishonors our ancestors and their struggles; Othala reminds us of that.