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Anglo-Saxon runes

Anglo-Saxon runes (Old English: rūna ᚱᚢᚾᚪ) are runes used by the early Anglo-Saxons as an alphabet in their writing system. The characters are known collectively as the futhorc (ᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱᚳ fuþorc) from the Old English sound values of the first six runes. The futhorc was a development from the 24-character Elder Futhark. Since the futhorc runes are thought to have first been used in Frisia before the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, they have also been called Anglo-Frisian runes.[2] They were likely to have been used from the 5th century onward, recording Old English and Old Frisian.

Futhorc
ᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱᚳ
Script type
Alphabet
Time period
5th through 11th centuries
Directionleft-to-right 
LanguagesAnglo-Frisian (Old English and Old Frisian)
Related scripts
Parent systems
Sister systems
Younger Futhark
 This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.
The left half of the front panel of the 7th century Franks Casket, depicting the Germanic legend of Weyland Smith and containing a riddle in Anglo-Saxon runes.

They were gradually supplanted in Anglo-Saxon England by the Old English Latin alphabet introduced by Irish missionaries. Futhorc runes were no longer in common use by the eleventh century, but The Byrhtferth's Manuscript (MS Oxford St John's College 17) indicates that fairly accurate understanding of them persisted into at least the twelfth century.

History

There are competing theories about the origins of the Anglo-Saxon futhorc. One theory proposes that it was developed in Frisia and from there later spread to Britain. Another holds that runes were first introduced to Britain from the mainland where they were then modified and exported to Frisia. Both theories have their inherent weaknesses, and a definitive answer may come from further archaeological evidence.

The early futhorc was nearly identical to the Elder Futhark, except for the split of a into three variants āc, æsc and ōs, resulting in 26 runes. This was done to account for the new phoneme produced by the Ingvaeonic split of allophones of long and short a. The earliest known instance of the ōs rune may be from the 5th-century, on the Undley bracteate. The earliest known instances of the āc rune may be from the 6th century, appearing on objects such as the Schweindorf solidus. The double-barred hægl characteristic of continental inscriptions is first attested as late as 698, on St Cuthbert's coffin; before that, the single-barred variant was used.

In England, outside of the Brittonic Westcountry where evidence of Latin[3] and even Ogham continued for several centuries, usage of the futhorc expanded.[citation needed] Runic writing in England became closely associated with the Latin scriptoria from the time of Anglo-Saxon Christianization in the 7th century. The futhorc started to be replaced by the Latin alphabet from around the 7th century, but it was still sometimes used up until the 10th or 11th century. In some cases, texts would be written in the Latin alphabet, and þorn and ƿynn came to be used as extensions of the Latin alphabet. By the time of the Norman Conquest of 1066, it was very rare and disappeared altogether a few centuries thereafter. From at least five centuries of use, fewer than 200 artefacts bearing futhorc inscriptions have survived.

Several famous English examples mix runes and Roman script, or Old English and Latin, on the same object, including the Franks Casket and St Cuthbert's coffin; in the latter, three of the names of the Four Evangelists are given in Latin written in runes, but "LUKAS" (Saint Luke) is in Roman script. The coffin is also an example of an object created at the heart of the Anglo-Saxon church that uses runes. A leading expert, Raymond Ian Page, rejects the assumption often made in non-scholarly literature that runes were especially associated in post-conversion Anglo-Saxon England with Anglo-Saxon paganism or magic.[4]

Letters

 
A chart showing 30 Anglo-Saxon runes
 
A rune-row showing variant shapes.

The letter sequence and letter inventory of futhorc, along with the actual sounds made by those letters could vary depending on location and time. That being so, an authentic and unified list of runes is not possible.

Rune inventory

Image Unicode Name Name meaning Transliteration IPA
  feh (feoh) wealth, cattle f /f/, [v] (word-medial allophone of /f/)
  ur (ūr) aurochs u /u(ː)/
  ðorn (þorn) thorn þ /θ/, [ð] (word-medial allophone of /θ/)
  os (ōs) heathen god ("mouth" in rune poem?)[5] o /o(ː)/[6]
  rada (rād) riding r /r/
  cen (cēn) torch c /k/, /kʲ/, /tʃ/
  geofu (gyfu) gift g /ɡ/, [ɣ] (word-medial allophone of /ɡ/), /j/
  wyn (wynn) mirth w /w/
  hægil (hægl) hail h /h/, [x], [ç]
  næd (nēod) need (as in "plight") n /n/
  is (īs) ice i /i(ː)/
   ᛡ/ᛄ gær (gēar) year j /j/
  ih (īw) yew tree ï, ȝ /i(ː)/ [x], [ç][7]
  peord (peorð) ? p /p/
  ilcs (eolh?) elk's? x /ks/[8]
  ᛋ/ᚴ sygil (sigel) sun ("sail" in rune poem?) s /s/, [z] (word-medial allophone of /s/)
  ti (Tīw) Tiw ("Planet Mars" in rune poem?)[9] t /t/
  berc (beorc) birch tree b /b/
  eh (eh) steed e /e(ː)/
  mon (mann) man m /m/
  lagu (lagu) body of water (lake) l /l/
  ing (ing) Ing (Ingui-Frea)? ŋ /ŋg/, /ŋ/
  oedil (ēðel) inherited land, native country œ /ø(ː)/[10]
  dæg (dæg) day d /d/
  ac (āc) oak tree a /ɑ(ː)/[11]
  æsc (æsc) ash tree æ /æ(ː)/[12]
  ear (ēar) grave soil? ea /æ(ː)ɑ/[13]
  yr (ȳr) yewen bow? y /y(ː)/[14]

The sequence of the runes above is based on Codex Vindobonensis 795. The first 24 of these runes directly continue the elder futhark letters, and do not deviate in sequence (though ᛞᛟ rather than ᛟᛞ is an attested sequence in both elder futhark and futhorc). The manuscripts Codex Sangallensis 878 and Cotton MS Domitian A IX have ᚣ precede ᛠ.

