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Ansuz is the conventional name given to the ''a''-rune of the Elder Futhark, .
The name is based on Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*ansuz'', denoting a deity belonging to the principal pantheon in Germanic paganism.

The shape of the rune is likely from Old Italic alphabet, Neo-Etruscan ''a'' (), like Latin A ultimately from Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician Aleph (letter), aleph.

Name

In the Norwegian rune poem, ''óss'' is given a meaning of "estuary" while in the Anglo-Saxon one, takes the Latin meaning of "mouth". The Younger Futhark rune is transliterated as ''ą'' to distinguish it from the new ᛅ, ár rune (ᛅ), which continues the ''jēran'' rune after loss of prevocalic ''*j-'' in Proto-Norse ''*jár'' (Old Saxon ).

Since the name of ''a'' is attested in the Gothic alphabet as or , the common Germanic name of the rune may thus either have been ''*ansuz'' "god", or ''*ahsam'' "ear (of wheat)".

Development in Anglo-Saxon runes

The Anglo-Saxon runes, Anglo-Saxon futhorc split the Elder Futhark ''a'' rune into three independent runes due to the Anglo-Frisian brightening, development of the vowel system in Anglo-Frisian. These three runes are (transliterated ''o''), "oak" (transliterated ''a''), and "ash tree, ash" (transliterated ''æ'').

Development in Younger Futhark

The Younger Futhark corresponding to the Elder Futhark ansuz rune is , called ''óss''. It is transliterated as ''ą''. This represented the phoneme /ɑ̃/, and sometimes /æ/ (also written ) and /o/ (also written ).
The variant grapheme became independent as representing the phoneme /ø/ during the 11th to 14th centuries.

Rune poems

It is mentioned in all three rune poems:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ansuz (Rune)
Runes