“Algiz” – Viking rune for the letter Z

This rune letter is pronounced the same as “Z” is in English. It means “elk” and is thought to have been fashioned to reflect elk antlers. For any non-Europeans reading this, the elk (Alces alces) is the same animal that Americans and Canadian call “moose”. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the deeper meaning of this rune is that it symbolises luck in the hunt and therefore reward of any kind after a period of exertion or hard work. Some scholars have argued that algiz also means “protection”, but in fact that is a much later meaning coming from a different Germanic root.