The names of the runes above are based on Codex Vindobonensis 795, besides the names ing and æsc which come from The Byrhtferth's Manuscript and replace the seemingly corrupted names lug and æs found in Codex Vindobonensis 795. Ti is sometimes named tir or tyr in other manuscripts. The words in parentheses in the name column are standardized spellings.

Image UCS Name Name meaning Transliteration IPA
  calc chalk? chalice? sandal? k /k/
  gar spear /g/, [ɣ] (word-medial allophone of /g/)[15]
  cweorð (unknown) q /k/? (for writing Latin?)
  stan stone N/A /st/
  N/A (unknown) (unknown) ę, ᴇ /ǝ/?
  N/A (unknown) (unknown) į /e(ː)o/? /i(ː)o/?
  īor beaver?[16] eel? N/A /i(ː)o/?
  (unknown) (unknown) /k/

The runes above were not included in Codex Vindobonensis 795. Calc appears in manuscripts, and epigraphically on the Ruthwell Cross, the Bramham Moor Ring, the Kingmoor Ring, and elsewhere. Gar appears in manuscripts, and epigraphically on the Ruthwell Cross and probably on the Bewcastle Cross.[17] The unnamed ᛤ rune only appears on the Ruthwell Cross, where it seems to take calc's place as /k/ where that consonant is followed by a secondary fronted vowel. Cweorð and stan only appear in manuscripts. The unnamed ę rune only appears on the Baconsthorpe Grip. The unnamed į rune only appears on the Sedgeford Handle. While the rune poem and Cotton Domitian A.IX present ᛡ as "ior", and ᛄ as "ger", epigraphically both are variants of ger (although ᛄ is only attested once outside of manuscripts, on the Brandon Pin). R. I. Page designated ior a pseudo-rune.[18]

There is little doubt that calc and gar are modified forms of cen and gyfu, and that they were invented to address the ambiguity which arose from /k/ and /g/ spawning palatalized offshoots.[19] R. I. Page designated cweorð and stan pseudo-runes, noting their apparent pointlessness, and speculating that cweorð was invented merely to give futhorc an equivalent to Q.[20] The ę rune is likely a local innovation, possibly representing an unstressed vowel, and may derive its shape from ᛠ.[21] The unnamed į rune is found in a personal name (bįrnferþ), where it stands for a vowel or diphthong. Anglo-Saxon expert Gaby Waxenberger speculates that į may not be a true rune, but rather a bindrune of ᛁ and ᚩ, or the result of a mistake.[22]

Combinations and digraphs

Various runic combinations are found in the futhorc corpus. For example, the sequence ᚫᚪ appears on the Mortain Casket where ᛠ could theoretically have been used.

Combination IPA Word Meaning Found on
ᚩᛁ /oi/? ]oin[.] (unknown) Lindisfarne Stone II
ᚷᚳ [gg]?, [ddʒ]? blagcmon (personal name) Maughold Stone I
ᚷᚷ ~[ddʒ] eggbrect (personal name) (an armband from the Galloway Hoard)
ᚻᚹ /ʍ/ gehwelc each Honington Clip
ᚻᛋ /ks/ wohs to wax Brandon Antler
ᚾᚷ /ŋg/ hring ring Wheatley Hill Silver-Gilt Finger-Ring
ᛁᚷ /ij/ modig proud/bold/arrogant Ruthwell Cross
ᛇᛡ? ~/ij/? hælïj? holy? Gandersheim Casket
ᛇᛋ /ks/ BennaREïs king Benna (a coin of Beonna of East Anglia)
ᛋᚳ /sk/, /ʃ/ fisc fish Franks Casket
ᛖᚩ /eo/, /eːo/ eoh (personal name) Kirkheaton Stone
ᛖᚷ /ej/ legdun laid Ruthwell Cross
ᛖᛇ ~/ej/, [eʝ]? eateïnne (personal name) Thornhill Stone II
ᛖᚪ /æɑ/, /æːɑ/ eadbald (personal name) Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano Graffiti
ᚪᚢ ~/ɑu/ saule soul Thornhill Stone III
ᚪᛁ /ɑi/ aib (personal name) Oostum Comb
ᚪᛡ /ɑj/?, /ɑx/? fajhild? faghild? (personal name) Santi Marcellino e Pietro ad Duas Lauros Graffiti
ᚫᚢ ~/æu/ dæus deus (Latin) Whitby Comb
ᚫᚪ /æɑ/, /æːɑ/ æadan (personal name) Mortain Casket
 
The Anglo-Saxon futhorc (abecedarium anguliscum) as presented in Codex Sangallensis 878 (9th century).

Usage and culture

A rune in Old English could be called a rūnstæf (perhaps meaning something along the lines of "mystery letter" or "whisper letter"), or simply rūn.

