Purposeful Movement

Riding across the hall is easy for any warrior, but hard for one on a long journey with a strong horse.

The manifestation of power begun by the first four runes finds its equilibrium in the Rune Raido.

Raido (chariot, riding, road) expresses the idea of a means of travel along the Way of Power.

From the standpoint of myth, Raido is Thor in his chariot, harnessed to two goats (Tanngniostrom and Tanngrisnir — “the one who gnashes his teeth” and “the one who grinds his teeth”). Thor’s chariot represents the ordered cosmic laws of justice and regularity.

At the same time, this chariot is steerable — that is, its motion can be directed, even when seemingly spontaneous.

As every journey has a definite goal, so Raido’s movement is purposeful; it is the rune of reunion occurring at the journey’s end (the action, the accomplishment). Any journey is the creation of a link between a starting point and an end point through movement. Therefore Raido is also a rune of connection.

However, such an end of the journey is not the end of the Way; Raido is not the Rune of the entire Way — it embodies only attainment of particular goals, solving particular tasks.

Another practically important aspect of the chariot’s movement is its rhythm. In other words, measure, rhythm, and balance are important for purposeful movement.

The goats harnessed to the chariot indicate the subordination of elemental forces to the will, including the elemental forces of fertility (the goat is one of the symbols of sexuality).

Riding, as they say, is hard for horses. Raido’s movement is not flight; it is a steady advance through obstacles, yet the burden of those obstacles is eased by knowing the rightness of one’s actions.

Thor, Lord of the chariot, is the master of order, but his order is external. Changes brought about along Raido affect the external world, not inner feelings or relationships.

At the same time, Thor prevailed even when victory seemed impossible; therefore Raido is also a rune of deliverance from hopeless situations.

Raido can be formed from Isa and Sowelo (by combining them), and from Ansuz and Thurisaz as well. We already discussed that combination, and Isa and Sowelo’s union points to Raido’s unifying of opposites and its harmonizing power.

At the same time, clumsy use of Raido can trap one in a vicious circle, a self-perpetuating loop. This aspect of Raido is expressed by the world-serpent Jormungandr, Thor’s eternal enemy, the serpent that bites its own tail.

The subconscious, instead of being the chariot of the mind, becomes a frenzied horse that overwhelms reason; the body, instead of serving as the soul’s chariot, becomes a dungeon.