Kaunan

Name	Proto-Germanic	Old English	Old Norse
	*Kauną?	Cēn	Kaun
	?	"torch"	"ulcer"
Shape	Elder Futhark	Futhorc	Younger Futhark
Unicode	ᚲ U+16B2	ᚳ U+16B3	ᚴ U+16B4
Transliteration	k	c	k
Transcription	k	c	k,g
IPA	[k]	[k],[c],[tʃ]	[k],[g]
Position in rune-row	6

The evolution of the rune in the elder futhark during the centuries

Thek-runeᚲ(Younger Futharkᚴ,Anglo-Saxon futhorcᚳ) is calledKaunin both theNorwegianandIcelandicrune poems,meaning "ulcer".The reconstructedProto-Germanicname is*Kauną.It is also known asKenaz( "torch" ), based on its Anglo-Saxon name.

The Elder Futhark shape is likely directly based onOld Italicc(,𐌂) and on LatinC.The Younger Futhark and Anglo-Saxon Futhorc shapes have parallels in Old Italic shapes ofk(,𐌊) and LatinK(compare theNegau helmetinscription). The correspondingGothic letteris 𐌺k,calledkusma.

The shape of the Younger Futharkkaunrune (ᚴ) is identical to that of the "bookhand"s runein theAnglo-Saxon futhorc. Theᚴrune also occurs in somecontinental runic inscriptions.It has been suggested that in these instances, it represents thech/χ/ sound resulting from theOld High German sound shift(e.g.ᛖᛚᚴelchinNordendorf II).

Rune Poem:	English Translation:
Old Norwegian ᚴKaun er barna bǫlvan; bǫl gørver nán fǫlvan.	Ulcer is fatal to children; death makes a corpse pale.
Old Icelandic ᚴKaun er barna böl ok bardaga [för] ok holdfúa hús. flagellakonungr.	Disease fatal to children and painful spot and abode of mortification.
Anglo-Saxon ᚳCen bẏþ cƿicera gehƿam, cuþ on fẏre blac ond beorhtlic, bẏrneþ oftust ðær hi æþelingas inne restaþ.	The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame; it always burns where princes sit within.
Notes: The Icelandic poem is glossed with Latinflagella"whip". The Anglo-Saxon poem gives the namecen"torch".