Text: Ellen Wild
Season of sunsets. Season of the returning stars. Seasons of the dying sun. Somewhere in between summer and autumn lies my favourite season of all. There is something so beautiful of the return to darkness. Something so hard but so safe at the same time. Because the hardest thing you’ll ever do, is to find solace with yourself. Here in the North, the cycle of the sun has much greater impact on our lives (and physiology) than you would think. And by the end of august, she is leaving us. But not without a show. At no point in the year, are the sunsets more beautiful than they are now.
But today, I want to talk about another phenomenon. Maybe the weather conditions made it appear more these last weeks, or maybe I’m just noticing it more. Maybe it is a sign. What is certain, is that it is one of my favourite nature phenomena: Sólstafir. It is when the sky breaks open, and shafts of sunlight spill through the clouds, creating rays that stretch like fingers over the land. We call it "Sólstafir". In English, this translates to “sun beams”. But this meagre translation does not capture both the beauty of light and the mysteries of the old world as the Icelandic word does.
As is true so often, language, culture and history can not be seen separate from each other. Now it happens that the etymology of the word "Sólstafir" could not be more perfectly fitting with its symbolism, could not fit more perfect with the season we are in. "Sól," meaning sun, comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "sóh₂wl̥," the same root that gave us the English word "sun." Meanwhile, "stafir" means “beams,” “sticks,” or “staves”, symbols that connect directly to the runes. Because these runes were more than mere letters; they were vessels of power, mysticism, and hidden knowledge. The word rune translates to "secret" or "mystery”, tracing back to the Proto-Germanic rūnō, which also means "secret" or "whisper."
The combination or multiplication of runes, in combination with symbolic and magical interpretation, would create the magic staves. To make it even more interesting, in Germanic mythology, the sun was also personified as a goddess: Sól. Could we see these rays not just as mere sunlight but as something more?
A celestial writing across the heavens, a divine message brought to us by Sól. Just as runes were once carved to convey meaning, so too does Sólstafir write across the sky, a dance of light that feels like it is whispering secrets to those who take the time to look.
To see sunlight as “staves” of light is to read the sky itself like a sacred text. In this way, Sólstafir becomes a bridge between worlds, the natural and the mystical, the seen and the unseen. Could each beam be a message? Are we invited to consider the ways the universe communicates with us?
And there is yet another layer to this word. In the world of runes, there is the rune "Sowilo" (ᛋ), the symbol that represents the sun itself. Shaped like a lightning bolt or a radiant sunbeam, "Sowilo" stands for clarity, illumination, and victory, a guiding light in times of darkness. Just like the beams of Sólstafir cutting through the clouds, Sowilo symbolizes guidance and divine protection. It speaks of energy, hope, and the power to overcome.
Even though our dear sun is about to disappear, before she goes, she reminds us that she will guide us through the darkness. Our inner sun is stronger than we think. A reminder of the strength that lies within and the path that is always there.
So, I don’t really care what you think about me when I say that, to me, it is a sign to see Sólstafir. It is a sign of hope and courage. I’m ready to embrace the dark, my dark. Are you?
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