| Lang 1 | pg |
|---|---|
| Lang 2 | oe |
| Name 1 | *Gebō |
| Name2a | Gyfu |
| Name2b | Gár |
| Meaning 1 | 'gift' |
| Meaning2a | 'gift' |
| Meaning2b | "spear" |
| Unicode hex 1 | 16B7 |
| Unicode hex2a | 16B7 |
| Unicode hex2b | 16B8 |
| Transliteration 1 | g |
| Transliteration2a | ȝ |
| Transliteration2b | g |
| Transcription 1 | g |
| Transcription2a | ȝ, g |
| Transcription2b | g |
| Ipa 1 | [ɣ] |
| Ipa2a | [g], [ɣ], [ʎ], [j] |
| Ipa2b | [g] |
| Position 1 | 7 |
| Position2a | 7 |
| Position2b | 33 |
Gyfu is the name for the g-rune in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem, meaning 'gift' or 'generosity':
| Old English Rune Poem:[1] | Modern English Translation: |
| 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 /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 , 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 .
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 ) 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
- Armanen runes § Gibor, 19th-century pseudo-runes of which the 18th character's name is similar to *gebô
References
- ^ Original poem and translation from the Rune Poem Page Archived 1999-05-01 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ J.H. Looijenga, Runes Around the North Sea and on the Continent Ad 150-700, PhD diss. Groningen 1997, p. 56. Download PDF
- ^ The Runic Tarot. Gebo has no murkstave. By Caroline Smith, John Astrop. Page 24. Macmillan, Feb 1, 2005. 9780312321925