Abby raises her hand. "Merkstave literally means 'dark stick' and has a dark meaning. Merkstave meaning. The Merkstave meaning is not necessarily the opposite of the Runes's primary meaning, but the Merkstave meaning does have a more negative connotation. Nine of the Runes read the same no matte if they fall right side up or upside down. The remainder can fall in a reversed position. Generally reversed runes reveal negative influences or situations that need to be addressed, or the necessity for caution. Sometimes they show that a positive effect of the rune has been watered down, diminished, or will be delayed in some way. Reversed runes often point to an aspect of yourself " I never realized Runes could be so difficult to interpret. "Professor, does the way you cast the runes determine rather or not it is reversed?"

Now that was a tough one. Fyo wasn't really sure of the answer, but he decided to give it a shot anyway.

"It's a reverse rune, isn't it, professor?" He asked raising his hand. "I mean - it's when the rune falls upside down. Though.. umm.. runes like Jera or Sowulo don't have it, so a lotta purists claim that it's not traditional. Many of them say a rune falling face down is an indication of it's inactivity in that reading, too." He paused, then added. "It doesn't need to be the exact opposite of the original rune, but it has a different - and usually "harder" or more negative - meaning. "

Herminny raised her hand and said, "The reverse or makeshift meaning of Fehu is the loss of wealth like losing posession, poverty, or a loss of self worth in failure, greed, or even slavery because each in it's own way is detrimental to ones ego. The difference is with Fehu you gain something in wealth of personal or monitary and in it's merkstave a person loses something detriment whether monitary or personal."

Abby raises her hand again. "Professor, nine of the twenty-four runes cannot be reversed. Can these runes have a Merkstave meaning?"

"Not necessarily, the merkstave meaning of Fehu, in regards to wealth, is not poverty as it is greed. It's a Negative meaning, not necessarily the opposite."

"No, Master Potter. I'm referring to the meaning of Fehu when it's reversed or Merkstave." She said smiling.

"Very good Miss Toussaint." She said nodding.

"Yes, also correct." she said and looked around, "Anyone else?"

"No my dear Master Potter." She said winking at him.

"Sort of, Yes." She said to him.

"Miss Wright... you answered your own question, yes my dear." Alessia said.

"Right." She said.

Alessia smiled. "Yes my dear, those are the reverse and merkstave meanings... I meant what did 'reverse' and 'merkstave' mean?"

"Yes... all the runes can have a Merkstave meaning, but not all can have a reversed meaning." She said smiling.

"Alright class... Story time. This story begins with a cow named Audhumla, who was born at the beginning of time. Her milk was food the first giant, Ymir, who was rather evil but in norse mythology, the gods created the earth we live on out of his body. They wouldn't have had much to work with without Audhumla. Buri, the first god was trapped in a block of salty ice and Audhumla, who loved salt, licked him out.

This cow gave a lot and got very little in return in fact her daughters are the cows you see around now a days. Fehu is the old Germanic word for fee. Fehu is what you use to earn a living." She looked around to the little faces.

"Muggles know of this rune too... there is a story we learn in History of Magic that the muggles use as a popular fable. Does anyone know which story I am referring to?"

Abby raises her hand. "Professor, do you mean Jack and the Beanstalk?" Abby's not sure if it even qualifies as a fable. It's the only muggle story she remembers that had a cow in it.

Herminny raised her hand and said, "I believe that story is called Gullveig mam."

Celandine raised her hand thoughtfully, "Professor? I'm not really sure, but could the story of Letitia Somnolens and the Wiggenweld potion be associated with Fehu? For muggles it's sort of a cross between Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Sleeping Beauty and I know that the whole thorn thing probably fits Thurisaz better, but the Sleeping Beauty story starts out with a whole bunch of witches giving the princess gifts of beauty and things like that --things that she didn't have to work for-- and then the hag makes it so that she'll die if she gets pricked by a spindle and a good witch makes it so that she'll just fall asleep for one hundred years. So like... there is evidence of wealth and gifts in the story to start with. Then when she's all asleep and stuff, a prince works REALLY HARD to like, cut through and save her and so she's like the reward for his hard work or something. Fehu also can represent love fulfilled right? So the love part of the story fits that meaning."

