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Attested
Found in inscriptions or medieval manuscripts.
Sōwilō is the sixteenth rune of the Elder Futhark and writes the sound /s/.
All three rune poems name this rune for the sun: sigel in Old English and sól in Norwegian and Icelandic. The Old English poem calls the sun the hope of seafarers until they reach land. The Norwegian poem calls it the light of the world, and the Icelandic poem says it shines and melts the ice.
Reconstructed
Scholarly reconstruction from linguistic evidence.
The Proto-Germanic name is reconstructed as *sōwilō, "sun."
In practice today
How people use this rune now, in divination, magic, and devotion. Valid in its own right, and labeled modern so it isn’t mistaken for history.
In Ralph Blum's modern divination system, this rune (spelled Sowelu) is read as wholeness.
Misused by hate groups
Where hate groups have taken this rune, so you can recognize it.
The insignia of the Nazi SS, two lightning-like bolts, was drawn from this rune. White supremacists and neo-Nazis still use the double bolts.
Practice today: wyrd, galdr, and other old words people use when working with the runes now.