Mannaz (ᛗ)
Pronunciation: MAH-nahz · Latin equivalent: M · Týr’s ætt, fourth rune
Name and meaning
Proto-Germanic mannaz, “human being” — not the individual alone but humankind: the self as it exists among others. The stave looks like two Wunjo runes leaning on each other, and whether or not the carvers meant that, it is true.
In the rune poems
Attested in all three (maðr). The poems hold both halves of the human condition without flinching: dear to their kin, yet an augmentation of the dust — each one a joy to the other, and each one mortal. The Hávamál’s “maðr er manns gaman” — man is man’s joy — breathes the same air.
Upright
The human weave: community, mutual aid, your place among your people. Self-knowledge gained through others’ eyes; help offered or rightly asked for. A rune for remembering that no one is self-made.
Merkstave
The weave torn: isolation, self-delusion, enmity within the group, help refused out of pride. An enemy where a friend was assumed — or the self as its own worst counselor.
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