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
Rune poems are poems that list the letters of runic alphabets while providing an explanatory poetic stanza for each letter. Three different poems have been preserved: the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem, the Norwegian Rune Poem, and the Icelandic Rune Poe ...
, 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
Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic branc ...
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
The Etruscan alphabet was the alphabet used by the Etruscans, an ancient civilization of central and northern Italy, to write their language, from about 700 BC to sometime around 100 AD.
The Etruscan alphabet derives from the Euboean alphabet ...
, where /𐌗 had a value of ).
The ''gyfu'' rune is sometimes used as a symbol within modern
mysticism
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
, 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
friendship
Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague.
In some cultures, the concept o ...
s.
[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
An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...
, 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 Language, Scots: ; Middle English: ) was used in Middle English and Older Scots, representing ''y'' () and various velar consonant , velar phonemes. It was derived from the Insular G, Insular form of the letter ...
). 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
This is an incomplete list of some of the manuscripts from the Cotton library that today form the Cotton collection of the British Library. Some manuscripts were destroyed or damaged in a fire at Ashburnham House in 1731, and a few are kept in othe ...
A.ix.
See also
*
Armanen runes § Gibor, 19th-century
pseudo-runes Pseudo-runes are letters that look like Germanic runes but are not true ancient runes.
The term is mostly used of incised characters that are intended to imitate runes. Pseudo-runes in this sense are difficult to distinguish from cipher runes, whi ...
of which the 18th character’s name is similar to *gebô
References
External links
The Futhark on www.ancientscripts.com
Runes
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