List of rune-row inscriptions
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The following is a list of rune-row inscriptions. These are runic inscriptions containing a sequence of runes in order. Based on the first six runes typically in the sequence, a rune-row may also be variously known as a fuþark (elder and younger fuþark), fuþorc (Anglo-Frisian) or fuþork (medieval).[1]
Some inscriptions listed are complete, whereas others contains only short sections like fuþ, or are fragments of a larger sequences. Despite often being portrayed in a standardised manner, the orders and shapes of the runes in these sequences vary considerably.[2]
Elder fuþark
| Inscription | Date | Find location | Object | Runes | Transliteration | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hole Runestone | c. 50 BCE-275 CE[3] | Norway[3] | Stone[3] | ᚠᚢᚦ[3] | fuþ[3] | The earliest datable runestone and possibly the earliest known runic inscription. It is unclear if there was a conception of a whole ordered rune-row at this time.[3] |
| Kylver Stone | c. 375-470[4] | Gotland, Sweden[4] | Stone[4] | ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲᚷᚹᚺᚾᛁᛃᛈᛇᛉᛊᛏᛒᛖᛗᛚᛜᛞᛟ[5] | fuþarkgwhnijpezstbemlŋdo[4] | |
| Lindkær and Over hornbæk bracteates | c. 400-650[6][7] | Denmark[6][7] | Gold bracteates[6][7] | ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲᚷᚹᚺᚾᛖᛚᚨᛏᛒᛉᛋᚢᚨᛟ(?)ᚢ **ᚦ*ᚱᚲᚷᚹᚺᚾᛖᛚᚨᛏᛒᛉᛋᚢᛚᛟ(?)ᚢ[8][note 1] | fuþarkgwhn(ij)æptbzselo(?)d **þ*rkgwhn(ij)æptbzselo(?)d[8] | Both come from the same original design with anticlockwise writing but have unusual rune shapes and row order, likely from copying errors.[8] Due to the unconventional inscriptions, they are not always interpreted as rune rows.[6][7] |
| IK 392 Gudme 2 bracteate | c. 400-650[11] | Fyn, Denmark[11] | Gold bracteate[11] | ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱ[8] | fuþar[8] | The first rune has only one branch, resembling ᚴ, despite often being interpreted as f.[12] The same design is seen in two other bracteates from Gudme.[8] |
| IK153,1 bracteate | c. 400-650[13] | Skåne, Sweden[13] | Gold bracteate[13] | ᚠᚢᚦᚱ[14] | fuþr[13] | |
| Vadstena and Mariedamm bracteates | c. 450-600[15][16] | Östergötland and Närke, Sweden, respectively | Gold bracteates[17] | ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲᚷᚹ : ᚺᚾᛁᛃᛈᛇᛉᛋ : ᛏᛒᛖᛗᛚᛜᛟᛞ[17] | fuþarkgw : hnijïpzs : tbemlŋod[17] | Both bracteates were made from the same stamp and their text is anti-clockwise, with the runes also facing this direction.[17] |
| Breza pillar | c. 500[18] | Bosnia | Marl column[19] | ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱ^ᚷᚹᚻᚾᛁᛃᛇᛈᛉᛋᛏᛖᛗᛚ[note 2][18] | fuþarkqwhnijïpzsteml[18] | The four missing runes from the row were likely on a fragment that broke off[18] |
| Grumpan bracteate | c. 500-600[20] | Västergötland, Sweden[20] | Gold bracteate[20] | ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲᚷᚹ········ᚺᚾᛁᛃᛈ--····ᛏᛒᛖᛗᛚᛜᛟᛞ····[8][20] | fuþarkgw········ hnijï(p)--····tbeml(ŋ)(o)d······[8][20] | The ŋ has alternatively been interpreted as a bind rune with i.[8] |
| Aquincum brooch | c. 535-560[21] | Brooch[21] | Budapest, Hungary[21] | ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲᚷᚹ[22] | fuþarkgw[22] | |
| Charnay Fibula | c. 550-600[23] | Burgundy, France[24] | Silver fibula[25] | ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲᚷᚹᚻᚾᛁᛃᛇᛈᛇᛈᛉᛋᛏᛒᛖᛗ[24][note 3] | fuþarkgwhnijïpzstbem[26] | |
| Beuchte brooch | c. 550[27] | Niedersachsen, Germany[28] | Silver-gilt brooch[27] | ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᛉᛃ[27] | fuþarzj[27] | |
| Lány rune bone | c. 600[29] | Břeclav, Czech Republic[29] | Bone fragment | (ᛏ)ᛒᛖᛗᛞᛟ[29] | (t)bemdo[note 4][29] | This is the only known South-Germanic inscription with the end of the older fuþark rune row and, and the only found in a Slavic cultural context.[29] |
fuþ (5) on the Hole Runestone
Anticlockwise rune-row on a Vadstena bracteate copy
End of rune-row on the Lány rune bone
Drawing of the Charnay Fibula rune-row
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English fuþorc
| Inscription | Date | Location | Object | Runes | Transliteration | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malton pin | c. 8th century[30] | Yorkshire, England[31] | Pin | ᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱᚳᚷᛚᚪᚫᛖ | fuþorcglaæe[31] | |
| Brandon pin | c. 8th century[32] | Norfolk, England[22] | Pin[32] | ᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱᚳᛡᚹᚻᚾᛁᛄᛇᛈᛉᚴ[32] | fuþorcgwhnijïps[32] | |
| Seax of Beagnoth | c. 10th century[33] | London, England[34] | Seax[33] | ᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱᚳᚷᚹᚻᚾᛁᛄᛇᛈᛉᛋᛏᛒᛖᛝᛞᛚᛗᛟᚪᚫᚣᛠ[34] | fuþorcgwhnijïpxstbeŋdlmœaæy ea[34][33] | The order and form of the runestaves may suggest the inscription was based off a manuscript fuþorc.[33] |
Malton pin
Seax of Beagnoth rune-row
Younger fuþark
| Inscription | Date | Location | Object | Runes | Transliteration | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penrith brooch | c. 10th century[35] | Cumberland, England[35] | Silver brooch[35] | fuþorkhniastbmm[35] | This inscription uses short-twig runes.[35] |
Medieval fuþork
At least 70 partial or complete medieval rune-rows are known from the Bryggen inscriptions.[36] These include:
| Inscription | Date | Location | Object | Runes | Transliteration | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N B17 | c. 12th-16th century | Bergen, Norway[37] | Small stick[37] | ᚠᚢᚦᚮᚱᚴᚼᚿᛁᛆᛌᛐᛒᛘᛚᛦ[38] | fuþorkhniastbmly[37] | |
| N B521 | c. 12th-16th century[39] | Bergen, Norway[39] | Small stick[39] | fuþ[39] | ||
| N B592 | c. 12th-16th century[40] | Bergen, Norway[40] | Small stick[40] | fuþorkhniastbmlyfuþorkhnia f fuþobkhniarmlyfuþorkhnisabmly[40] |
Other examples include:
Function
Rune-rows may have been tools for teaching and learning writing. This likely is the case with the Kylver stone, which has no commemorative function.[42] Similarly, the Hole runestone has scribbled markings throughout the stone that may reflect use as a writing tablet. It has been suggested that it originates from an early period in which writing in runes was an emergent skill that carvers were learning to master.[43][44] The sequences may also have been intended to have a magical or protective function, particularly in the case of bracteates, where they would have been worn and often have texts that suggest an illiterate maker copying designs.[33][30][45]
See also
- Abecedarium, lists of letters in alphabets