How to Draw a Love Rune (and a Love Bindrune) Correctly
To draw a love rune correctly, choose the rune that matches the kind of love you want, usually Gebo for partnership, Wunjo for joy in a relationship or Berkana for tenderness and care, and draw it upright in its exact shape, slowly, while holding a clear and ethical intention. For a love bindrune, you join two or three such runes on a shared line so that each one stays readable and no unwanted rune appears.
The technique is simple. What matters more is the intention behind it. A love rune in modern practice is a way of opening yourself to love, deepening an existing bond or healing after a loss. It is never a tool to bend another person's will, and in my practice that is a firm line.
This guide explains which runes are used for love, how to draw each one correctly, how to build a simple love bindrune, how to activate it, and the mistakes and ethical traps to avoid.
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Love and runes: history and modern practice
The runes were first an alphabet, and there is no surviving historical list of "love runes". The love meanings used today are modern interpretations based on the rune names and on the medieval rune poems: Gebo is "gift", Wunjo is "joy", Berkana is the birch tree, a symbol of growth and new life.
The sagas do show that people believed runes could affect body and mind, and also that carelessly carved runes could do harm. In Egil's Saga, Egil visits a household where a young woman, Helga, has been ill for a long time. He finds a piece of whalebone with runes carved by a local man who had tried to help her, and says in a verse that no one should carve runes who cannot read them well. He burns the bone, carves new runes, and she recovers. Whatever you think of the story, the lesson for modern practitioners is clear: draw carefully and know exactly what you are drawing.
If you want to understand love runes in more depth before drawing them, read the overview of the love rune meaning and the guide to all 24 rune meanings.
Ready to work with a love rune, not just read about it? The Perfect Love Bind-Rune is a ready six-rune formula with printable artwork, a phone wallpaper and a 10-page guide on drawing and activating it. $29, instant download.
The runes most used for love
Each of these runes covers a different side of love. Choose one or two based on what you actually need, not the longest list.
Gebo: partnership and mutual giving
Gebo is the gift rune and the most common choice for love between two people. Its X shape is often read as two lines meeting and crossing, an image of equal exchange. In the Norse world a gift created a bond and called for one in return, so Gebo is about reciprocity, not one-sided longing.
Wunjo: joy and harmony
Wunjo means joy. It is used to bring lightness, warmth and harmony into a relationship, or to help a couple find the pleasure in each other again after a heavy period.
Berkana: tenderness, care and new beginnings
Berkana, the birch rune, is associated with nurturing, family and growth. It suits love that needs gentleness, a relationship that is beginning, or the wish to start a family.
Laguz: feelings and intuition
Laguz is water, and in modern practice it governs emotions and intuition. It helps open the emotional side of a relationship, but it is a fluid rune, so it is better as a supporting rune than the core of a love sign.
Ingwaz and Kenaz: fertility and desire
Ingwaz is connected with the god Ing and with fertility and completion; it is used for a love that should grow and bear fruit. Kenaz, the torch, adds warmth, passion and clarity. Use Kenaz with care: fire warms, but it can also burn.
How to draw each love rune correctly
Accuracy is the foundation. A rune drawn with the wrong angle, a mirrored branch or an extra stroke is, quite literally, a different sign. If you are unsure of the basics, read how to draw runes first.
Gebo: two straight diagonal lines of equal length crossing in the middle, like an X. It looks the same either way up, so it cannot be reversed.
Wunjo: a vertical stave with a small closed triangle or flag at the top right, pointing right. A flag pointing left is a mirrored, incorrect form.
Berkana: a vertical stave with two pointed bumps on the right, like a squared-off letter B. Keep the points sharp, not rounded.
Laguz: a vertical stave with one short line slanting down to the right from the top.
Ingwaz: in its most common modern form, a diamond, sometimes drawn with crossing lines extending from it. It cannot be reversed.
Kenaz: in the Elder Futhark, a sharp angle opening to the right, shaped like a "less than" sign. Keep it small and pointed; do not confuse it with the later Anglo-Saxon form.
Draw each stroke slowly. Many practitioners draw verticals from top to bottom and branches afterwards, saying the rune's name as they work. Use one continuous session rather than coming back to correct lines later.
How to make a simple love bindrune
A love bindrune combines two or three love runes into one sign. The full method, including how to check for accidental runes, is in the guide on how to make a bindrune. Here are the essentials for love work.
Write the intention in one sentence, about yourself or about a relationship in which both people agree: "I open myself to a loving, equal relationship."
