Berkano (pronounced bear-kawn-no; meaning: Birch goddess) is the second rune of the third aett of the Elder Futhark. We are still within the first aett within 'Taking Up The Runes' so again, I am jumping forward.
A number of years ago, I helped co-lead a Beltane ritual for my CUUPS group, and as part of the ritual, the participants were gifted with a rune to take home and meditate on. Berkano was the rune that they were given. I purchased green glass pebbles at a craft shop (you know the ones that come in a big bag and are available in a zillion colors that you can use decoratively to fill lamps or vases) and used gold metallic permanent marker to draw the runes on the pebbles. One of the wonderful things about runes is that they are so simple to make, and you can make them out of so many different things...in a pinch, tearing up some paper and marking them with a pencil or pen will do the trick. I may do a blog entry about rune-making later in the alphabet. But I digress...
Berkano represents birth, growth, rebirth, renewal, fertility, pregnancy and motherhood, the womb, healing, and sanctuary. Its shape is reminiscent of the pregnant belly and breasts of a woman's body. I have always associated this rune specifically with the goddess Frigga, the All-Mother, wife of Odin, because Her tree is the birch. Others feel that it could represent many of the goddesses within the Northern Tradition, including Idunna, Freya, Nerthus, and even Ostara/Eostre. Edred Thorrson calls Berkano a rune of the Earth Mother, saying it reveals the mystery of the perpetual cycle of birth, death, and rebirth from the womb of the Goddess who rules over rites of passage.
Berkano can be used to make a protective amulet for a pregnant woman by taking a charm such as a stone, clay, or a piece of wood (a piece of birch wood would be especially appropriate), engraving it with the rune, and charging it in the name of Frigga.
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