Futhorc inscriptions hold diverse styles and contents. Ochre has been detected on at least one English runestone, implying its runes were once painted. Bind runes are not uncommon in futhorc (relative to its small corpus), and were seemingly used most often to ensure the runes would fit in a limited space.[23] Futhorc logography is attested to in a few manuscripts. This was done by having a rune stand for its name, or a similar sounding word. In the sole extant manuscript of the poem Beowulf, the ēðel rune was used as a logogram for the word ēðel (meaning "homeland", or "estate").[24] Both the Hackness Stone and Codex Vindobonensis 795 attest to futhorc Cipher runes.[25] In one manuscript (Corpus Christi College, MS 041) a writer seems to have used futhorc runes like Roman numerals, writing ᛉᛁᛁᛉᛉᛉᛋᚹᛁᚦᚩᚱ, which likely means "12&30 more".[26]

There is some evidence of futhorc rune magic. The possibly magical alu sequence seems to appear on an urn found at Spong Hill in spiegelrunes (runes whose shapes are mirrored). In a tale from Bede's Ecclesiastical History (written in Latin), a man named Imma cannot be bound by his captors and is asked if he is using "litteras solutorias" (loosening letters) to break his binds. In one Old English translation of the passage, Imma is asked if he is using "drycraft" (magic, druidcraft) or "runestaves" to break his binds.[27] Furthermore, futhorc rings have been found with what appear to be enchanted inscriptions for the stanching of blood.[28]

Inscription corpus

 
Futhorc series on the Seax of Beagnoth (9th century). The series has 28 runes, omitting io. The shapes of j, s, d, œ and y deviate from the standard forms shown above; eo appears mirrored.

The Old English and Old Frisian Runic Inscriptions database project at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany aims at collecting the genuine corpus of Old English inscriptions containing more than two runes in its paper edition, while the electronic edition aims at including both genuine and doubtful inscriptions down to single-rune inscriptions.

The corpus of the paper edition encompasses about one hundred objects (including stone slabs, stone crosses, bones, rings, brooches, weapons, urns, a writing tablet, tweezers, a sun-dial,[clarification needed] comb, bracteates, caskets, a font, dishes, and graffiti). The database includes, in addition, 16 inscriptions containing a single rune, several runic coins, and 8 cases of dubious runic characters (runelike signs, possible Latin characters, weathered characters). Comprising fewer than 200 inscriptions, the corpus is slightly larger than that of Continental Elder Futhark (about 80 inscriptions, c. 400–700), but slightly smaller than that of the Scandinavian Elder Futhark (about 260 inscriptions, c. 200–800).

Runic finds in England cluster along the east coast with a few finds scattered further inland in Southern England. Frisian finds cluster in West Frisia. Looijenga (1997) lists 23 English (including two 7th-century Christian inscriptions) and 21 Frisian inscriptions predating the 9th century.

 
The Thames zoomorphic silver-gilt (knife?) mount (late 8th century)

Currently known inscriptions in Anglo-Frisian runes include:

Related manuscript texts

  • Codex Sangallensis 270 — lists runes with their names, and explains how to use certain rune ciphers
  • Codex Sangallensis 878 — contains a presentation of Anglo-Saxon runes
  • Codex Vindobonensis 795 — contains a description of Anglo-Saxon runes
  • Cotton Domitian A.IX — lists runes with their names
  • Cotton Otho B.x.165 — contained the Old English rune poem before being destroyed in a fire
  • Cotton Vitellius A.XII — lists runes in alphabetical order
  • The Byrhtferth's Manuscript MS 17 — contains a table of runic, cryptographic, and exotic alphabets

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Himelfarb, Elizabeth J. "First Alphabet Found in Egypt", Archaeology 53, Issue 1 (January/February 2000): 21.
  2. ^ "THE ANGLO-SAXON RUNES". arild-hauge.com. from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Ancient Writing Discovered at Tintagel Castle". from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  4. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1989), "Roman and Runic on St Cuthbert's Coffin", in Bonner, Gerald; Rollason, David; Stancliffe, Clare (eds.), St. Cuthbert, his Cult and his Community to AD 1200, Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, pp. 257–63, ISBN 978-0-85115-610-1, from the original on 15 April 2021, retrieved 29 October 2020.
  5. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1999), An introduction to English runes (2nd ed.), Woodbridge: Boydell, p. 68.
  6. ^ Barnes, Michael (2012), Runes: a Handbook, Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 38–41
  7. ^ Barnes, Michael (2012), Runes: a Handbook, Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 38–41
  8. ^ Barnes, Michael (2012), Runes: a Handbook, Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 38–41
  9. ^ Osborn, Marijane (2010), Tiw as Mars in the Old English Rune Poem, University of California, Davis: ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews.
  10. ^ Barnes, Michael (2012), Runes: a Handbook, Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 38–41
  11. ^ Barnes, Michael (2012), Runes: a Handbook, Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 38–41
  12. ^ Barnes, Michael (2012), Runes: a Handbook, Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 38–41
  13. ^ Barnes, Michael (2012), Runes: a Handbook, Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 38–41
  14. ^ Barnes, Michael (2012), Runes: a Handbook, Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 38–41
  15. ^ Barnes, Michael (2012), Runes: a Handbook, Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 38–41
  16. ^ Osborn, Marijane; Longland, Stella (1980). "A Celtic intruder in the Old English 'rune poem'". Neuphilologische Mitteilungen. Modern Language Society. 81 (4): 385–387. ISSN 0028-3754. JSTOR 43343355. from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  17. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1998), Runes and Runic Inscriptions : Collected Essays On Anglo-Saxon and Viking Runes, Boydell, pp. 38, 53.
  18. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1999), An introduction to English runes (2nd ed.), Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 41–42.
  19. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1999), An introduction to English runes (2nd ed.), Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 45–47.
  20. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1999), An introduction to English runes (2nd ed.), Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 41–42.
  21. ^ Hines, John (2011), Anglia - Zeitschrift fr englische Philologie, Volume 129, Issue 3-4, pp. 288–289.
  22. ^ Waxenberger, Gaby (2017), Anglia - Zeitschrift fr englische Philologie, Volume 135, Issue 4, pp. 627–640.
  23. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1999), An introduction to English runes (2nd ed.), Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 139, 155.
  24. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1999), An introduction to English runes (2nd ed.), Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 186–199.
  25. ^ Kilpatrick, Kelly (2013), Latin, Runes and Pseudo-Ogham: The Enigma of the Hackness Stone, pp. 1–13.
  26. ^ Birkett, Thomas (2012), Notes and Queries, Volume 59, Issue 4, Boydell, pp. 465–470.
  27. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1999), An introduction to English runes (2nd ed.), Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 111–112.
  28. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1999), An introduction to English runes (2nd ed.), Woodbridge: Boydell, pp. 93, 112–113.
  29. ^ Looijenga, Tineke (1 January 2003). Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions. google.be. ISBN 978-9004123960. from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  30. ^ Flickr (photograms), Yahoo!, 20 May 2008, from the original on 13 October 2016, retrieved 22 July 2016
  31. ^ "Silver knife mount with runic inscription", British Museum, from the original on 18 October 2015, retrieved 22 July 2016.
  32. ^ Page, Raymond Ian (1999), An introduction to English runes (2nd ed.), Woodbridge: Boydell, p. 182.
  33. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (2002), "The Brandon Antler Runic Inscription", Neophilologus, Ingenta connect, 86: 129–31, doi:10.1023/A:1012922118629, S2CID 160241063.

