Gyfu

NameProto-GermanicOld English
*GebōGyfuGār
'gift''gift'"spear"
ShapeElder FutharkFuthorc
Unicodeᚷ
U+16B7
ᚷ
U+16B7
ᚸ
U+16B8
Transliterationgȝg
Transcriptiongȝ, gg
IPA[ɣ][g], [ɣ], [ʎ], [j][g]
Position in
rune-row		7733
This article contains runic characters. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of runes.

Gyfu is the name for the g-rune ᚷ in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem, meaning 'gift' or 'generosity':

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem:[1] English Translation:

ᚷ Gẏfu gumena bẏþ gleng and herenẏs,
ƿraþu and ƿẏrþscẏpe and ƿræcna gehƿam
ar and ætƿist, ðe bẏþ oþra leas.

Generosity brings credit and honour, which support one's dignity;
it furnishes help and subsistence
to all broken men who are devoid of aught else.

The corresponding letter of the Gothic alphabet is 𐌲 g, called giba. The same rune also appears in the Elder Futhark, with a suggested Proto-Germanic name *gebô 'gift'. J. H. Looijenga speculates[2] 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 X/𐌗 had a value of [s]).

The gyfu rune is sometimes used as a symbol within modern mysticism, particularly amongst those interested in Celtic mythology. It's described, for example, in the book The Runic Tarot as a representation of the giving-receiving balance in friendships.[3]

Anglo-Saxon gār rune

In addition to gyfu, the Anglo-Saxon futhorc has the gār rune ⟨ᚸ⟩, 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 ᚷ.

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 ⟨ᚷ⟩) could express either /j/ or /g/ (see yogh). The ger unambiguously expressed /j/, and the newly[when?] 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

References

  1. ^ Original poem and translation from the Rune Poem Page Archived 1999-05-01 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ J.H. Looijenga, Runes Around the North Sea and on the Continent Ad 150-700, PhD diss. Groningen 1997, p. 56. Download PDF
  3. ^ The Runic Tarot. Gebo has no murkstave. By Caroline Smith, John Astrop. Page 24. Macmillan, Feb 1, 2005. 9780312321925
  • The Futhark on www.ancientscripts.com
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Germanic Elder Futhark
24-type Fuþark
(ca. AD to 9th c.)
ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚨ ᚱ ᚲ ᚷ ᚹ ᛬ ᚺ ᚾ ᛁ ᛃ ᛇ ᛈ ᛉ ᛊ ᛬ ᛏ ᛒ ᛖ ᛗ ᛚ ᛜ ᛞ ᛟ
f
v		 u
y		 þ
ð		 a
ã		 r k g w
v		 h n i j ï
é		 p z
ʀ		 s t b e
ɛ		 m l ŋ
ng		 d
ð		 o
å
ö
Anglo-Frisian Futhorc
28-type Fuþorc
(ca. 5th c. to 9th c.)
ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚩ ᚱ ᚳ ᚷ ᚹ   ᚻ ᚾ ᛁ ᛄ ᛇ ᛈ ᛉ ᛋ   ᛏ ᛒ ᛖ ᛗ ᛚ ᛝ ᛞ ᛟ ᚪ ᚫ ᚣ ᛠ
f
v		 u
o		 þ
ð		 o
å
ö		 r c
k
ɧ
ɕ		 ȝ
g
ng
k		 w h n i j ï
é
ēo		 p x s t b e
ɛ		 m l ŋ
ng		 d œ
oe
ōe		 a æ y ea
æa
Later Anglo-Saxon Futhorc
33-type Fuþorc
(ca. 8th c. to 12th c.)
ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚩ ᚱ ᚳ ᚷ ᚹ   ᚻ ᚾ ᛁ ᛄ ᛇ ᛈ ᛉ ᛋ   ᛏ ᛒ ᛖ ᛗ ᛚ ᛝ ᛞ ᛟ ᚪ ᚫ ᚣ ᛠ ᛡ ᚸ ᛣ ᛢ ᛥ ᛤ (n/a)
f
v		 u
o		 þ
ð		 o
å
ö		 r c
k
ɧ
ɕ		 ȝ
g
ng
k		 w h n i j ï
é
ēo		 p x s t b e
ɛ		 m l ŋ
ng		 d œ
oe
ōe		 a æ
y		 y ea
æa		 īe
īo		 ḡ k q st ck
kk
k̄
c̄
Norse Younger Futhark
16-type Fuþark
(ca. 8th c. to 11th c.)
Long-Branch – ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚬ ᚱ ᚴ ᛬ ᚼ ᚾ ᛁ ᛅ ᛋ ᛬ ᛏ ᛒ ᛘ ᛚ ᛦ
Short-Twig – ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚭ ᚱ ᚴ ᛬ ᚽ ᚿ ᛁ ᛆ ᛌ ᛬ ᛐ ᛓ ᛙ ᛚ ᛧ
f
v		 u
y/ö
o
v/w		 þ
ð		 ą
o
ɔ/ǫ		 r k
g
ng		 h n i
j
e		 a
ä		 s
z		 t
d		 b
p		 m l ʀ
Later Younger Futhark
Stung Fuþark
(ca. 11th c. to 13th c.)
Regular – ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚬ ᚱ ᚴ ᛬ ᚼ ᚾ ᛁ ᛅ ᛋ ᛬ ᛐ ᛒ ᛘ ᛚ ᛦ
f u
o
w		 þ o
ɔ/ǫ		 r k h n i
j		 a
ä		 s
z		 t b m l y
ʀ
Stung – ᚡ ᚤ ᚧ ᚵ ᛀ ᛂ ᛑ ᛔ ᛛ
v y
ö		 ð g
ng		 ɴ e
ä		 d p ʟ
Medieval runes
Medieval Fuþark
(ca. 13th c. to 16th c.)
1st types – ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚮ ᚱ ᚴ ᛬ ᚼ ᚿ ᛁ ᛆ ᛋ ᛬ ᛐ ᛒ ᛘ ᛚ ᛦ
f u
w		 þ o r k
q		 h n i
j		 a s t b m l y
2nd types – ᚡ ᚤ ᚧ ᚰ ᚵ ᚾ ᛂ ᛅ ᛍ ᛑ ᛔ ᛛ
v y
v		 ð ǫ
å		 g n e ä c d p ʟ
3rd types – ᚯ ᚶ ᛀ ᛎ ᛕ
ö ng ɴ z ᴘ
Alphabetical – ᛆ ᛒ ᛍ ᛑ ᚧ ᛂ ᚠ ᚵ ᚶ ᚼ ᛁ ᛁ ᚴ ᛚ ᛛ ᛘ ᚿ
ᚾ		 ᛀ ᚮ ᚰ ᛔ ᛕ ᚴ ᚱ ᛋ ᛐ ᚦ ᚢ ᚡ
ᚤ		 ᚢ ᚴᛋ ᚤ
ᛦ		 ᛎ ᚰ ᛅ ᚯ
a b c d ð e f g ng h i j k l ʟ m n ɴ o ǫ p ᴘ q r s t þ u v w x y z å ä ö
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