Also called Ansur
Letter: A
Old Norse name: Ass
Flower: morning glory
Gem: emerald
Number: 4
The fourth letter of the futhark, Ansuz kind of looks like a mouth, sort of, in a way. And a mouth, obviously, indicates the spoken word. Ancient Teutons passed on information orally, which means that the spoken word is considered to be the repository of wisdom and knowledge. The presence of Ansuz in a reading, then, generally means that the querent will receive knowledge or seek and take advice. For the querent, this is not a time to be talking -- 'listen' is the key word here.
Sometimes, Ansuz will indicate a test, especially a spoken test, as in an interview. If upright, the querent will do well.
Advice or instruction will most often come from a parent, teacher, or boss. Ansuz upright will indicate that the advice will be honest and unbiased, the kind of advice you can count on.
When reversed, Ansuz indicates biased advice from someone who does not have the querent's best interests at heart. It can indicate trickery and deceit; a second opinion is often advisable.
Ansuz reversed can also mean misuse of knowledge or lack of communication due to the querent not listening (remember what the key word is!). It can also indicate trouble with studies-either academic lessons or the lessons of life.
With other negative runes, Ansuz reversed may mean that the querent is an eternal student, one who learns and learns but never applies the knowledge (like the professional students of your college days -- you know the ones...).