Skip to content
Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/runes

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Ansuz (rune)

Runic alphabet letter

Ansuz (rune)

Summary

Runic alphabet letter

FieldValue
lang1pglang2 = oelang3 = on
name1*Ansuz
name2aÓs
name2bÁc
name2cÆsc
name3Óss
meaning1"god"
meaning2a"god"
meaning2b"oak"
meaning2c"ash"
meaning3"god"
shape1[[File:Runic letter ansuz.svgx50pxclass=skin-invert-image]]
shape2a[[File:Runic letter os.svgx50pxclass=skin-invert-image]]
shape2b[[File:Runic letter ac.svgx50pxclass=skin-invert-image]]
shape2c[[File:Runic letter ansuz.svgx50pxclass=skin-invert-image]]
shape3a[[File:Long-branch Oss.svgx50pxclass=skin-invert-image]]
shape3b[[File:short-twig_Oss.svgx50pxclass=skin-invert-image]]
unicode hex116A8
unicode hex2a16A9
unicode hex2b16AA
unicode hex2c16AB
unicode hex3a16AC
unicode hex3b16AD
transliteration1a
transliteration2ao
transliteration2ba
transliteration2cæ
transliteration3ą
transcription1a
transcription2ao
transcription2ba
transcription2cæ
transcription3ą, o
IPA1
IPA2a
IPA2b
IPA2c
IPA3,
position14
position2a4
position2b25
position2c26
position34

Ansuz is the conventional name given to the a-rune of the Elder Futhark, . The name is based on Proto-Germanic *ansuz, denoting a deity belonging to the principal pantheon in Germanic paganism.

The shape of the rune is likely from Neo-Etruscan a ([[Image:EtruscanA-01.png|15px|]]), like Latin A ultimately from Phoenician aleph.

Name

In the Norwegian rune poem, óss is given a meaning of "estuary" while in the Anglo-Saxon one, ōs takes the Latin meaning of "mouth". The Younger Futhark rune is transliterated as ą to distinguish it from the new ár rune (ᛅ), which continues the jēran rune after loss of prevocalic *j- in Proto-Norse *jár (Old Saxon jār).

Since the name of [[File:Gothic Letter Ahsa.svg|16px]] a is attested in the Gothic alphabet as ahsa or aza, the common Germanic name of the rune may thus either have been *ansuz "god", or *ahsam "ear (of wheat)".

Development in Anglo-Saxon runes

The Anglo-Saxon futhorc split the Elder Futhark a rune into three independent runes due to the development of the vowel system in Anglo-Frisian. These three runes are ōs (transliterated o), āc "oak" (transliterated a), and æsc "ash" (transliterated æ).

Development in Younger Futhark

Younger Futhark

Variations of the rune in Younger Futhark.

The Younger Futhark corresponding to the Elder Futhark ansuz rune is , called óss. It is transliterated as ą. This represented the phoneme /ɑ̃/, and sometimes /æ/ (also written ) and /o/ (also written ). The variant grapheme became independent as representing the phoneme /ø/ during the 11th to 14th centuries.

Rune poems

It is mentioned in all three rune poems:

Notes:

References

References

  1. (1994). "Language Change and Language Structure: Older Germanic Languages in a Comparative Perspective". De Gruyter.
  2. Original poems and translation from the [http://www.ragweedforge.com/poems.html Rune Poem Page] {{Webarchive. link. (1999-05-01 .)
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Ansuz (rune) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report