References

  • Bammesberger, A, ed. (1991), "Old English Runes and their Continental Background", Anglistische Forschungen, Heidelberg, 217.
  • ——— (2006), "Das Futhark und seine Weiterentwicklung in der anglo-friesischen Überlieferung", in Bammesberger, A; Waxenberger (eds.), Das fuþark und seine einzelsprachlichen Weiterentwicklungen, Walter de Gruyter, pp. 171–87, ISBN 978-3-11-019008-3.
  • Hines, J (1990), "The Runic Inscriptions of Early Anglo-Saxon England", in Bammesberger, A (ed.), Britain 400–600: Language and History, Heidelberg, pp. 437–56.
  • Kilpatrick, K (2013), Latin, Runes and Pseudo-Ogham: The Enigma of the Hackness Stone, pp. 1–13
  • J. H. Looijenga, Runes around the North Sea and on the Continent AD 150–700, dissertation, Groningen University (1997).
  • Odenstedt, Bengt, On the Origin and Early History of the Runic Script, Uppsala (1990), ISBN 91-85352-20-9; chapter 20: 'The position of continental and Anglo-Frisian runic forms in the history of the older futhark '
  • Page, Raymond Ian (1999). An Introduction to English Runes. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-85115-768-9.
  • Middleton & Tum, Andrew & Julia (2006). Radiography of Cultural Material. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-7506-6347-2.
  • Robinson, Orrin W (1992). Old English and its Closest Relatives: A Survey of the Earliest Germanic Languages. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-1454-9.
  • Frisian runes and neighbouring traditions, Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik 45 (1996).
  • H. Marquardt, Die Runeninschriften der Britischen Inseln (Bibliographie der Runeninschriften nach Fundorten, Bd. I), Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen, Phil.-hist. Klasse, dritte Folge, Nr. 48, Göttingen 1961, pp. 10–16.

Further reading

  • Looijenga, Tineke (September 2003). Texts & Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions (Northern World, 4). Brill. ISBN 978-9004123960.

External links

  • Early Runic Inscriptions in England
  • Portable Antiquities Scheme (has information on runic artefacts from England)
  • Presenter: The Ruthwell Cross (3D rendering of the Ruthwell Cross)
  • The Byrhtferth's Manuscript

