Naudhiz is the Rune of need and drive.
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
Nyd byþ nearu on breostan;
weorþeþ hi þeah oft niþa bearnum
to helpe and to hæle gehwæþre,
gif hi his hlystaþ æror.
Need is constricting on the chest
although to the children of men it often becomes
a help and salvation nevertheless,
if they heed it in time.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Nauðr gerer næppa koste;
nöktan kælr í froste.
Need makes for a difficult situation;
the naked freeze in the frost., frozen snow.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Nauð er Þýjar þrá
ok þungr kostr
ok vássamlig verk.
Need is the grief of the bondmaid,
and a hard condition to be in,
and toilsome work.
True need is something most of us do not know anymore these days. We tell ourselves that we truly need to have this new phone, that we need those likes and we need to book this vacation on the Maldives but these Rune Poems talk about something far more primal. In the times of the Germanic tribes and during the Viking Age need was a very different thing. Not even a chief or a Jarl had everything they needed and in this context, we’re talking about essentials like firewood and provisions to survive the winter. Since this kind of need will cause existential fear and terror, it is very interesting that one of the poems also sees it as a help and salvation. If we look a little closer, then all three of the poems contain this truth, as the naked that are freezing in the frost were obviously still clothed the previous winter and the thralls (bondsmaid) had the option of buying their freedom after some time of servitude.
This brings us to the magical application of this Rune. The simple truth of the matter is, that without true need, the performance of magical acts is pointless. True need is what fuels a magical operation and if we do not truly feel the need to defend ourselves then even the most elaborate performance of ceremonial magic won’t bring us any protection.