Futhark

4 Runes
1
Elder Futhark
ᚠ "wealth, cattle"
Younger Futhark
ᚠ "wealth"
Anglo-Saxon
ᚠ "wealth"
Old English Rune Poem
Wealth is a comfort to all men; yet must every man bestow it freely, if he wish to gain honour in the sight of the Lord.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Wealth is a source of discord among kinsmen; the wolf lives in the forest.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Wealth = source of discord among kinsmen, and fire of the sea, and path of the serpent.
Swedish Rune Poem
Fä kinsmens peace (peace and quiet; fertile year)
Personal Notes
2 rune poems seem to think "mo money, mo problems"
wealth
2
Elder Futhark
ᚢ "wild ox, bull"
Younger Norwegian
ᚢ "dross"
Younger Icelandic
ᚢ "shower"
Anglo-Saxon
ᚢ "aurochs"
Old English Rune Poem
The aurochs is proud and has great horns; it is a very savage beast and fights with its horns; a great ranger of the moors, it is a creature of mettle.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Dross comes from bad iron; the reindeer often races over the frozen snow.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Shower = lamentation of the clouds, and ruin of the hay-harvest, and abomination of the shepherd.
Swedish Rune Poem
Ur worst of weather (worst of weather, bad winter)
Personal Notes
aurochs was a great and wild untameable cattle in northern Europe (now extinct); extremely large, almost elephant sized, exceptionally ferocious
wild ox
3
Elder Futhark
ᚦ "the god Thunraz"
Younger Futhark
ᚦ "giant"
Anglo-Saxon
ᚦ "thorn"
Old English Rune Poem
The thorn is exceedingly sharp, an evil thing for any knight to touch, uncommonly severe on all who sit among them.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Giant causes anguish to women; misfortune makes few men cheerful.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Giant = torture of women, and cliff-dweller, and husband of a giantess.
Swedish Rune Poem
Thor woman’s affliction (difficult birth)
Personal Notes
generally unpleasant in nature
thorn
4
Elder Futhark
ᚨ "god, estuary"
Younger Norwegian
ᚬ "estuary"
Younger Icelandic
ᚬ "god"
Anglo-Saxon
ᚩ "mouth"
Old English Rune Poem
The mouth is the source of all language, a pillar of wisdom and a comfort to wise men, a blessing and a joy to every knight.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Estuary is the way of most journeys; but a scabbard is of swords.
Icelandic Rune Poem
God = aged Gautr, and prince of Ásgarðr, and lord of Valhalla.
Swedish Rune Poem
Mouth/smoke in each river (smoke- affliction, unhealthy air, fume/smoke in each corner)
Personal Notes
many consider this the rune of Odin; Norwegian interpretation denotes the beginning of a voyage
estuary
5
Elder Futhark
ᚱ "ride, journey"
Younger Futhark
ᚱ "riding"
Anglo-Saxon
ᚱ "riding"
Old English Rune Poem
Riding seems easy to every warrior while he is indoors and very courageous to him who traverses the high-roads on the back of a stout horse.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Riding is said to be the worst thing for horses; Reginn forged the finest sword.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Riding = joy of the horsemen, and speedy journey, and toil of the steed.
Swedish Rune Poem
Ride is horse’s leap (rider/knight good fortune)
Personal Notes
good for the rider, plight to the horse suggesting an uneven exchange of resources; Norwegian poem names Reginn (a fine blacksmith)
ride
6
Elder Futhark
ᚲ "ulcer"
Younger Futhark
ᚴ "ulcer"
Anglo-Saxon
ᚳ "torch"
Old English Rune Poem
The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame; it always burns where princes sit within.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Ulcer is fatal to children; death makes a corpse pale.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Ulcer = disease fatal to children, and painful spot, and abode of mortification
Swedish Rune Poem
Sex, worst in the flesh (must flee the flesh)
Personal Notes
negative connotation unless interpreted the Anglo way; "torch" can represent a distant light, inspiration, ideas, goals
ulcer
7
Elder Futhark
ᚷ "gift"
Younger Futhark
N/A
Anglo-Saxon
ᚷ "generosity"
Old English Rune Poem
Generosity brings credit and honour, which support one's dignity; it furnishes help and subsistence to all broken men who are devoid of aught else.
Personal Notes
nature of the gift is ambiguous; could be a sacrifice of man to the gods; said to protect against the poisoned cup
gift
8
Elder Futhark
ᚹ "joy"
Younger Futhark
N/A
Anglo-Saxon
ᚹ "bliss"
Old English Rune Poem
Bliss he enjoys who knows not suffering, sorrow nor anxiety, and has prosperity and happiness and a good enough house.
Personal Notes
an absence of suffering
joy
9
Elder Futhark
ᚺ "hail"
Younger Futhark
ᚼ "hail"
