Lot-cup & Fate
Perthro is the lot-cup, the rune of fate, of mystery and of hidden fortune. It speaks of the play of possibilities and of the fact that not everything lies in our hands. Stay open to surprises – the hidden reveals itself in its own time.
The meaning of ‘Perthro/Peorð’ is disputed to this day. The most convincing interpretation is as a dice- or lot-cup – the implement of play and of consulting fate.
The Old English poem links ‘peorð’ with play and laughter in the hall, where merry men sit together – a hint at dice-games and pastime.
The casting of lots and staves to consult fate is attested for the Germanic peoples as early as Tacitus. Perthro is the rune of the hidden, of the lot, of chance that is at the same time fate.
Perthro is the most mysterious rune of the Futhark – not least because no one can any longer say for certain what its name originally meant.