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The Vikings of Bjornstad

The Runes of the Elder Futhark/
Anglo-Saxon Futhark

The 24 runes of the Elder Futhark were used in Scandinavia until c. 700 AD.  Its runes were adapted or combined until only 16 remained to be used there during the Viking period.  In Germania, Frisia and particularly in Britain, the runes of the Elder Futhark and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc were in continuous usage and more were added.   Of course, this rune set was neither standardized nor used consistently.  The chart below shows these runes and the more commonly used variants.  To convert English text to Elder Futhark/Anglo-Saxon Futhorc runes or convert Elder Futhark/Anglo-Saxon Futhorc runes to English text, scroll down.
 
Phonetic Value Rune Name Translation/Interpretation
f Fehu/Feoh Cattle, wealth, money (gold), earned income
u Uruz Aurochs, wild ox, strength
Þ/th Thurisaz/Thorn Vexing thorn, thurs (the strong one), giant, Mjollnir - Hammer of Thor
o Ansuz/Ös The Ase, sovereign ancestral god, mouth, spoken word, taking of wisdom
r Raido/Raidho Riding, wagon, chariot, carriage, travel, movement
c Kenaz/Kaunaz/Cen Torch, warm and controlled fire, energy, sore
g Gifu/Gebo Gift, partnership
w Wunjo Mirth, joy, success, pleasure
h Hagall/Hagalaz Hail (stone), precipitation, forces outside your control
n Nauthiz/Nied Need, necessity, extremity, plight, delay, a counsel of patience
i Isa Ice, cessation of activities, freeze
j Jera Year (good harvest), fruitful part of year, reaping of rewards for efforts extended
i I(h)waz/Eihwaz/Eo Yew-tree, a powerful ally, Yggdrasil the great tree
p Perthro/Peordh Mystery, things hidden, secrets, dice cup
x Elhaz/Algiz/Eolh Elks, a fortunate new influence, friendship, protection
s   Sowilo/Sigel Sun, victory, great power
t Tiwaz/Teiwaz/Tír The god Tiw(Týr), the sky god, victory, success in any competition, extreme motivation
b Beorc/Berkanan/Berkano Birch(-godess)/birch tree, fertility, birth, family
e Ehwaz/Ehwo Horse, physical movement, new dwelling places, steady progress
m Mannaz, Monn Man, humankind, interdependence, cooperation
l Lagaz/Laukaz Lake, sea, intuitive knowledge, female
ng Ingwaz/Ing The god Ing, the earth god, successful conclusion, relief
œ Othila/Othela/Othala Possessions, inheritances, ancestral property, hereditary land
d Daeg/Dagaz Day, increase, growth, prosperity
a Ac Oak tree
ae/æ Æsc Ash tree
y Yr Bow
ea Ear Grave
k Kaun Ulcer


*** FUTHARK-E ***

An Elder/Anglo-Saxon Futhark Rune Conversion Tool
FUTHARK-E converts English letters to runes or runes to English letters. It transliterates the English language text you enter to the rune set variously called the Elder Futhark or the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. We show a rune set that includes runes common to both and a few more that show up on a wide variety of historical objects - and modern merchandise. Obviously using this rune set is a compromise since there were many variations used in Europe before and during the Viking Age. Necessarily, our rune set also associates each rune with a single English letter, even though some runes were used to represent multiple letters. See the notes at bottom of page to see the exact letter-to-rune and rune-to-letter mapping we use. FUTHARK-E converts any combination of upper and lower case English letters, since 'case' didn't apply to runes. It will convert 'th', 'oe', 'ae' and 'ea' to their individually appropriate single rune. The tool converts all non-letter characters (including numerals!) to blanks.  It allows corrections, cursor repositioning and copy/pasting into the entry textbox. Click the 'Convert' button to build the rune sequence. It can convert and display over 1,000 runes. FUTHARK-E does not translate or use Old Norse at all.  To learn more about the Viking Age Younger Futhark runes, click here. Our runic reference: Runes: Reading the Past, R. I. Page, University of California Press/British Museum, 1989, ISBN 0-520-06114-4



Convert English text to Elder/Anglo-Saxon Futhark runes

Enter text in the box below then click on the 'Convert' button to see the closest Elder / Anglo-Saxon Futhark rune equivalent



Runes (as text)



Runes (as images)






Convert Elder/Anglo-Saxon Futhark runes to English text

Click on a rune below to see the closest English letter equivalent

















Conversion Chart
FUTHARK-E follows these standard conversion rules:
Letter(s) to convert Resulting Rune Rune converts to
a a
b b
c c
d d
e e
f f
g g
h h
i i
j j
k, q k
l l
m m
n n
o, ó, ǫ o
p p
r r
s, z s
t t
th, Ð, ð, Þ, þ th
u, v u
w w
x x
y y
Primary source:
  • Runes: Reading the Past, R.I.Page, University of California Press/British Museum, 1989, ISBN 0-520-06114-4
Others:
  • grimfrost.com
  • digitalnorseman.com
  • Runelore, Edred Thorsson, Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1987, ISBN 0-87728-667-1
  • Rudiments of Runelore, Stephen Pollington, Anglo-Saxon Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898281-16-5

  © For information contact Jack Garrett at info@vikingsofbjornstad.com