Anglo-Saxon
ᚻ "hail"
Old English Rune Poem
Hail is the whitest of grain; it is whirled from the vault of heaven and is tossed about by gusts of wind and then it melts into water.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Hail is the coldest of grain; Christ created the world of old.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Hail = cold grain, and shower of sleet, and sickness of serpents.
Swedish Rune Poem
Hail is best when in home (hail is hardest rain i.e. timely winter, good grain year)
Personal Notes
represents a force outside of an individual's control; "sickness of serpents" is a poetic similie for "winter"
hail
10
Elder Futhark
ᚾ "need"
Younger Futhark
ᚾ "constraint"
Anglo-Saxon
ᚾ "trouble"
Old English Rune Poem
Trouble is oppressive to the heart; yet often it proves a source of help and salvation to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it betimes.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Constraint gives scant choice; a naked man is chilled by the frost.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Constraint = grief of the bond-maid, and state of oppression, and toilsome work.
Swedish Rune Poem
Need is the only choice (north weather coldest i.e. hard times)
Personal Notes
in extreme cases can represent misery
need
11
Elder Futhark
ᛁ "ice"
Younger Futhark
ᛁ "ice"
Anglo-Saxon
ᛁ "ice"
Old English Rune Poem
Ice is very cold and immeasurably slippery; it glistens as clear as glass and most like to gems; it is a floor wrought by the frost, fair to look upon.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Ice we call the broad bridge; the blind man must be led.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Ice = bark of rivers, and roof of the wave, and destruction of the doomed.
Swedish Rune Poem
Ice is broad bridge (ice cold winter year)
Personal Notes
story of Odin wooing his bride-to-be involves him using ice as a power to bind and enchant
ice
12
Elder Futhark
ᛃ "year, harvest"
Younger Futhark
ᛅ "plenty"
Anglo-Saxon
ᛡ "summer"
Old English Rune Poem
Summer is a joy to men, when God, the holy King of Heaven, suffers the earth to bring forth shining fruits for rich and poor alike.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Plenty is a boon to men; I say that Frothi was generous.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Plenty = boon to men, and good summer, and thriving crops.
Swedish Rune Poem
Year in leaves widely (year makes all well)
Personal Notes
meaning can be inferred from instance on Stentoften stone
harvest
13
Elder Futhark
ᛇ "yew tree"
Younger Futhark
ᛦ "yew"
Anglo-Saxon
ᛇ "yew tree"
Old English Rune Poem
The yew is a tree with rough bark, hard and fast in the earth, supported by its roots, a guardian of flame and a joy upon an estate.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Yew is the greenest of trees in winter; it is wont to crackle when it burns
Icelandic Rune Poem
Yew = bent bow, and brittle iron, and giant of the arrow.
Swedish Rune Poem
Aur madur Ϸing söker (meaning unclear, possible hard times)
Personal Notes
Anglo & Norwegian poems define qualities of the tree: rough bark, stands strong in the earth, a guardian of flame, joy upon an estate, greener than other trees in the winter, apt to crackle when it burns; Icelandic poem speaks of it as a weapon - yew was often the choice of wood for bows
yew
14
Elder Futhark
ᛈ "possibly pear tree"
Younger Futhark
N/A
Anglo-Saxon
ᛈ "unknown"
Old English Rune Poem
Peorth is a source of recreation and amusement to the great, where warriors sit blithely together in the banqueting-hall.
Personal Notes
the most mysterious of all runes; possible meanings include a source of recreation/amusement (Anglo), female fertility (based on the comparison with the Slavonic word pizda meaning vulva; in this case it would be a direct mirror of Inguz), and magical powers of the earth (from comparison to Latin word petra meaning rock)
unknown
15
Elder Futhark
ᛉ "elk, protection"
Younger Futhark
N/A
Anglo-Saxon
ᛉ "elk-sedge"
Old English Rune Poem
The Eolh-sedge is mostly to be found in a marsh; it grows in the water and makes a ghastly wound, covering with blood every warrior who touches it.
Personal Notes
"algiz" is the older Germanic word that is linguistically related to "elk"; "eolh" sedge is an Anglo word for a specific type of sawgrass with sharp edges that grows in a marsh - probably saw it as a warning to "come no further" - like a ward in the unfamiliar marsh, likely a dangerous place to them; preservation in the face of adversity
elk
16
Elder Futhark
ᛊ "sun"
Younger Futhark
ᛋ "sun"
Anglo-Saxon
ᛋ "sun"
Old English Rune Poem
