Gyfu

For other uses, see Giba (disambiguation).
Name Proto-Germanic Old English
*Geƀō Gyfu; Gār
"gift" "gift"; "spear"
Shape Elder Futhark Futhorc
Unicode ᚷ
U+16B7
 ᚷ ᚸ
U+16B7 U+16B8
Transliteration g ȝ; g
Transcription g ȝ, g; g
IPA [ɣ] [g], [ɣ], [ʎ], [j]; [g]
Position in rune-row 7 7; 33

Gyfu is the name for the g-rune ᚷ in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem, meaning "gift" or "generosity":

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem:[1] English Translation:

ᚷ Gyfu gumena byþ gleng and herenys,
wraþu and wyrþscype and wræcna gehwam
ar and ætwist, ðe byþ 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 gs 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]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Original poem and translation from the Rune Poem Page.
  2. ↑ J.H. Looijenga, Runes Around The North Sea And On The Continent Ad 150-700, PhD diss. Groningen 1997, p. 56. Download PDF
  3. ↑ The Runic Tarot. By Caroline Smith, John Astrop. Page 24. Macmillan, Feb 1, 2005. 9780312321925

External links

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