Gyfu is the name for the ''g''-
rune
Runes are the letter (alphabet), letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, a ...
in the
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
rune poem, meaning ‘gift’ or ‘generosity’:
The corresponding letter of the
Gothic alphabet
The Gothic alphabet is an alphabet used for writing the Gothic language. Ulfilas (or Wulfila) developed it in the 4th century AD for the purpose of translating the Bible.
The alphabet essentially uses uncial forms of the Greek alphabet, wit ...
is 𐌲 ''g'', called ''giba''. The same rune also appears in the
Elder Futhark
The Elder Futhark (or Fuþark), also known as the Older Futhark, Old Futhark, or Germanic Futhark, is the oldest form of the runic alphabets. It was a writing system used by Germanic peoples for Northwest Germanic dialects in the Migration Peri ...
, with a suggested
Proto-Germanic name *gebô ‘gift’. J. H. Looijenga speculates that the rune is directly derived from Latin
Χ, the pronunciation of which may have been similar to Germanic ''g'' in the 1st century, e.g., Gothic ''*reihs'' compared to Latin ''rex'' (as opposed to the
Etruscan alphabet, where /𐌗 had a value of ).
The ''gyfu'' rune is sometimes used as a symbol within modern
mysticism, particularly amongst those interested in
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed a ...
. It’s described, for example, in the book ''The Runic Tarot'' as a representation of the giving-receiving balance in
friendships.
[The Runic Tarot. Gebo has no murkstave. By Caroline Smith, John Astrop. Page 24. Macmillan, Feb 1, 2005. 9780312321925]
Anglo-Saxon ''gār'' rune
In addition to ''gyfu'', the
Anglo-Saxon futhorc has the ''gār'' rune , named after a species of
medieval spear. It is attested epigraphically on the Ruthwell Cross, and also appears in 11th-century manuscript tradition. Phonetically, ''gār'' represents the /g/ sound. It is a modification of the plain gyfu rune .
Old English ‘gār’ means ‘spear’, but the name of the rune likely echoes the rune names ''
ger,
ear, ior'': due to palatalization in Old English, the original ''g'' rune (i.e., the ''Gyfu'' rune ) could express either /j/ or /g/ (see
yogh
The letter yogh (ȝogh) ( ; Scots: ; Middle English: ) was used in Middle English and Older Scots, representing ''y'' () and various velar phonemes. It was derived from the Insular form of the letter ''g''.
In Middle English writing, tailed z ...
). The ''ger'' unambiguously expressed /j/, and the newly introduced ''gar'' rune had the purpose of unambiguously expressing /g/.
''Gār'' is the 33rd and final rune in the row as given in
Cotton Domitian A.ix.
See also
*
Armanen runes § Gibor, 19th-century
pseudo-runes of which the 18th character’s name is similar to *gebô
References
External links
The Futhark on www.ancientscripts.com
Runes
{{writingsystem-stub