The sun is ever a joy in the hopes of seafarers when they journey away over the fishes' bath, until the courser of the deep bears them to land.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Sun is the light of the world; I bow to the divine decree.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Sun = shield of the clouds, and shining ray, and destroyer of ice.
Swedish Rune Poem
Sol in heaven highest (windy year)
Personal Notes
an important part of all daily life
sun
17
Elder Futhark
ᛏ "the god Tiwaz"
Younger Norwegian
ᛏ "Tyr"
Younger Icelandic
ᛏ "Týr"
Anglo-Saxon
ᛏ "Tiw"
Old English Rune Poem
Tiw is a guiding star; well does it keep faith with princes; it is ever on its course over the mists of night and never fails.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Tyr is a one-handed god; often has the smith to blow.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Týr = god with one hand, and leavings of the wolf, and prince of temples.
Swedish Rune Poem
Tyr (bull) is badly off in water / Tyr is meanest of spirits (wood is hardest for burning)
Personal Notes
Tyr is the god of war, giver of victory, protector from harm; Anglo "Tiw" is a "guiding star" (possibly Mars) - likely just a Christian-based change as they didn't have multiple gods; "Tyr's helm" was aconite (wolfsbane), a natural poison applied to arrowheads - interesting that this rune looks just like an arrow
triumph
18
Elder Futhark
ᛒ "birch"
Younger Futhark
ᛒ "birch"
Anglo-Saxon
ᛒ "poplar"
Old English Rune Poem
The poplar bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers, for it is generated from its leaves. Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned its lofty crown which reaches to the skies.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub; Loki was fortunate in his deceit.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Birch = leafy twig, and little tree, and fresh young shrub.
Swedish Rune Poem
Birch forest greenest (birch branches fertile, i.e. best for working)
Personal Notes
sacred birch tree was associated with spring fertility
fertility
19
Elder Futhark
ᛖ "horse"
Younger Futhark
N/A
Anglo-Saxon
ᛖ "steed"
Old English Rune Poem
The horse is a joy to princes in the presence of warriors. A steed in the pride of its hoofs, when rich men on horseback bandy words about it; and it is ever a source of comfort to the restless.
Personal Notes
horses widely regarded as sacred creatures; source of comfort to the restless
horse
20
Elder Futhark
ᛗ "man"
Younger Futhark
ᛘ "man"
Anglo-Saxon
ᛗ "man"
Old English Rune Poem
The joyous man is dear to his kinsmen; yet every man is doomed to fail his fellow, since the Lord by his decree will commit the vile carrion to the earth.
Norwegian Rune Poem
Man is an augmentation of the dust; great is the claw of the hawk.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Man = delight of man, and augmentation of the earth, and adorner of ships.
Swedish Rune Poem
Man earthen field (three lights i.e. golden year)
Personal Notes
can mean individual self or society/race of people
man
21
Elder Futhark
ᛚ "water, lake"
Younger Norwegian
ᛚ "waterfall"
Younger Icelandic
ᛚ "water"
Anglo-Saxon
ᛚ "ocean"
Old English Rune Poem
The ocean seems interminable to men, if they venture on the rolling bark and the waves of the sea terrify them and the courser of the deep heed not its bridle.
Norwegian Rune Poem
A waterfall is a River which falls from a mountain-side; but ornaments are of gold.
Icelandic Rune Poem
Water = eddying stream, and broad geysir, and land of the fish.
Swedish Rune Poem
Law is lands honor/glory (middle way is best in the home i.e. a year of conflict)
Personal Notes
very established as water so interpretation can vary; Anglo interpretation mentions dangers of the deep
water
22
Elder Futhark
ᛜ "the god Ingwaz"
Younger Futhark
N/A
Anglo-Saxon
ᛝ "a hero"
Old English Rune Poem
Ing was first seen by men among the East-Danes, till, followed by his chariot, he departed eastwards over the waves. So the Heardingas named the hero.
Personal Notes
the hero Ing & the diety Freyr (associated with kingship, fertility, peace & pleasure, prosperity, fair weather, and good harvest); may be a direct equivilent to male sex organ
peace
23
Elder Futhark
ᛟ "heritage, estate, possession"
Younger Futhark
N/A
Anglo-Saxon
ᛟ "estate"
Old English Rune Poem
An estate is very dear to every man, if he can enjoy there in his house whatever is right and proper in constant prosperity.
Personal Notes
anything of value that can be passed down including knowledge
inheritance
24
Elder Futhark
ᛞ "day"
Younger Futhark
N/A
Anglo-Saxon
ᛞ "day"
Old English Rune Poem
Day, the glorious light of the Creator, is sent by the Lord; it is beloved of men, a source of hope and happiness to rich and poor, and of service to all.
Personal Notes
daylight as the savior from darkness
day

