The thirteenth rune of the Elder Futhark. Similar and yet different from the 13th Major Arcana card, Death, Eihwaz steps out from Jera’s yearly cycles and asks us to ponder cosmic eternity, rebirth, and transformation. It makes us the axis, with our feet in mortality and our heads in forever. ⁣Some use this rune for ancestor work or to connect with divinity (or our higher self) for insight and guidance. It is the rune that pierces the veil. Scholars debate whether the world tree was an ash tree or a yew tree etymologically, but regardless, this rune is attested as representing the yew tree: an important tree in old times that grew evergreen through winter and was often planted at gravesites as a symbol of eternal life. Though not attested, I associate this rune with Hel. ⁣