Irremais
The Blade, Rune of Wisdom
Affiliated with the Winter Realm
Irremais is the Blade, the knife that flenses away foolishness and self-deception until what remains can truly be called wise. Irremais is a hard tutor and its lessons are comfortless - the rune teaches us to learn from our mistakes, to see the world around us as it truly is, and to cast all comforting falsehoods and illusions to one side. Although it shares some superficial similarities to Sular, rune of Discovery, Irrimais represents the wisdom that comes from life's hard experience, not the process of searching for an academic or absolute truth.
As wisdom increases, so too is innocence lost, and Irremais also represents the hard transition from childhood (both literal and figurative) into adulthood and from adulthood into old age. The road to wisdom is a hard one, and the price to travel it is high; but for those who are willing to stay the course, the reward is a deep and fulfilling understanding of the reality of the universe.
Irremais is sometimes called the Rune of Sacrifice – by stripping away or abandoning what is unneccessary, the individual becomes wiser. It is also occasionally called the Rune of Punishment – it represents the idea that by sparing the rod, the child is spoiled. The best punishments teach or rehabilitate the wrongdoer, and where they inflict suffering they do so for his or her own good.
Suaq legend relates that Irremais was the first daughter of Sermerssuaq, who walks among the tribes of her brothers and sisters to pass on the wisdom she took from her mother's womb. Cautionary tales tell that those who listen grow strong and prosper; those who do not starve, freeze and perish on the ice. She shares her names with the Irremais root, a famously bitter tasting herb used as a purgative.
Using Irremais in magic
Irremais is invoked in the attempt to augment or search for wisdom, as well as in rituals designed to punish or rehabilitate a criminal or transgressor. It is popular with savants and scholars, as well as with magistrates and others involved in the even-handed enforcement of law.
Crafting with Irremais
In Urizen, some magi wear it between their brows on a headband or circlet to absorb its power although those who do so, rather than using one of the Day runes, are sometimes considered a little reckless. As a rune that signifies “putting away childish things” it is often inscribed on a gift for a son or daughter on successfully completing their test of adulthood.