Wyrd
While the Norns
Weave the skein
Of your Destiny
The Runes follow one another inexorably
Bringing opportunities and obstacles
Wise is he
Who, accepting the fabric
Of his Destiny
Finds within himself
The Path to fulfillment.
He who knows the Beginning knows the End.
Here, in the contemplation of the unfolding of destiny and its acceptance, profound wisdom is born.
The rune is white, empty, signifying that which is hidden from us.
Although Wyrd is not an integral part of the Futhark cycle, it represents the interaction of determinism and free will, from which the unfolding of our destiny results in the superimposition of our inner genesis upon mechanical time. Foreboded in the encounter with Perthro, the three Norns govern the past—that which is gone—yet determine our present, the realm of our choices within the constraints of past outcomes, and the future, which is partly conditioned by these two forces.
Here, Fire and Ice lie latent, obeying the direction of Wyrd.
Wyrd embodies the mystery between determinism and free will. Submission to absolute determinism leads to quietism and fatalism. Blind belief in free will leads to an exclusive reliance on the will, ignoring all the dualities inherent in our inner and outer worlds. Wyrd expresses this tension, bringing us back to a form of responsibility but also of accompanying the metamorphoses of both our external and internal worlds.