The Elder Futhark (or Germanic, Proto-Germanic) collection of symbols is the oldest known form of runic alphabet on the planet. Much like qwerty, the system gets its name from the first six runes and the sound their combination makes. The collection consists of 24 unique, line-based symbols, typically arranged into three groups. The earliest known sequential form of this alphabet dates back to 400 AD (sixth century).

Some Notes On Runes

Rune Poems: The meanings of these runes come from several ancient poems. It seems to me that most find the Anglo-Saxon version of the poems the easiest to interpret, and most of the time those associated meanings are the ones you see people on about. I try to develop my own interpretation of each of the Elder Futhark runes based on a combination of the Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish and Anglo-Saxon poems because unfortunately no Elder poem is currently known to humanity.

Also, the Anglo-Saxon poem clearly pulls a lot of influence from Christianity, and I’m not super about that. These were people of Germanic ancestry that moved to (what is now) England and defined the Middle Ages. I’m much more interested in that viking shit.

Some Germanic Words in Elder Futhark

Even though we don’t have an Elder Futhark rune poem from which to base our translations, we can interpret something from the texts that we do have. For example, there are only five regular words (not proper nouns) that appear in isolation (Antonsen, 1980). They are ehwu, laukaz, lathu, hagalu, and alu.

lathu: means invitation or invocation, calling upon the gods

laukaz: means leek

hagalu: means “hail stones”, a destructive natural force

alu: subject to much debate, alu is often translated as magic, but it has connections to the Nordic/English word ale and likely can be placed in the realm of an intoxicating or mind-expanding state (like hallucinogens); possibly related to the Algiz rune

These words occur in isolation on several metal amulets and other decorative metal objects (like plates and rings) and most infer them to be “magical” or specific to a belief system. Other words seem to be used as labels. We have several examples of weaponry with isolated words on them.

More on runes:

Rune Research: The Kylver Stone, Anglo vs. Elder Futhark

What The Hell Is Perthro?