Fehu Rune Meaning: Wealth, Abundance and Love

Fehu (ᚠ) is the first rune of the Elder Futhark, the oldest runic alphabet, used by Germanic peoples from about the 2nd to the 8th century. It stands for the sound F — and for wealth.

Cattle and wealth

The name fehu means cattle in Proto-Germanic. In a farming society, cattle were wealth: you could move them, trade them and pay with them. The same word gives English its fee, and German its Vieh, livestock.

So Fehu is not the wealth of land or inheritance, but moveable wealth — money, possessions, the things that come and go and must be earned and looked after.

What the rune poems say

Medieval poems from England, Norway and Iceland give a short verse for each rune. All three link Fehu with wealth — and all three warn about it:

• The Old English poem says wealth is a comfort to everyone, but each must share it freely if they hope for honour before God.
• The Norwegian and Icelandic poems say wealth causes strife among kin.

The message is the same: wealth is good, but it must circulate. Hoarded, it breeds conflict.

Fehu upright meaning

• Wealth and abundance — money, success, possessions.
• Earned reward — the result of hard work.
• New beginnings — as the first rune, it opens the alphabet.
• Generosity — wealth that flows.

Fehu reversed meaning

Many modern readers read runes reversed (upside down) or merkstave. Reversed, Fehu can mean:

• Loss — of money, property or self-worth.
• Greed — wealth hoarded rather than shared.
• Effort without reward.

Reversed readings are a modern practice, not something found in the old sources. Plenty of rune readers do not use them.

Fehu in love

In love, Fehu points to a rich, fulfilling relationship — abundance of feeling, generosity and a good time together. It can also warn against treating love as a possession. Reversed, it can suggest a relationship that takes more than it gives.

Fehu in spiritual practice

In modern rune practice, Fehu is a rune of energy and flow: drawing good things in and passing them on. Some carve or draw it for prosperity, or carry it when starting a business.

How to draw Fehu

A vertical line with two lines slanting up to the right from it, the upper one starting at the top. It looks like a slightly tilted F — which is the sound it makes.

Reading the runes

Fehu is the first of 24. For the meaning of every rune in the Elder Futhark, and how to cast them, see our guide to Elder Futhark runes and their meanings.