The Wendehorn

by Victor Ordell L. Kasen

(First published in 1997 but now updated and expanded. The full original and updated document will be available online soon.)

The Wendehorn [1] (pictured above) is a sacred holy symbol steeped in the mists of time and is sacral within the Zeitgeist of the Armanenschaft tradition of eternal change, polaritiesis and contrasts, including the unity of contrasts. It has a multiplicity of meanings and interpretations relating to the All within its sacral self and Ich.

In contemporary times it is believed to be a mystico-magickal runic formation developed by 'der Meister' Guido von List and is in use widely within Armanic-esotericism and thus List's contemporaries, the Armanenvolk - Siegfried Adolf Kummer, Rudolf John Gorsleben, Peryt Shou, Karl Spiesberger, Karl Hans Welz, Adolf Schleipfer and myself.

An example of its deep meaning and esoteric and exoteric worth is 'generation', 'formation', 'hearing', 'witness', 'creation', 'growth', 'change' and 'seed of life', etc.

The Wendehorn is a complex and yet austere symbol that symbolises the uniting and bonding of contrasts and disparities - 'life and death', 'order and chaos', 'certainty and doubt', 'above and below', 'male and female', 'caue and effect', 'beginning and end', 'spirit and matter', 'acent and decent', 'good and bad', 'fire and ice', 'mind and body', 'light and dark', 'hot and cold' and 'physical and spiritual', etc.

Wendehorn is the appellation given to that sacral image that is a combination of the Armanen Futharkh 'Man-rune' and 'Yr-rune' (life and death respectfully).

The image of Wendehorn is that of an elongated variation of the Hagal rune and somewhat similar to that of the Tvimadur. The Wendehorn is interpreted as the symbol of the 'Tree of Lige' (Yggdrasil, World Tree or Irminsul) by Guido von List, Siegfried Adolf Kummer and Rudolf John Gorsleben amongst other Armanenvolk.

List said that "... the 'crescent moon' as the 'Wendehorn' is, however, also the rune of Freya, who promotes childbirth." [2] whilst Kummer stated that it is the symbol of the moon which in ancient times Magick and Seiðrkraft (Seiðrways) working in unity with the full moon had terrible connotations. [3]

It signifies nessesary consequences, change and the turning and twisting of the All and it's matter. All consequence, all corollary and all effects are based on the primal law of Nature and her eternal ever present and everlasting laws. However, it also signifies the cooperation between natures eternal laws, working in effect and accordence with each other - the polar forces. An example is Man and Woman, Male and Female - two opposites that unite in accordence with Natures eternal laws and compliment each other to effect change - love, birth, sex (the central core of the lifeline and lifeforce of the folk) - creativity - the primal spark of firestorm - the firewhisk. Whilst these opposites unite in sacred unity they are not perfect and spark change - chaos spawned from order and visa versa.

Gorsleben stated that the in relation to the concept of this symbol, that it is very similar to the Hagal rune yet without the common intersection of the bars joining Man to Yr and "Consider the end!" [4]

Karl Spießberger stated on page 74 in his 1955 masterpiece 'Runenmagie' that:

"Der männliche Partner stellt die Man-Rune , der weibliche Partner die Yr-Rune ; beide bilden so das Wendehorn: das 'Zeichen des Weltgerichtes', das einen neuen Aufstieg verheißt, der zur vollkommensten Daseinsform zu führen vermag: Zum Hag-All. (Zwei Eh-Runen als Binderunen gestellt symbolisieren die Hag-All-Rune.)

Überwunden ist die niedere Menschnatur, Mann und Weib - frei von Fluche des Getrenntseins, zum Androgyn, zur Gynandria geworden - sind für immer einander verbunden.
Zur Eins wurde die Zwei in mystischer Hochzeit.

Gemeinsame Runenkulte können zu diesem seltenen weihevollen Erleben führen, jedoch nur dort, wo Wirklich gegenseitige echte Liebe die Herzen einander entgegenschlagen läßt.
Andernfalls sei gewarnt, mit diesen Mächten zu spielen." [5]

Similar to its symbolism of hierosgamos, in which Spießberger said that Wendehorn is the unification and partnership of Man (in the image of the Man-rune) and the Woman/Female (in the image of the Yr-rune), it is also the sigh of 'World Judgement' which assures a new ascent the s[iritual and physical embodiment of a higher form of existance - the Hag-All (Hag and All). Wendehorn overcomes the lowest form of Male and Female human nature, free of the curse of separatism and thus bonded in the unification of unity - the Androgen or natural/synthetic compound becomes the Gynandria and are thus always connected with each other, as are Man and Woman. This unity forms itself in the mystical wedding, zenith or unificating high time of Man and Woman. Common rune-cults can lead to this rare consecration experience, only however , where real mutual and genuine love and the heart strike against each other. Otherwise you should be warned against playing with these powers."

The Wendehorn conceals within itself the hidden runes , and further conceals the runes deeper within its symbolism. These runes, in order of the Armanen rune row, have the numerical value of 6, 9, 10, 15 and 16 and deeper the numerical runic values of 7, 8 and 17. In total it conceals 8 runes, and including itself 9 of whch is the numerical figure and holy number that it also represents - 9.

Alaf Sal Fena!

Victor Ordell L. Kasen

References

[1] - Wendehorn - Wende[e], German forchange or turning - Turning/Change Horn (Also known as the Wendhorn - Wend-Horn (Wending Horn, Wending-Horn), Wende-Horn)

[2] - von List, Guido - Das Geheimnis der Runen, 1908 (GvLB no 1)

[3] - Kummer, Siegfried Adolf - Heilige Runenmacht, 1932

[4] - John Gorsleben, Rudolf - Hoch-Zeit der Menschheit, 1930

[5] - Spießberger, Karl - Runenmagie, 1955

Further Reading

Spießberger, Karl - Runenmagie, 1955

von List, Guido - Das Geheimnis der Runen, 1908 (GvLB no 1)

John Gorsleben, Rudolf - Hoch-Zeit der Menschheit, 1930

Kummer, Siegfried Adolf - Heilige Runenmacht, 1932

Widar, Jarl - Whispering of Gotos - Rune-Knowledge [from Hagal 11 (1934), Heft 7, pp. 7-15]

Flowers, Dr. Stephen E. and Moynihan, Michael - The Secret King (2001)

other works

Kummer, Siegfried Adolf - Runen-Magie,1933

von List, Guido - Die Religion der Ario-Germanen in ihrer Esoterik und Exoterik (1909 or 1910)