In the ancient Germanic Futhark alphabet, *wunjô is the rune of “joy, intense desire, passion.” *Wunjô is the inner desire for realization of the soul’s true love/passion.

This rune wards off sorrow, and is the formula for aligning our thoughts, words and deeds with the vision of loveliness.

*Wunjô teaches to act upon our passion, and by doing so to complete our purpose in this lifetime.

We read in an Old English rune poem:

 Wenne bruceþ, ðe can weana lyt
sares and sorge and him sylfa hæfþ
blæd and blysse and eac byrga geniht.

Lust, longing, he enjoys who knows not/suffering, sorrow nor anxiety and has /prosperity and happiness and a good enough shelter.

*Wunjō is a cognate of Gothic winja, Old English wynn. In the Old Avestan Songs, the Gathas of the seer/prophet Zarathustra, it appears as váunû. Old Norse vinr, Vedic vánas, Latin venus are other cognates.

The reconstructed Proto Indo European root is *venh, *wénhos “loveliness, intense desire, passion.”

In the sacred songs or gathas of the ancient Aryan seer/prophet, váunû is about the vision of loveliness, passionate desire to overcome limitations, long, and reach for the sublime.

We read in the sacred gathis poetry:

ahûrem ýásá váunûš//naröi frša.öštrái maibiiá.čá

I yearn passionately for god-powers, for becoming like ahuras// (on behalf) of the valiant Frashoshtar and Myself.

 tã ýazái xváiš náménîš pairi.čá jasái vañtá

I hallow the Immortals under their own names, and go to them with longing, love.

In Zoroastrianism, Immortals are fairest, and wisest of all beings, and Godhood is “goodness, genius, and healthy, vital energy.” Therefore the concept of fear of God does not exist in Zoroastrianism. Instead Immortals and the qualities of Godhood are to be passionately, lovingly longed for.

In another song, the seer/prophet sings about the realization of the “vision of loveliness.”

ašáû.nãm áat ûrûnö ýaza.maidæ//kûdö-záta.nãm.čît narãm.čá náiri.nãm.čá

 ýaæšãm vahæhîš daæn.áv//vana.iñtî vá véñg.hen vá vaônaré vá

The soul of the followers of excellence we honor//wherever born, both valiant men and women//those whose vision of betterment, loveliness//are victorious, will triumph or have prevailed,

Passion is energy, the intense desire to reach for the stars, the Immortal Gods. Mortals need something greater to look up to. It is this vision of loveliness that at the end will prevail, overcome against all odds, and will touch the sublime here on earth.

ardeshir