anglo, saxon, runes, english, rūna, ᚱᚢᚾᚪ, runes, used, early, anglo, saxons, alphabet, their, writing, system, characters, known, collectively, futhorc, ᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱᚳ, fuþorc, from, english, sound, values, first, runes, futhorc, development, from, character, elder, f. Anglo Saxon runes Old English runa ᚱᚢᚾᚪ are runes used by the early Anglo Saxons as an alphabet in their writing system The characters are known collectively as the futhorc ᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱᚳ futhorc from the Old English sound values of the first six runes The futhorc was a development from the 24 character Elder Futhark Since the futhorc runes are thought to have first been used in Frisia before the Anglo Saxon settlement of Britain they have also been called Anglo Frisian runes 2 They were likely to have been used from the 5th century onward recording Old English and Old Frisian FuthorcᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱᚳScript typeAlphabetTime period5th through 11th centuriesDirectionleft to right LanguagesAnglo Frisian Old English and Old Frisian Related scriptsParent systemsEgyptian hieroglyphs 1 Proto Sinaitic alphabetPhoenician alphabetGreek alphabet Cumae variant Old Italic alphabet Elder FutharkFuthorcSister systemsYounger Futhark This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet IPA For an introductory guide on IPA symbols see Help IPA For the distinction between and see IPA Brackets and transcription delimiters This article contains runic characters Without proper rendering support you may see question marks boxes or other symbols instead of runes The left half of the front panel of the 7th century Franks Casket depicting the Germanic legend of Weyland Smith and containing a riddle in Anglo Saxon runes They were gradually supplanted in Anglo Saxon England by the Old English Latin alphabet introduced by Irish missionaries Futhorc runes were no longer in common use by the eleventh century but The Byrhtferth s Manuscript MS Oxford St John s College 17 indicates that fairly accurate understanding of them persisted into at least the twelfth century Contents 1 History 2 Letters 2 1 Rune inventory 2 2 Combinations and digraphs 3 Usage and culture 4 Inscription corpus 4 1 Related manuscript texts 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksHistory EditThere are competing theories about the origins of the Anglo Saxon futhorc One theory proposes that it was developed in Frisia and from there later spread to Britain Another holds that runes were first introduced to Britain from the mainland where they were then modified and exported to Frisia Both theories have their inherent weaknesses and a definitive answer may come from further archaeological evidence The early futhorc was nearly identical to the Elder Futhark except for the split of ᚨ a into three variants ᚪ ac ᚫ aesc and ᚩ ōs resulting in 26 runes This was done to account for the new phoneme produced by the Ingvaeonic split of allophones of long and short a The earliest known instance of the ᚩ ōs rune may be from the 5th century on the Undley bracteate The earliest known instances of the ᚪ ac rune may be from the 6th century appearing on objects such as the Schweindorf solidus The double barred ᚻ haegl characteristic of continental inscriptions is first attested as late as 698 on St Cuthbert s coffin before that the single barred variant was used In England outside of the Brittonic Westcountry where evidence of Latin 3 and even Ogham continued for several centuries usage of the futhorc expanded citation needed Runic writing in England became closely associated with the Latin scriptoria from the time of Anglo Saxon Christianization in the 7th century The futhorc started to be replaced by the Latin alphabet from around the 7th century but it was still sometimes used up until the 10th or 11th century In some cases texts would be written in the Latin alphabet and thorn and ƿynn came to be used as extensions of the Latin alphabet By the time of the Norman Conquest of 1066 it was very rare and disappeared altogether a few centuries thereafter From at least five centuries of use fewer than 200 artefacts bearing futhorc inscriptions have survived Several famous English examples mix runes and Roman script or Old English and Latin on the same object including the Franks Casket and St Cuthbert s coffin in the latter three of the names of the Four Evangelists are given in Latin written in runes but LUKAS Saint Luke is in Roman script The coffin is also an example of an object created at the heart of the Anglo Saxon church that uses runes A leading expert Raymond Ian Page rejects the assumption often made in non scholarly literature that runes were especially associated in post conversion Anglo Saxon England with Anglo Saxon paganism or magic 4 Letters Edit A chart showing 30 Anglo Saxon runes A rune row showing variant shapes The letter sequence and letter inventory of futhorc along with the actual sounds made by those letters could vary depending on location and time That being so an authentic and unified list of runes is not possible Rune inventory Edit This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Anglo Saxon runes news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Image Unicode Name Name meaning Transliteration IPA ᚠ feh feoh wealth cattle f f v word medial allophone of f ᚢ ur ur aurochs u u ː ᚦ dorn thorn thorn th 8 d word medial allophone of 8 ᚩ os ōs heathen god mouth in rune poem 5 o o ː 6 ᚱ rada rad riding r r ᚳ cen cen torch c k kʲ tʃ ᚷ geofu gyfu gift g ɡ ɣ word medial allophone of ɡ j ᚹ wyn wynn mirth w w ᚻ haegil haegl hail h h x c ᚾ naed neod need as in plight n n ᛁ is is ice i i ː ᛡ ᛄ gaer gear year j j ᛇ ih iw yew tree i ȝ i ː x c 7 ᛈ peord