Choose two or three runes with clear roles. Usually one core rune (Gebo) and one or two that describe the quality of love (Wunjo, Berkana).
Use a shared vertical stave. Hang the runes with verticals on it and place Gebo across it.
Keep everything readable and upright, with no mirrored forms.
Check for hidden runes. Crossings can create Nauthiz (need, constraint) or Isa (freezing), which are unhelpful in love work. Redesign if they dominate.
One worked example in words
Here is a single example for a person who wants to open to a new, warm partnership. The intention is: "I am ready for a joyful, equal love."
The runes are Gebo (equal exchange) and Wunjo (joy). Draw one vertical stave. Place Wunjo's flag at the top right of the stave, so the stave and flag form a complete Wunjo. Then draw Gebo's X across the lower part of the stave. Checking the result: the vertical stave with Gebo across it may suggest Nauthiz-like crossings, so make sure the X is centred and symmetrical, which reads clearly as Gebo rather than a slanted Nauthiz. Nothing else is hidden, and the sign reads as "joy, through equal giving".
This is a simple, open example. Stronger, tested love formulas and specific combinations for existing relationships are covered in the dedicated guide below.
Activating a love rune
Activation is a modern practice, and there are many ways to do it. A calm, simple approach works well.
Choose a quiet time when you feel warm and settled, not desperate or angry.
Draw the rune or bindrune on paper, wood or another clean surface, saying each rune's name.
Read your intention aloud.
Add a clause such as "for the good of all, in harmony with free will".
Breathe over the sign, hold it to your heart for a moment and then place it: under your pillow, in a journal, in your wallet or on a small token you carry.
Then act. A love rune keeps your intention present, but meeting people, honest conversations and kindness are what build a relationship.
Ethics: never target a person against their will
This deserves its own section, because it is the most important rule in love rune work. Never draw a rune or bindrune to make a specific person love you, return to you, leave their partner, or feel something they do not choose to feel.
There are three reasons. First, it violates another person's free will, which most practitioners, myself included, consider a line not to cross. Second, a relationship built on pressure, even symbolic pressure, rarely brings the love you actually want. Third, in practice such workings tend to keep you stuck on one person instead of opening you to a relationship that is mutual.
What you can do instead:
Work on yourself: openness, self-worth and readiness for love.
Work on a relationship where both partners know and agree.
Work on healing after a breakup, so that you can let go.
If a breakup has left you exhausted or low for a long time, runes can support you, but they are not a substitute for talking to friends or a professional.
Common mistakes
Drawing mirrored runes. Wunjo and Berkana are often drawn facing the wrong way. Check before you activate.
Too many runes. Five love runes in one sign blur the meaning. Two or three are enough.
Mixing love with unrelated goals. Money or career runes in a love sign scatter the intention.
Using restrictive runes. Nauthiz and Isa in a love sign suggest need and coldness.
Desperate intentions. Drawing from panic tends to amplify the panic. Wait until you are calmer.
Targeting someone. See the section above.
If you want a sign made specifically for your situation and checked line by line, a custom bindrune is an option.
Need a formula made for one specific goal? A Custom Bindrune is built around your intention: every rune explained, plus how to activate and work with it. Delivered within 48 hours of your form. $249.
FAQ
Which rune is the strongest love rune?
There is no single "strongest" love rune in the historical sources. In modern practice, Gebo is the most common choice for partnership, Wunjo for joy in a relationship and Berkana for tenderness and family. Choose by the kind of love you want.
Can I draw a love rune on my body?
Yes, many people draw love runes on the skin with a pen or oil, especially temporarily. For a permanent tattoo, think it through carefully and check the design first; the guide to rune tattoos covers what to consider.
Can I use a love rune to get my ex back?
I do not recommend working to make a specific person return, because it targets their free will. You can work on healing, on clarity about what you want, or on opening yourself to a mutual relationship, whether with that person or someone else.
Can a couple draw a love bindrune together?
Yes, and it can be a lovely shared practice. Agree on the intention together, choose the runes together and activate the sign together, so that it reflects both people's wishes.
What should I draw a love rune on?
Paper, wood, a smooth stone, leather or fabric all work. Choose something you can keep near you, such as a token in your wallet or a card in a journal. The material matters less than accuracy and a clear intention.
How long does a love rune work?
There is no fixed time. Many practitioners keep a love rune until the intention is fulfilled or until it no longer feels relevant, then thank it and retire it. Some renew it every few months.
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