The gebo rune is quite a gift, and not just in a metaphorical sense but in the literal sense. Gebo, is the seventh rune in the Elder Futhark ancient runic alphabet as well as the seventh in the first aett family runes. The gebo rune represents gift. Although many may be thinking of a physical gift like a candle or a hand knitted sweater, but the gebo rune is more than a physical gift that comes wrapped in a box.
Gebo Rune Meaning
Gebo (gheb-o) rune means gift or hospitality. In Old Germanic society, gifts were of high importance. But again, this isn’t gifts like a cute little trinket that comes in a box. The gift that the gebo rune represents is the gift of hospitality and generosity. And during that time, those that did not give hospitality would be charged with a fine.
Although hospitality and generosity are the main focus of the gebo rune, there is also another side to it. In Old Norse, a gipt (another name for the gebo rune) represents a gift towards a wedding. A festival in honor of the new partnership. But today, gebo can represent platonic relationships as well.
According to Germanic legends, a stranger should always be welcomed, for that stranger represents the Gods. And that stranger could in fact be a God in disguise.
The Story
In the poem Grímnismál, found in the Poetic Edda, King Geirrod, a man who was kind to his guests was visited by Fulla, Frigg’s maid. She warned the king about a traveler. This traveler was a warlock carrying a warlock’s hex. She said the king would be able to recognize this traveler with ease. For this traveler could walk past a vicious hound and it would not lunge at him.
Not long after Fulla’s warning to the king, a traveler named Grimnir came through. Just like in Fulla’s warning, this man was never lunged at by the vicious hounds. Instead of Geirrod welcoming Grimnir as he did his other guests, the king arrested him and Grimnir went silent.
Geirrod tortured Grimnir by stringing him in between two huge fire for eight nights, in the attempt to make Grimnir talk. Through those long nights, Grimnir, who was in dire need of a drink, was visited by Geirrod’s son Agnar.
Agnar approached Grimnir with a horn full of water. As he offered Grimnir the water, he told him that it was wrong of his father to be torturing an innocent man. As the flames began to consume Grimnir, he spoke of being Odin, the Allfather. Geirrod holding his sword half-drawn jumped forward to save Odin from the blaze. Upon doing so, the king’s sword slipped from his hand, landing on its hilt. The king tripped and landed on his sword. Killing him.
Using the Gebo Rune
An easy way of using the gebo rune is by simply giving to others. Generosity is the greatest gift someone can give to another. Carry the gebo rune in your pocket to help remind you to put good out into the universe. When you put out good and positivity, all of that comes back to you 3X.
Sex magic is another way to use the gebo rune. Symbolizing the unity between two people, two energies coming together in a physical and emotional connection.
Have a stronger connection with the divine with the gebo rune. Make an offering to the God(s) you wish to connect with. An offering is not a “payment” to the Gods, but rather a symbol of an exchange. This exchange represents the loyalty and connection between the divine and the follower.
Rune Casting
Just like in tarot, when you cast your runes upon a surface, how they land is how you read them. There is an upright and a reverse. Upright meaning the symbol is facing the right direction. When it’s reversed, this means that the symbol is in an upside-down direction.
What do these rune positions mean?
Upright
Gift, exchange, hope, harmony, self-sacrifice, unity, partnership, generosity, luck
Good things are coming your way! Embrace it! This could be a new relationship, or a new stage in a current relationship. An exchange (usually economic) could be on the horizon. You may have to make a small sacrifice to earn the high reward you are seeking. But it will be worth it in the end.
Reverse
There is no reverse meaning.
The gebo rune is one of the most positive runes in the futhark. Gebo symbolizes freedom. And freedom is the ultimate gift.
First Aett Family
Wish to learn more about the other runes in the first aett, check out these links below:
Sources
Taking Up the Runes by: Diana L. Paxson
Norse Magic & Runes by: Frederick Strom
Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic by: Edred Thorsson
The Book of Runes by: Ralph H. Blum
The Poetic Edda: Translated by Jeramy Dodds