F: Fehu : Cattle / Wealth
Wealth is won and gold bestowed
But honour's due to all men owed
Gift the given and ware the lord
For thy name's worth noised abroad
Feoh: Wealth is a comfort to all men;
yet must every man bestow it freely,
if he wish to gain honour in the sight of the Lord. OERP
Fe: Wealth
source of discord among kinsmen
and fire of the sea
and path of the serpent. OIRP
Fe: Wealth is a source of discord among kinsmen;
the wolf lives in the forest. ONRP
Hebrew, Greek, and Runic all give the same basic meaning for the first letter as cattle, and this almost
certainly signifies wealth. In many cultures, cattle represents mobile wealth and value in a time before
money. Kings may value gold, but ordinary people prize cattle as beasts of burden, and a source of hide,
meat, bone and horn.
The letter Fehu is echoed in the English word “fee”, a payment for services rendered; again money for
money's worth.
In the older rune poems, one can see that money, and it's effect on relationships is vital key. Money and
wealth are important, but more important is what we do with it. Keeping money to yourself can lead to a
reputation as a miser, and grasping at what other people have leads to fights and quarrels.
For me, Fehu is a warning that however far we have worked for, or “earned” that money, there is also an
element of luck, good fortune, or “hamingja”. One of the nine virtues is self reliance; but don't justify a
lack of charity by assuming that that those who are suffering are merely lazy and shiftless.
In ancient societies where people in a clan or tribe knew all their friends and neighbours, a person's
reputation was key; and honour is best matched with compassion.
This is a Rune about wealth, but also how we make it, and how we use it. It is about the circle of
community and kin-ship; sharing good fortune and accepting help in bad. It is about looking beyond
ourselves and our selfish concerns. In that sense, it can be the first step to wisdom.
As Stanza 40 of the Hávamál warns:
Once he has won wealth enough,
A man should not crave for more:
What he saves for friends, foes may take;
Hopes are often liars.10
10 W H Auden & P B Taylor Translation