peord p p ᛉ ilcs eolh elk s x ks 8 ᛋ ᚴ sygil sigel sun sail in rune poem s s z word medial allophone of s ᛏ ti Tiw Tiw Planet Mars in rune poem 9 t t ᛒ berc beorc birch tree b b ᛖ eh eh steed e e ː ᛗ mon mann man m m ᛚ lagu lagu body of water lake l l ᛝ ing ing Ing Ingui Frea ŋ ŋg ŋ ᛟ oedil edel inherited land native country œ o ː 10 ᛞ daeg daeg day d d ᚪ ac ac oak tree a ɑ ː 11 ᚫ aesc aesc ash tree ae ae ː 12 ᛠ ear ear grave soil ea ae ː ɑ 13 ᚣ yr ȳr yewen bow y y ː 14 The sequence of the runes above is based on Codex Vindobonensis 795 The first 24 of these runes directly continue the elder futhark letters and do not deviate in sequence though ᛞᛟ rather than ᛟᛞ is an attested sequence in both elder futhark and futhorc The manuscripts Codex Sangallensis 878 and Cotton MS Domitian A IX have ᚣ precede ᛠ The names of the runes above are based on Codex Vindobonensis 795 besides the names ing and aesc which come from The Byrhtferth s Manuscript and replace the seemingly corrupted names lug and aes found in Codex Vindobonensis 795 Ti is sometimes named tir or tyr in other manuscripts The words in parentheses in the name column are standardized spellings Image UCS Name Name meaning Transliteration IPA ᛣ calc chalk chalice sandal k k ᚸ gar spear ḡ g ɣ word medial allophone of g 15 ᛢ cweord unknown q k for writing Latin ᛥ stan stone N A st N A unknown unknown e ᴇ ǝ N A unknown unknown į e ː o i ː o ᛡ ior beaver 16 eel N A i ː o ᛤ unknown unknown k k The runes above were not included in Codex Vindobonensis 795 Calc appears in manuscripts and epigraphically on the Ruthwell Cross the Bramham Moor Ring the Kingmoor Ring and elsewhere Gar appears in manuscripts and epigraphically on the Ruthwell Cross and probably on the Bewcastle Cross 17 The unnamed ᛤ rune only appears on the Ruthwell Cross where it seems to take calc s place as k where that consonant is followed by a secondary fronted vowel Cweord and stan only appear in manuscripts The unnamed e rune only appears on the Baconsthorpe Grip The unnamed į rune only appears on the Sedgeford Handle While the rune poem and Cotton Domitian A IX present ᛡ as ior and ᛄ as ger epigraphically both are variants of ger although ᛄ is only attested once outside of manuscripts on the Brandon Pin R I Page designated ior a pseudo rune 18 There is little doubt that calc and gar are modified forms of cen and gyfu and that they were invented to address the ambiguity which arose from k and g spawning palatalized offshoots 19 R I Page designated cweord and stan pseudo runes noting their apparent pointlessness and speculating that cweord was invented merely to give futhorc an equivalent to Q 20 The e rune is likely a local innovation possibly representing an unstressed vowel and may derive its shape from ᛠ 21 The unnamed į rune is found in a personal name bįrnferth where it stands for a vowel or diphthong Anglo Saxon expert Gaby Waxenberger speculates that į may not be a true rune but rather a bindrune of ᛁ and ᚩ or the result of a mistake 22 Combinations and digraphs Edit Various runic combinations are found in the futhorc corpus For example the sequence ᚫᚪ appears on the Mortain Casket where ᛠ could theoretically have been used Combination IPA Word Meaning Found onᚩᛁ oi oin unknown Lindisfarne Stone IIᚷᚳ gg ddʒ blagcmon personal name Maughold Stone Iᚷᚷ ddʒ eggbrect personal name an armband from the Galloway Hoard ᚻᚹ ʍ gehwelc each Honington Clipᚻᛋ ks wohs to wax Brandon Antlerᚾᚷ ŋg hring ring Wheatley Hill Silver Gilt Finger Ringᛁᚷ ij modig proud bold arrogant Ruthwell Crossᛇᛡ ij haelij holy Gandersheim Casketᛇᛋ ks BennaREis king Benna a coin of Beonna of East Anglia ᛋᚳ sk ʃ fisc fish Franks Casketᛖᚩ eo eːo eoh personal name Kirkheaton Stoneᛖᚷ ej legdun laid Ruthwell Crossᛖᛇ ej eʝ eateinne personal name Thornhill Stone IIᛖᚪ aeɑ aeːɑ eadbald personal name Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano Graffitiᚪᚢ ɑu saule soul Thornhill Stone IIIᚪᛁ ɑi aib personal name Oostum Combᚪᛡ ɑj ɑx fajhild faghild personal name Santi Marcellino e Pietro ad Duas Lauros Graffitiᚫᚢ aeu daeus deus Latin Whitby Combᚫᚪ aeɑ aeːɑ aeadan personal name Mortain Casket The Anglo Saxon futhorc abecedarium anguliscum as presented in Codex Sangallensis 878 9th century Usage and culture EditA rune in Old English could be called a runstaef perhaps meaning something along the lines of mystery letter or whisper letter or simply run Futhorc inscriptions hold diverse styles and contents Ochre has been detected on at least one English runestone implying its runes were once painted Bind runes are not uncommon in futhorc relative to its small corpus and were seemingly used most often to ensure the runes would fit in a limited space 23 Futhorc logography is attested to in a few manuscripts This was done by having a rune stand for its name or a similar sounding word In the sole extant manuscript of the poem Beowulf the edel rune was used as a logogram for the word edel meaning homeland or estate 24 Both the Hackness Stone and Codex Vindobonensis 795 attest to futhorc Cipher runes 25 In one manuscript Corpus Christi College MS 041 a writer seems to have used futhorc runes like Roman numerals writing ᛉᛁᛁ ᛉᛉᛉᛋᚹᛁᚦᚩᚱ which likely means 12 amp 30 more 26 There is some evidence of futhorc rune magic The possibly magical alu sequence seems to appear on an urn found at Spong Hill in spiegelrunes runes whose shapes are mirrored In a tale from Bede s Ecclesiastical History written in Latin a man named Imma cannot be bound by his captors and is asked if he is using litteras solutorias loosening letters to break his binds In one Old English translation of the passage Imma is asked if he is using drycraft magic druidcraft or runestaves to break his binds 27 Furthermore futhorc rings have been found with what appear to be