Pertho

PERTHO

Pertho (PER-tho) - (also known as PERTRA, Peortho, Perth, Peorth, Peorh)

Value - P

Numeric Order - 12

Traditionally Represents - Cup. Lot. Vagina.

Represents - Aspen. Family. Hope. Shields. Whispers. Soft Communication. Secrets. Mysteries. Runes. Wyrd. Initiation. Orifice. Cauldron. Norns. Midgard. Vavale. Vasilia. Womb.

The warriors in the hall
the warrior's ancestors in the hall
under the vaulted ceiling.
A child of trees
that were children of forests.
All joyous, all joyous

- Vilturj Rune Poem

Pertho is an 'original' Rune that also represented a gaming piece. One of its major meanings is that of Wyrd. It also encompasses luck, chance, secrets and mystery. It represents places of mystery. It is one of the more difficult Runes to read or understand because no one can agree on what it means. This is one of the reasons why Ralph Blum perhaps did not see Wyrd within this Rune and created the 'blank rune' to replace it.

Pertho is the rune of mystery religions. It is not easily defined, and is designed to largely be interpreted by the one who meditates long and hard on this rune. However I will share with you my definition as guidance, should you choose to accept these words.

Pertho, when it symbolises the vagina, represents the dark place from which all life pours forth, but also the place from which death can return. It is the darkness within the black cauldron, the gaping orifice of Sheila na Gig, and the sweet succulence of Freaje when she offers herself to Thor. The womb is often considered a place of mystery and secrets, and meditation upon the womb, its symbolism and its nature will often reveal much about this rune. Consider the vagina of a brood mare as compared to a virgin, or a raped wound as compared to something cherished. This is deep, graphic and sometimes repellent to imagine for many, but within all these messages lurks the meaning of the persistent Pertho, the container for Wyrd.

Pertho is another initiation rune, though it is worth noting that almost any rune to do with feminine mysteries will also be about initiation. Pertho specifically represents initiation that allows the imparting of secrets, or initiation into menstruation, and into menopause.

Meditating on Pertho will often lead to the understanding of one's own personal destiny. Not so much the 'I was born to be a doctor' type of destiny, but where your path will take you over the years and lifetimes, not what career you will have, but what your many wondrous functions are. Healer? Shaman? Leader? Mother? Pertho will reveal how Wyrd has also travelled through the ancestral line to you, and how it is likely to flow onto your own children and so forth. Make no mistake, this is a powerful and often overlooked rune.

Pertho is the rune of the future (and if one looks deeply enough, of the past in the future). Meditation on this rune can lead to flashes of insight of your own path, and sometimes of the paths of others, or simply the many paths that the earth is currently moving across. Pertho as a path-working rune contains immense potential.

Pertho, with its emphasis on ancestry and Wyrd, is also the rune of fellowship and family. This is a rune that tends to portend happy times within the family, and the joy that comes from family occasions and events.

Pertho is oddly enough the rune of runes. The rune bag is symbolic of mystery and contains within it wisdom of both the ancestors and of Wyrd. To understand the simplistic staves is to understand the mystery of the runes and the layers and layers of meaning behind a handful of syllables and numbers. In a casting Pertho will often represent a potential within the querent to read the runes, or that the reading in particular will be clear and straightforward. It also suggests that there are many layers to the reading, and that the ancestral function, or function of Wyrd will be significant.

Finally Pertho in a reading is significant of the riches and fertilities of the womb and the place of creation. It is often a time of great richness in one's life when cast, perhaps not in the form of tangible money, but certainly in the form of creativity or new life. This is another reason why Pertho can be associated with joy. It is one of the runes which is by and large positive, though it will likely be difficult to understand. It is also not worth accepting the face value of this rune. Pertho asks that you look deeper at its symbolism, and deeper within yourself.

Merk - Can represent a reading that will be difficult to understand, comprehend or work with. Also a bad time to work with runes, you may not be receptive to the mysteries at hand, or they simply may be hiding their meanings from you. Additionally a Merked Pertho can be representative of stagnancy, the kind of stagnancy that comes when one is not willing to look at secrets, reveal inner mysteries (no matter how unpleasant) or refuses to move forward. Preventing the metaphorical maiden from bleeding will not make the eventual bleeding any easier. Merked, Pertho can represent addiction, particularly to drugs which increase creative urges, from LSD, to Ecstasy, to chocolate.

A Merked Pertho also represents familial loneliness and a feeling of being cut off from one's ancestors. It may also suggest that the reason for this loneliness is self-imposed, and will only be understood with much soul searching. It can also mean that you will be unable to find who 'you' are, and feel the loneliness of being disconnected from yourself and your purpose.

In Ritual - This rune is particularly good when used by psychics who wish more clarity upon what they see, particularly if they are prone to getting random and chaotic images, or if they 'flood' easily. It is also an excellent rune for meditation, whether on the specific symbol, or on the actual theme, or simply as a guiding talisman during a visualization. It will help in rituals that are based in divination.

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