Naudiz

“Consciousness is the Necessity.”

“That which does not destroy me makes me stronger.” – Nietzsche

Nauthiz – “Not-this” – Literally: “Need-fire” or “Necessity” – Esoteric: Constraint, Friction

Key Concepts: Need, resistance, constraint, conflict, drama, effort, necessity, urgency, hard work, need-fire, life lessons, creative friction, distress, force of growth, the consequence of past action, short term pain for long term gain

Naudiz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the n-rune ᚾ, meaning "need, distress". In the Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is continued as ᚾ nyd, in the Younger Futhark as ᚾ, Icelandic naud and Old Norse nauðr. The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌽 n, named nauþs.

The rune is recorded in all three rune poems:

Rune Poem:[1]	English Translation:
Old Norwegian ᚾ Nauðr gerer næppa koste; nøktan kælr í froste.	Constraint gives scant choice; a naked man is chilled by the frost.
Old Icelandic ᚾ Nauð er Þýjar þrá ok þungr kostr ok vássamlig verk. opera niflungr.	Constraint is grief of the bond-maid and state of oppression and toilsome work.
Anglo-Saxon ᚾ Nyd byþ nearu on breostan; weorþeþ hi þeah oft niþa bearnum to helpe and to hæle gehwæþre, gif hi his hlystaþ æror.	Trouble is oppressive to the heart; yet often it proves a source of help and salvation to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it betimes.

Runic Number: 10

Meaning: Demand. Need. Craving. Want. Desire. Compulsion. Deprivation.

Translation: Extremity. Need.

Gemstone: Lapis Lazuli

Color: Black

Polarity: Female

Element: Fire

Gods: Skuld

Astrology correspondence: Capricorn

Tree: Rowan

Plant: Snakeroot

Psi: resistance, need, effort

Energy: necessity, coming forth into being, urgency

Mundane: doing what must be done, chores, hard work

Divinations: Resistance (leading to strength), recognition of örlög (ultimate law, primal truth), innovation, need-fire (self-reliance), personal development and life lessons, achievement through effort; or constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery, laxity, warnings, worry, guilt, moral cowardice, unfulfilled or unrecognized needs.

Governs:

Overcoming distress or negative örlög
Acceptance of the unchangeable
Development of magical will, the manipulation of wyrd
Understanding the dynamic force of “resistance” in the process of creating
The generation of creative energy for problem solving
Protection of one’s own needs
Recognition of personal need
Love magic; especially to obtain a lover


Without resistance, form would fall apart. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. It is the basic resistance of unconscious forces against newly evolved consciousness, but also the overwhelming need for evolution of consciousness, and that unconscious resistance to it.

The mysteries of necessity are at the core of Nauthiz. It is central to manipulating Wyrd so that desired outcomes can be attained through negotiating with the energies of the Norns. Invoking need is more powerful than wishing, but what we need and what we desire are not always the same. In this sense, Nauthiz can protect us from ourselves, but its lessons are often harsh. The force of the past exerts its effect on us in the present. Previous action catches up with us and attempts to restrain and restrict future action, which is the counter-movement of the cyclical processions of JERA. However, armed with humility we can learn our lessons from not only our own errors, but the mistakes and successes of others.

Action governed by Nauthiz is rooted in common sense. The magic of common sense is that it is not so common, because our desires and ideals eclipse our true need and perception of real circumstances. As a war rune, Nauthiz empowers the invoker to have the courage and wisdom to recognize what must be done in an otherwise complex situation. Necessity is the mother of invention. No pain, no gain. It is connected with the harshness of reality, like Hagalaz.

We have a painful fear of necessity and a love hate relationship with our needs. This is illustrated most excellently in the symbol of Nauthiz as two sticks rubbing together to create the ‘Need-Fire’. Our need for fire as a species is balanced with our fear of the power of fire. Consider this well and you will develop a profound understanding of this rune.

German Linguist Guido Von List writes in the early 1900s writes:

“Whoever is able to grasp the primal cause of phenomenon, and whoever gains knowledge of organic lawful evolution and the phenomena arising from it, is also able to judge their consequences just as they are beginning to ferment. Therefore, this person commands knowledge of the future and also understands how to settle all strife through …. the way of fate. Therefore: ‘Use your fate, do not strive against it.’”