enchanted inscriptions for the stanching of blood 28 Inscription corpus Edit Futhorc series on the Seax of Beagnoth 9th century The series has 28 runes omitting io The shapes of j s d œ and y deviate from the standard forms shown above eo appears mirrored The Old English and Old Frisian Runic Inscriptions database project at the Catholic University of Eichstatt Ingolstadt Germany aims at collecting the genuine corpus of Old English inscriptions containing more than two runes in its paper edition while the electronic edition aims at including both genuine and doubtful inscriptions down to single rune inscriptions The corpus of the paper edition encompasses about one hundred objects including stone slabs stone crosses bones rings brooches weapons urns a writing tablet tweezers a sun dial clarification needed comb bracteates caskets a font dishes and graffiti The database includes in addition 16 inscriptions containing a single rune several runic coins and 8 cases of dubious runic characters runelike signs possible Latin characters weathered characters Comprising fewer than 200 inscriptions the corpus is slightly larger than that of Continental Elder Futhark about 80 inscriptions c 400 700 but slightly smaller than that of the Scandinavian Elder Futhark about 260 inscriptions c 200 800 Runic finds in England cluster along the east coast with a few finds scattered further inland in Southern England Frisian finds cluster in West Frisia Looijenga 1997 lists 23 English including two 7th century Christian inscriptions and 21 Frisian inscriptions predating the 9th century The Thames zoomorphic silver gilt knife mount late 8th century Currently known inscriptions in Anglo Frisian runes include FRISIAN Ferwerd combcase 6th century me urae Amay comb c 600 eda Oostyn comb 8th century aib ka m bu deda habuku with a triple barred h Toornwerd comb 8th century kabu Skanomody solidus 575 610 skanomodu Harlingen solidus 575 625 hada two ac runes double barred h Schweindorf solidus 575 625 wela n du Weyland or theladu running right to left Folkestone tremissis c 650 aeniwulufu Midlum sceat c 750 aepa Rasquert swordhandle whalebone handle of a symbolic sword late 8th century ek u maedit oka I Oka not made mad 29 compare ek unwodz from the Danish corpus Arum sword a yew wood miniature sword late 8th century edaeboda Westeremden A a yew weaving slay adujislume th jisuhidu Westeremden B a yew stick 8th century oph nmuji adaamluth wimœ ahthu iwio u du ale Britsum yew stick thkniaberetdud n bsrsdnu the k has Younger Futhark shape and probably represents a vowel Hantum whalebone plate aha k the reverse side is inscribed with Roman ABA Bernsterburen whalebone staff c 800 tuda aewudu kius thu tuda Hamwic horse knucklebone dated to between 650 and 1025 katae categorised as Frisian on linguistic grounds from kautōn knucklebone Wijnaldum B gold pendant c 600 hiwi Kantens combcase early 5th century li Hoogebeintum comb c 700 nlu ded Wijnaldum A antler piece zwfuwizw ENGLISH Ash Gilton Kent gilt silver sword pommel 6th century emsigimer 30 Chessel Down I Isle of Wight 6th century bwseeekkkaaa Chessel Down II Isle of Wight silver plate attached to the scabbard mouthpiece of a ring sword early 6th century aeko ori Boarley Kent copper disc brooch c 600 aersil Harford Norfolk brooch c 650 luda gibœtaesigilae Luda repaired the brooch West Heslerton North Yorkshire copper cruciform brooch early 6th century neim Loveden Hill Lincolnshire urn 5th to 6th century reading uncertain maybe sithaebaed thiuw hlaw the grave of Sithaebaed the maid Spong Hill Norfolk three cremation urns 5th century decorated with identical runic stamps reading alu in Spiegelrunen Kent II coins some 30 items 7th century reading pada Kent III IV silver sceattas c 600 reading aepa and epa Suffolk gold shillings three items c 660 stamped with desaiona Caistor by Norwich astragalus 5th century possibly a Scandinavian import in Elder Futhark transliteration reading raihan roe Watchfield Oxfordshire copper fittings 6th century Elder Futhark reading hariboki wusa with a probably already fronted to ae Wakerley Northamptonshire copper brooch 6th century buhui Dover Kent brooch c 600 thd bli bkk Upper Thames Valley gold coins four items 620s benu tigoii benu tidi Willoughby on the Wolds Nottinghamshire copper bowl c 600 a Cleatham South Humbershire copper bowl c 600 edih Sandwich Richborough Kent stone 650 or earlier ahabu i perhaps raehaebul stag Whitby I Yorkshire jet spindle whorl ueu Selsey West Sussex gold plates 6th to 8th centuries brnrn anmu St Cuthbert s coffin Durham dated to 698 Whitby II Yorkshire bone comb 7th century dae us maeus godaluwalu dohelipae cy i e deus meus god aluwaldo helpae Cy my god almighty god help Cy Cynewulf or a similar personal name compare also names of God in Old English poetry the Franks casket 7th century zoomorphic silver gilt knife mount discovered in the River Thames near Westminster Bridge late 8th century 31 32 the Ruthwell Cross 8th century the inscription may be partly a modern reconstruction the Brandon antler piece wohs wildum deorae an this grew on a wild animal 9th century 33 Kingmoor Ring the Seax of Beagnoth 9th century also known as the Thames scramasax the only complete alphabetRelated manuscript texts Edit Codex Sangallensis 270 lists runes with their names and explains how to use certain rune ciphers Codex Sangallensis 878 contains a presentation of Anglo Saxon runes Codex Vindobonensis 795 contains a description of Anglo Saxon runes Cotton Domitian A IX lists runes with their names Cotton Otho B x 165 contained the Old English rune poem before being destroyed in a fire Cotton Vitellius A XII lists runes in alphabetical order The Byrhtferth s Manuscript MS 17 contains a table of runic cryptographic and exotic alphabetsSee also