Fehu
| Name | Proto-Germanic | Old English | Old Norse |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Fehu | Feoh | Fé | |
| "livestock, wealth" | |||
| Shape | Elder Futhark | Futhorc | Younger Futhark |
 | |||
| Unicode | ᚠ U+16A0 | ||
| Transliteration | f | ||
| Transcription | f | f | f,v |
| IPA | [f] | ||
| Position in rune-row | 1 | ||
TheFehurune⟨ᚠ⟩(Old Norsefé;Old Englishfeoh) represents the ⟨f⟩ and ⟨v⟩ sound in theYounger FutharkandFuthorcAlpha bets. Its name means '(mobile) wealth', cognate to Englishfeewith the original meaning of 'sheep' or 'cattle' (DutchVee,GermanVieh,Latinpecū,Sanskritpáśu). TheProto-Germanicname*fehuhas beenreconstructed,with the meaning of "money, cattle, wealth".[1]
The corresponding letter of theGothic Alpha betis ⟨𐍆⟩ ⟨f⟩, calledfaihu.Such correspondence between all rune poems and the Gothic letter name, as well, is uncommon, and gives the reconstructed name of theOld Futharka high degree of certainty.
The shape of the rune is likely based onEtruscanv⟨𐌅⟩ ⟨
⟩, like GreekDigamma⟨Ϝ⟩ and Latin ⟨F⟩ ultimately fromPhoenicianwaw⟨
⟩.[citation needed]
Rune poems[edit]
The name is recorded in all threerune poems:[2][full citation needed]
ᚠFé vældr frænda róge; |
Wealth is a source of discord amongstkin; |
ᚠFé er frænda róg |
Wealth is a source of discord amongst kin |
ᚠFeoh bẏþ frofur fira gehƿẏlcum; |
Wealth is a comfort to all; |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Page, Raymond I.(2005)Runes.The British Museum Press. p. 15.ISBN0-7141-8065-3
- ^Original poems and translation from theRune Poem Page.