ᛖᚲ

Proto-Norse

the inscription on the Hogganvik runestone

Alternative forms

ᚴ and ᚳ are younger graphic variants of k, but do not indicate any change in pronunciation.

• ᛖᚲᚨ (eka), ᛖᚴᛡ (ekᴀ)
• -ᚲᚨ (-ka), -ᚳᚨ (-ka), -ᚴᛡ (-kᴀ) — enclitic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ek, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂.

Among the earliest attestations of the pronoun is the inscription on the 2nd-4th century Lindholm amulet, which also contains a postpositive, perhaps clitic, form of the pronoun in ᚺᚨᛏᛖᚳᚨ (hateka /⁠haitē’ka⁠/, “I am called”). For the forms with final -a, see ᛖᚲᚨ (eka).

Pronoun

ᛖᚲ (ek)

1. I
   • c. 250–450, inscription on the Tune stone:

     ᛖᚲᚹᛁᚹᚨᛉᚨᚠᛏᛖᚱᚹᛟᛞᚢᚱᛁᛞᛖ / […]

     ekwiwaʀafterwoduride / […]

     I, Wiwaz, after Woduridaz / […]

   • c. 425, inscription on the Golden Horns of Gallehus:

     ᛖᚲᚺᛚᛖᚹᚨᚷᚨᛊᛏᛁᛉ᛬ᚺᛟᛚᛏᛁᛃᚨᛉ᛬ᚺᛟᚱᚾᚨ᛬ᛏᚨᚹᛁᛞᛟ᛬

     ekhlewagastiʀ:holtijaʀ:horna:tawido:

     I, Hlewagastiz Holtijaz, made the horn

   • c. 250-450, inscription on the Hogganvik runestone:

     ᛖᚲᚾᚨᚢᛞᛁᚷᚨᛋᛏᛁᛉ / […]

     eknaudigastiʀ / […]

     I, Naudigastiz, / […]

Related terms

• ᛗᛖᛉ (meʀ) (dative)

Descendants

• Old Norse: ek, iak — Old East Norse, -k — enclitic
  • Icelandic: ég
  • Faroese: eg, jeg
  • Norn: eg
  • Norwegian: ej, é, eig, í, æg, æj, æ, je, jæj (dialectal)
    • Norwegian Nynorsk: eg
  • Jamtish: jeg
  • Dalian: ik, ig
    • Elfdalian: ig
  • Old Swedish: iak, iæk, iag, iagh, iach (late), ᛁᛆᚴ, ᛁᛅᚴ (Runic)
    • Swedish: jag
  • Old Danish: iak, iæk, iægh, æk, ak
    • Danish: jeg, a, æ, ja, jæ (dialectal)
      • Norwegian Bokmål: jeg
    • Scanian: jağ
    • Jutish: æ
  • Old Gutnish: iek