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Fe (rune)

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This article contains runic special characters; to display them, you need a Unicode font supporting the runic range, such as Junicode or FreeMono.

Fehu

The Fe rune ᚠ (Old Norse fé; Old English feoh) represents the f-sound. It is the first letter of the Futhark alphabet. Its name means "(mobile) wealth", cognate to English fee with an original meaning "sheep" or "cattle" (German Vieh, Sanskrit pashu). The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is *fehu (PIE *peḱu-), loaned into Latin as feudum (see Feudalism).

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

The name is recorded in all three rune poems:

Norwegian:

ᚠ Fé vældr frænda róge;

føðesk ulfr í skóge.

Wealth is a source of discord amongst kin;

the wolf lives in the forest.

Icelandic, glossed with Latin aurum "gold":

ᚠ Fé er frænda róg

ok flæðar viti

ok grafseiðs gata

aurum fylkir.

Wealth is a source of discord amongst kin

and fire of the sea

and path of the serpent.

Anglo-Saxon

ᚠ Feoh byþ frofur fira gehwylcum;

sceal ðeah manna gehwylc miclun hyt dælan

gif he wile for drihtne domes hleotan.

Wealth is a comfort to all;

yet must everyone bestow it freely,

if they wish to gain honour in the sight of the Divinity.

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.

Runes

see also: Rune poems · Runestones · Runology · Runic divination

ᚠ