She paused. "Only other stories I can think of aren't really wizarding stories but you could make some of the tales of Beedle the Bard fit in the same way the Letitia Somnolens one does; fountain of fair fortune is one about wealth. Like REAL meaningful wealth for example." Something occured to her, "Professor? Since Auðumbla is, in norse myth, responsible for the start of the world or whatever, is that why Fehu is the first rune? First cow and all..." Blink.

Fyo raised his hand. "Professor, could it be The Hen that Laid the Golden Eggs?" he asked. "It's a popular muggle fable, and it speaks of wealth and the nourishment - both of good and t
bad things - that it can bring. Fehu represents all that, so I think it could fit."

He paused, then added, "And you just said Fehu is what we use to earn a living, and the man in the that fable is using the hen to earn his living, isn't he? In a way. Only, his greed gets to him. Shows that Fehu - wealth and nourishment, to be more precise - should be about sharing, being positive and learning to handle things properly, rather than using it destructively, or for one's own means."

Satine glanced from student to student answering the question...she realized that her mouth was hanging open in awe...she had absolutely no idea what the professor was talking about..she understood the start of everything but the fable had lost her completely and she couldn't think of any story her muggle father had told her that related...she looked around and waited for the professor to confirm someone's guess.

Cedric raised his hand,"Is it King Midas' golden touch?,Professor."Cedric answered very familiar with muggle stories and fables.

Rachel blinked. Now there is a story you don't hear every day... The whole world came to be because of a COW?! Odd. As she wrote the story down on a clean piece of parchment since the other piece had wet ink all over it and it needed to dry first.

The fifth year looked up as Professor Lupa proceeded to ask her next question and Rachel couldn't help but bite her lip as she thought - a habit that was becoming rather annoying since it usually involved bleeding lips. It wasn't her fault she thought so hard sometimes that she forgot she was biting and accidentally put too much force into it.

"Erm Professor I'm not really sure if this is a fable or not - but to me the story of Jack and the Beanstalk is the only one that seems to fit here... Fehu means financial success right? So when Jack sold his cow, he got the magic beans and then used the beanstalk to steal from the giant and therefore reach financial success since he stole gold. Also, I believe that the second time he climbed the beanstalk he found a hen which laid golden eggs, which also relates to Fehu," Rachel replied, growing less and less sure of her answer with each explanation she gave. They all seemed to be weak... But she couldn't think of any other story that had any sort of relevance to this class right now.

The fifth year smiled slightly as she suddenly remembered something from the story. The giant, when it had first encountered Jack, had said, 'Fee-fi-fo-fum' which coincidentally -or not- all began with 'F'... or Fehu. Nice.

"It was the three little rhinos, right?" Varius answered, raising his hand, "And they made the house of straw and sticks and bricks... or maybe it was caterpillars... could you IMAGINE caterpillars building HOUSES!? Crazy muggles."

'ooowkee, scratch Arithmancy from your worst subject list and make it Ancient Runes' Lyra thought rubbing her forehead and looked around confused.
Coming from a pureblood family, she had never heard a muggle fable story before so she sat there with a frown on her face, listening to the other students suggestion of what may be the right fable and waited, making a mental note that she should look up muggle fable stories.

Chris believed he was right with this answer. "I believe it is Jack and the beanstock because it has the cow in it which represents all of Jack's families wealth and he trades it for the beans."

Daniel raised his hand. He had read something like that and Mr. Smith said it was a muggle literature, "Professor, is it Beowulf? I think it is mentioned in a verse." he said.

Cy was in the back corner, drooling onto his empty parchement as he was taking a little snooze. The subject of Runes was not very successful in keeping his attention span going; he did seem to have severe ADD.

Maybe it was because he wand was stowed. Whatever. But at the mention of the word fable he shot to life, his once tired brown eyes looking alert.

