Fehu

Character

The shape of the rune is likely based on Etruscan v ⟨𐌅⟩ ⟨[[File:EtruscanF-01.png|14px|F]]⟩, like Greek Digamma ⟨Ϝ⟩ and Latin ⟨F⟩ ultimately from Phoenician waw ⟨[[File:Phoenician waw.svg|14px|w]]⟩.

The change of the bistaves pointing upward could stem from visually diverging it from the rune ᚨ, as well as linking it visually to the horns of cattle (see ).

Name

The root name is an ancient word for "livestock". Compare ("livestock, animal"), ("livestock, cattle"), ("livestock"), ("livestock, loose assets"), ("livestock, money"), fehu ("livestock"), , pecūs ("livestock"), (paṧu, "livestock, cattle"). By extension, it also means '(loose) wealth' and thereof, thus surviving as fee in English with the meaning of "payment compensating for rights or services".

The Proto-Germanic name has been reconstructed as fehu, with the meaning of "livestock, cattle" and by extension "wealth".

The corresponding letter of the Gothic alphabet is ⟨𐍆⟩ ⟨f⟩, called faihu. Such correspondence between all rune poems and the Gothic letter name, as well, is uncommon, and gives the reconstructed name of the Old Futhark a high degree of certainty.

Rune poems

The name is recorded in all three rune poems:

Old Norwegian: | Fé vældr frænda róge; føðesk ulfr í skóge. |Fee causes strife amongst kin; the wolf lives in the forest.}}

Old Icelandic: | Fé er frænda róg · ok flæðar viti ok grafseiðs gata |Fee is strife of kin and beacon of floods (the sea) and grave-saithe's path (serpent's path).}}

Old English: | Feoh bẏþ frofur · fira gehƿẏlcum; sceal ðeah manna gehƿẏlc · miclun hẏt dælan gif he ƿile for drihtne · domes hleotan. |Fee is a comfort to every man; yet must everyone bestow it freely, if they wish to gain honour in the sight of the Lord.

References

References

1. [[Raymond Ian Page. Page, Raymond I.]] (2005) ''Runes''. The British Museum Press. p. 15. {{ISBN. 0-7141-8065-3
2. Original poems from the [https://web.archive.org/web/19990501094729/http://www.ragweedforge.com/poems.html Rune Poem Page].