Among the ancient symbols etched in stone, carved into wood, or scratched into metal by Germanic peoples more than a thousand years ago, one rune stands out for its clarity and life-affirming meaning: Sowilo (ᛋ). Pronounced SOH-wee-loh, this rune carries the strength of the sun itself. It is the rune of success, of victory, of the inner spark that refuses to give up. It is the light that cuts through winter’s darkness — not only literally, in the harsh North, but metaphorically, in our lives as well.
But before we wrap Sowilo in mystical interpretations, let’s start, as always, with what we know — the historical, linguistic, and archaeological facts.
What Is Sowilo?
Sowilo is the s-rune of the Elder Futhark, the oldest runic alphabet used by Germanic-speaking peoples, dating roughly from 150 to 800 CE. It appears as a lightning-bolt or angular S, and corresponds phonetically to the /s/ sound — as in sun, success, or saga.
Its name, Sowilo, is a reconstructed Proto-Germanic word meaning “sun.” It has cognates in several later Germanic languages: Old Norse sól, Old English sigel, and Gothic sauil. All of them point back to the same celestial body — the sun — and to what it represents: life, light, and the power to overcome.
The rune poem traditions, though written centuries later, help confirm this meaning. The Old Norse rune poem calls sól “the shield of the clouds and a shining ray,” an image that emphasizes light breaking through storm — or perhaps hardship.
The Power of the Sun
To understand Sowilo's symbolism, we have to imagine life in the northern world over a thousand years ago. The sun wasn't just a comforting presence — it was a matter of survival.
In lands where winter can last eight months, where crops fail under snow and livestock perish from frostbite, the return of the sun marked the return of hope. When the sun grew stronger in the sky, it meant the soil would thaw, animals would give birth, and human life would continue.
So the sun was more than a physical object. It became a symbol of life force itself — of health, success, and overcoming darkness.
And Sowilo, as a rune, expresses that.
This isn’t just poetic metaphor. In an oral culture where literacy was rare and every mark had meaning, a symbol like Sowilo would carry weight. Carved into tools, weapons, jewelry, or grave markers, it was a silent statement: May light guide you. May you succeed. May you survive.
Sowilo as Victory
Sowilo also speaks of victory — not just survival, but triumph.
In Proto-Germanic, there’s an important cluster of words that begin with this s-sound, tied to victory and success:
- sigiz – victory
- sigu – triumph
- sigel – both sun and a poetic word for victory
These words form the root of many names in later Norse and Anglo-Saxon traditions: Sigurd, Sigmund, Sigrid, Sigeberht — names that invoke victory itself.
Runes, when used symbolically rather than phonetically, could carry these meanings. Sowilo could be invoked to win in battle — or to win in life: in legal disputes, love, or harvests. Wherever the stakes were high and the cost of failure was real, Sowilo offered a vision of success earned through perseverance and light.
No Inverted Sowilo
Unlike some runes, Sowilo has no inverted or reversed form. You can’t turn the sun upside down — and you can’t twist this rune into a negative meaning. That’s telling.
Sowilo is a rune of pure force, and always points to forward movement. In divination or symbolic writing, it carries no shadow. It is one-directional — like the sun’s path across the sky.
That doesn’t mean success is easy. But it does mean it’s achievable. Sowilo is a reminder that effort, clarity, and persistence bring reward. The sun rises even after the longest night.
Sowilo in Modern Perspective
Today, the rune Sowilo still resonates — not as a religious relic or magical sigil, but as a reminder of something timeless.
In a world filled with distractions, uncertainty, and fear, we all seek light. We want to find our way, to have clarity in our decisions, and to overcome our personal winters — whether they be emotional, financial, or spiritual.
Sowilo represents that inner spark — what the old poets might have called ond, or spirit. It’s the drive that keeps us going when we don’t know the outcome, but press on anyway.
You might not carve it into your sword or shield. But maybe you write it in a journal. Maybe it hangs on your wall. Maybe it’s just something you keep in mind when you’re facing a hard decision:
What would success look like here? What would the sun do — rise, or quit?
A Word of Caution
As with any powerful symbol, Sowilo can be misused. Its clarity and force can be co-opted by ideologies that seek dominance, not enlightenment.
In the 20th century, various forms of the Sowilo rune were appropriated by Nazi symbolism — a painful distortion of its ancient meaning. The SS insignia, for example, used two stylized Sowilo runes. This is not a continuation of the rune’s traditional use, but a gross abuse of its history.
Sowilo was not about domination over others. It was about triumph over darkness — within and around us.
We must be careful not to let the past be reinterpreted through modern hate. Instead, we return to what the rune meant to the people who first carved it: hope, strength, the will to live.
Final Thoughts
Sowilo is more than a shape. It is more than a letter in an old alphabet. It is a human expression of one of the oldest longings: to find the light and hold on to it.
In a time when life was often short and survival uncertain, this rune stood for the victory of life over death, of warmth over cold, of clarity over chaos.
May we all carry a little Sowilo within us.