“Ahhh, the Br’er rabbit!” He Aussie blurted out, it was one of his favorites. And even if Cy didn’t like to admit it, he was quite like that rabbit.

Which what?....
Sarah was sat busily eating her peppermint frog,taken from inside her bag when she realised they could eat them in class,and wasn't paying much attention.History of Magic fable? She didn't remember anything about a fable being said in HoM,then again she didn't...actually....go.But based on the fact Lupa had been talking about merkshave meanings for wealth and such like,Sarah swallowed the piece of frog she was eating and stuck her hand in the air. "Is it 'The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg',Professor?" Wasn't that about people getting greedy and trying to take more than they should? Maybe.If only she'd read more fable's as a youngster.

Copernicus raised his hand. "I agree with my classmates, Professor. The story of Jack and the Beanstalk is all about how Jack's wealth changes form. It starts as the cow, and then his wealth is in the beans. Because his mother didn't find them valuable, she threw them out. But Jack proved that he was willing to work for his fortune by climbing the beanstalk and taking on the giant. And he ended up with a treasure, which he shared with his mother, that far outweighed the original cow."

"He was the man that was burned three times in Odin's hall... that is incorrect my dear."

"Yes... but that's not what I mean... the fable I'm thinking of has many of Fehu's qualities." She said, "and yes, First rune, First cow." She giggled.

"Very good... but that story has more to do with the reverse meaning of Fehu... Greed..." She looked around and said "Anyone else?"

"Again... very good... but that story as well, has more to do with greed..." She nodded.

"... Crazy muggles indeed." She said shaking her head... someone MUST have cunfunded this kid. "No Master Tipps, I do not think that one relates."

"No my dear," she said with a smile.

"Hmmm, at another time you will need to tell me that story." She said winking at him, "No... not that one either."

"It's the same as the Hen, no? Focusing on greed." She said and then turned away.

"YES!" She said excitedly, "But it's not just about the cow. Jack does trade the family cow for beans... very fertile beans... and the cow being the last of the wealth the family had. The beanstalk that grew to the clouds, to the heavens, corresponds to the World Tree, Yggdrasil. This large ash tree, the branches of which reach to the heavens where the Æsir, the principal group of gods in Norse mythology, meet every day to hold their court. The giant in the story uses the Galdr chant when he smells Jack. The Galdr chant is the incantation you use with each rune. He said 'Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman.' The runic 'fee,' is the English version of the root Fehu, and it refers to his riches, or his wealth... The Galdr chant for Fehu goes:

'fehu fehu fehu
f f f f f f f f f
fu fa fi fe fo
of ef if af uf
f f f f f f f f f' "

She smiled and asked "Any questions for me so far?"

Chris listened to how all of this had tied in. He was excited that he got the answer right to her last question. "Professor, it is so interseting that a lot of the Ancient Runes can fit in to everyday life and even Muggle life meanings." he said excitedly.

Ok, so Cy had ‘mommy and daddy’ issues; more so than most others did. But he still found it gopsmacking that the bloke turned in his whole family for some BEANS. That was MENTAL. If you are going to give up your family, at least do it from some galleons. In that case in is more than plausible.

But beans? No mate, Cy didn’t think so.

“MISS! That Jack bloke mustah’ been a loon. Given’ up his family for some beans?” Cy was sitting up pretty high in his chair now, opposed to him continuing the routine of soaking his parchment with drool.

Any questions? Well, yes he did. “I’d have done if for about 15 galleons. Anything under that is a no go.” The Aussie folded his arms and nodded curtly.

"Yes, it is!" she said nodding.

"Oh, but he didn't think he was giving up his family. He thought he was going to increase their health... remember they were magic beans..." She said touching her nose.

"Alright class... Does anyone know the color for the Fehu rune?"

Finishing the last of her peppermint toad, Mariel swallowed the last bite hard before raising her hand. "Is it red, Professor?"

Herminny raised her hand and said, "I believe the color of the Fehu rune is red gold mam.".