So, what am I looking at? You are looking at a bindrune. A bindrune is made up of two or more runes (the letters from the runic alphabet of the ancient Germanic and Nordic people called Elder Futhark). Each ruin is superimposed upon another in a harmonious fashion to make a bindruin. In this bindrune, I used EOLH ᛉ, which signifies friendship and new career opportunity. I also used ANSUZ ᚨ, which signifies the mouth, spoken word, advice, and acquisition of wisdom through speech.
I have also mixed in the Hebrew letters gimel ×’, which represents the letter G, the number 3, and is traditionally believed to resemble a person in motion; symbolically, a rich man running after a poor man to give him charity. In the Hebrew alphabet gimel directly precedes dalet, which signifies a poor or lowly man, from the Hebrew word dal. I am by no means wealthy, and am closer aligned to the poor man at this point. However, my interests lie in helping the poor, underrepresented, or historically discriminated in fighting any oppressor they may have, especially if it is linked to climate change. Like gimel I am always in motion with my work.
The three mushroom looking things on top of the gimel are actually crowns called tagin. Gimel is a special letter in the Hebrew alphabet and is one of seven letters who receive the tagin. In kabbalistic thought, each tagi has special significance and meaning.
The other Hebrew letter that is mixed into the bidruin is kaf ×›Ö¼. Kaf represents the letter C. Kaf is different from Kaph in that the latter makes "ch" sound as opposed to a "k" sound like in "kazoo." Kaf is written with a dot in the middle, also called a dagesh.
​
Woven around the bindrune is a decorative vine, symbolizing my love for plants.
Altogether the bindrune reads as signifying friendship and opportunity; the importance of wisdom, story, and speech; a person always in motion helping others, and of course, my initials "GC."
Why choose Hebrew and Elder Futhark for my logo? I chose Hebrew because of my Jewish heritage and Elder Futhark because of my deep love and fascination for the ancient Norse language and culture. A fun fact is that I play the Jouhikko, an ancient Finnish instrument who's players once spoke Elder Futhark. By combining Hebrew and Elder Futhark letters to make a bindrune, I believe it fully encompasses my interests, aspirations, and type of work I find meaning in.