NameProto-GermanicOld EnglishOld Norse
*FehuFeohFé
"livestock, wealth"
ShapeElder FutharkFuthorcYounger Futhark
Unicodeᚠ
U+16A0
Transliterationf
Transcriptionf
IPA[f]
Position in
rune-row		1

The Fehu rune ⟨ᚠ⟩ (Old Norse fé; Old English feoh) represents the ⟨f⟩ and ⟨v⟩ sound in the Younger Futhark and Futhorc alphabets. Its name means '(mobile) wealth', cognate to English fee with the original meaning of 'sheep' or 'cattle' (Dutch Vee, German Vieh, Latin pecū, Sanskrit páśu). The Proto-Germanic name *fehu has been reconstructed, with the meaning of "money, cattle, wealth".[1]

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.

The shape of the rune is likely based on Etruscan v ⟨𐌅⟩ ⟨F⟩, like Greek Digamma ⟨Ϝ⟩ and Latin ⟨F⟩ ultimately from Phoenician waw ⟨w⟩.

Rune poems

The name is recorded in all three rune poems:[2]

Old Norwegian:

Old Icelandic:

Anglo-Saxon:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Page, Raymond I. (2005) Runes. The British Museum Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-7141-8065-3
  2. ↑ Original poems and translation from the Rune Poem Page.
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