:: The Vikings of Bjornstad ::
The Danish "Long twig" or Younger Futhark
By the Viking Age in Scandinavia the "younger" futhark, the
alphabet of the Old Norse language, included only 16 runes.
The 24 runes of the
Anglo-Saxon, or elder, futhark had been simplified, adapted or discarded. There were two
primary variants of the younger futhark, one of which was the Swedo-Norwegian, or "short-twig"
futhark and the more common Danish "long twig" futhark shown below. And,
of course, this futhark was neither standardized nor used consistently.
Old Norse Name
Translation of Name
cattle, money, gold
thurs (“giant”), similar in sound to the English "th" as in "the"
The god Odin
a ride, riding / vehicle / thunderclap
need, bondage, fetters
(good) year, harvest
The god Týr
sea, waterfall (liquid)
yew, bow of yew wood. Represents the "sje" sound which is
similar to the English sound for "she".
Runes: Reading the Past, R.I.Page, University of California Press/British Museum, 1989, ISBN 0-520-06114-4
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