attention people who use runes (esp. the elder fuþark):

queerwitchery:

if you work with or have done research on the Elder Fuþark runes, you may have noticed that there are lots of variations on the names. & i mean LOTS, e.g.:

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there are a couple of reasons for this:

  • HOWEVER, most actual runic inscriptions in the Elder Fuþark are actually in Proto-Norse, the intermediate stage between Proto-Indo-European and Old Norse. A lot of the discrepancies between the attested names & their names in other Germanic languages (i.e. Gothic and Old English) is due to this fact (Orðstírr has a good intro to Proto-Norse sounds especially re: runes)
  • modern English is missing many of the sounds and letters that existed in early Germanic languages, so variant spellings are different ways of rendering them in our limited 26-letter alphabet
  • many sources on runes come from magickal writings from many decades ago, and because language science is constantly evolving, so has our reconstruction of Proto-Germanic. thus, many of the names are based on outdated reconstructions.
  • most magickal writings on runes are not written by historical linguists who study ancient Germanic languages

luckily i regularly study & use Proto-Germanic, & based on our most recent & accurate reconstructions, the names for the Elder Fuþark would have probably taken the following forms (text in /slashes/ is IPA phonemic transcription; where names are different, this is due to differring names in the different attested langauges, or variation within Proto-Germanic dialects):

ᚠ    *fehu /ɸexu/ “wealth, cattle”

ᚢ    *ūruz /uːruz/ “aurochs”

ᚦ    *þurisaz /θurisɑz/ “giant, monster” OR 

*þurnuz /θurnuz/ “thorn”

ᚨ    

*ansuz /ɑnsuz/ “deity, mouth”

ᚱ    

*raidō /rɑi̯ðɔː/ “journey”

ᚲ    *kēnaz /keːnɑz/ “torch” OR *kauną /kɑu̯nɑ̃/ “ulcer”

ᚷ    *gebō /ɣeβɔː/ “gift”

ᚹ    *wunjō /wunjɔː/ “joy”

ᚺ    *haglaz /xɑɣlɑz/ “hail(storm)”

ᚾ    *naudiz /nɑu̯ðiz/ “need, distress, force”

ᛁ    *īsaz /iːsɑz/ “ice”

ᛃ    *jērą /jɛːrɑ̃/ “year”

ᛇ    *ēhaz /eːxɑz/ < *īhwaz
/iːxʷɑz/ OR *īwaz /iːwɑz/ “yew”

ᛈ    *perþō /perθɔː/  “?pear-tree, ??game-box (uncertain)”

ᛉ    *elhaz /elxɑz/ OR *algiz /ɑlɣiz/ “elk”

ᛊ    *sōwulą /sɔːwulɑ̃/ OR *sōwilą /sɔːwilɑ̃/ “sun”

ᛏ    *tīwaz /tiːwɑz/ “the god *Tīwaz (Norse Týr, Anglo-Saxon Tíw > Tue[sday])”

ᛒ    *berkaną /berkɑnɑ̃/ “birch”

ᛖ    *ehwaz /exʷɑz/ “horse”

ᛗ    *mannaz /mɑnnɑz/ “human, person”

ᛚ    *laguz /lɑɣuz/ “water, sea, ocean”

ᛜ    *ingwaz /iŋʷgʷɑz/ “the god *Frawjaz (Norse Freyr, Anglo-Saxon Fréa)”

ᛞ    *dagaz /dɑɣɑz/ “day”

ᛟ    *ōþalą /ɔːθɑlɑ̃/ OR *ōþilą /ɔːθilɑ̃/ “ancestral home”

if you would like more in-depth explanations for each of these, HERE is a good source (where we differ, i’d note that this source leans heavily on the Norse variants because our oldest attested uses come from Proto-Norse)

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