EditElder Futhark List of runestones Ogham Old English Latin alphabet Runic alphabet Younger FutharkNotes Edit Himelfarb Elizabeth J First Alphabet Found in Egypt Archaeology 53 Issue 1 January February 2000 21 THE ANGLO SAXON RUNES arild hauge com Archived from the original on 15 July 2015 Retrieved 10 July 2015 Ancient Writing Discovered at Tintagel Castle Archived from the original on 29 November 2020 Retrieved 21 November 2020 Page Raymond Ian 1989 Roman and Runic on St Cuthbert s Coffin in Bonner Gerald Rollason David Stancliffe Clare eds St Cuthbert his Cult and his Community to AD 1200 Woodbridge Boydell amp Brewer pp 257 63 ISBN 978 0 85115 610 1 archived from the original on 15 April 2021 retrieved 29 October 2020 Page Raymond Ian 1999 An introduction to English runes 2nd ed Woodbridge Boydell p 68 Barnes Michael 2012 Runes a Handbook Woodbridge Boydell pp 38 41 Barnes Michael 2012 Runes a Handbook Woodbridge Boydell pp 38 41 Barnes Michael 2012 Runes a Handbook Woodbridge Boydell pp 38 41 Osborn Marijane 2010 Tiw as Mars in the Old English Rune Poem University of California Davis ANQ A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles Notes and Reviews Barnes Michael 2012 Runes a Handbook Woodbridge Boydell pp 38 41 Barnes Michael 2012 Runes a Handbook Woodbridge Boydell pp 38 41 Barnes Michael 2012 Runes a Handbook Woodbridge Boydell pp 38 41 Barnes Michael 2012 Runes a Handbook Woodbridge Boydell pp 38 41 Barnes Michael 2012 Runes a Handbook Woodbridge Boydell pp 38 41 Barnes Michael 2012 Runes a Handbook Woodbridge Boydell pp 38 41 Osborn Marijane Longland Stella 1980 A Celtic intruder in the Old English rune poem Neuphilologische Mitteilungen Modern Language Society 81 4 385 387 ISSN 0028 3754 JSTOR 43343355 Archived from the original on 26 July 2021 Retrieved 26 July 2021 Page Raymond Ian 1998 Runes and Runic Inscriptions Collected Essays On Anglo Saxon and Viking Runes Boydell pp 38 53 Page Raymond Ian 1999 An introduction to English runes 2nd ed Woodbridge Boydell pp 41 42 Page Raymond Ian 1999 An introduction to English runes 2nd ed Woodbridge Boydell pp 45 47 Page Raymond Ian 1999 An introduction to English runes 2nd ed Woodbridge Boydell pp 41 42 Hines John 2011 Anglia Zeitschrift fr englische Philologie Volume 129 Issue 3 4 pp 288 289 Waxenberger Gaby 2017 Anglia Zeitschrift fr englische Philologie Volume 135 Issue 4 pp 627 640 Page Raymond Ian 1999 An introduction to English runes 2nd ed Woodbridge Boydell pp 139 155 Page Raymond Ian 1999 An introduction to English runes 2nd ed Woodbridge Boydell pp 186 199 Kilpatrick Kelly 2013 Latin Runes and Pseudo Ogham The Enigma of the Hackness Stone pp 1 13 Birkett Thomas 2012 Notes and Queries Volume 59 Issue 4 Boydell pp 465 470 Page Raymond Ian 1999 An introduction to English runes 2nd ed Woodbridge Boydell pp 111 112 Page Raymond Ian 1999 An introduction to English runes 2nd ed Woodbridge Boydell pp 93 112 113 Looijenga Tineke 1 January 2003 Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions google be ISBN 978 9004123960 Archived from the original on 15 April 2021 Retrieved 29 October 2020 Flickr photograms Yahoo 20 May 2008 archived from the original on 13 October 2016 retrieved 22 July 2016 Silver knife mount with runic inscription British Museum archived from the original on 18 October 2015 retrieved 22 July 2016 Page Raymond Ian 1999 An introduction to English runes 2nd ed Woodbridge Boydell p 182 Bammesberger Alfred 2002 The Brandon Antler Runic Inscription Neophilologus Ingenta connect 86 129 31 doi 10 1023 A 1012922118629 S2CID 160241063 References EditBammesberger A ed 1991 Old English Runes and their Continental Background Anglistische Forschungen Heidelberg 217 2006 Das Futhark und seine Weiterentwicklung in der anglo friesischen Uberlieferung in Bammesberger A Waxenberger eds Dasfutharkund seine einzelsprachlichen Weiterentwicklungen Walter de Gruyter pp 171 87 ISBN 978 3 11 019008 3 Hines J 1990 The Runic Inscriptions of Early Anglo Saxon England in Bammesberger A ed Britain 400 600 Language and History Heidelberg pp 437 56 Kilpatrick K 2013 Latin Runes and Pseudo Ogham The Enigma of the Hackness Stone pp 1 13 J H Looijenga Runes around the North Sea and on the Continent AD 150 700 dissertation Groningen University 1997 Odenstedt Bengt On the Origin and Early History of the Runic Script Uppsala 1990 ISBN 91 85352 20 9 chapter 20 The position of continental and Anglo Frisian runic forms in the history of the older futhark Page Raymond Ian 1999 An Introduction to English Runes Woodbridge Boydell Press ISBN 978 0 85115 768 9 Middleton amp Tum Andrew amp Julia 2006 Radiography of Cultural Material Elsevier ISBN 978 0 7506 6347 2 Robinson Orrin W 1992 Old English and its Closest Relatives A Survey of the Earliest Germanic Languages Stanford University Press ISBN 978 0 8047 1454 9 Frisian runes and neighbouring traditions Amsterdamer Beitrage zur alteren Germanistik 45 1996 H Marquardt Die Runeninschriften der Britischen Inseln Bibliographie der Runeninschriften nach Fundorten Bd I Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Gottingen Phil hist Klasse dritte Folge Nr 48 Gottingen 1961 pp 10 16 Further reading EditLooijenga Tineke September 2003 Texts amp Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions Northern World 4 Brill ISBN 978 9004123960 External links EditAnglo Saxon Runic Texts at Georgetown Univ Early Runic Inscriptions in England Portable Antiquities Scheme has information on runic artefacts from England Presenter The Ruthwell Cross 3D rendering of the Ruthwell Cross The Byrhtferth s Manuscript Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Anglo Saxon runes amp oldid 1123279300, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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