ELDER FUTHARK · FREYR'S AETT · RUNE 4 OF 24
Ansuz ᚨ
“A god (Odin)” · the sound a
IN A READING
Speech, wisdom, inspiration, messages.
REVERSED
Misunderstanding, manipulation, bad advice.
IN MAGIC
Eloquence, study, receiving inspiration.
In the rune poems
Three medieval poems give a short verse to each rune's name, the oldest record of what the names meant. What they stress for Ansuz: the mouth is the source of speech and the support of wisdom.
THE OLD ENGLISH RUNE POEM · ᚩ OS
Os byþ ordfrumaælere spræce,wisdomes wraþuond witena frofurand eorla gehwameadnys ond tohiht.
Known only from George Hickes's printing of 1705; the manuscript burned in the Cotton library fire of 1731.
THE OLD ICELANDIC RUNE POEM · ᚬ ÓSS
Óss er aldingautrok ásgarðs jöfurr,ok valhallar vísi.
For the sixteen runes of the Younger Futhark, in manuscripts from about 1500.
The verses are given in their own languages, Old English from Bruce Dickins's edition (1915) as transcribed on Wikisource, Old Icelandic as normalised in Wikipedia's article on the rune poems. Square brackets mark words the editors restored.
In the later rows
Anglo-Saxon futhorc
ᚩOs
Younger Futhark
ᚬÓss
Freyr's aett
The futhark falls into three rows of eight, the aettir. Ansuz is number 4 of Freyr's aett:
Learn more in the lessons
- The Elder Futhark Runes · 15 min
- Runes in Magic · 15 min
- The Younger Futhark and the Runestones · 18 min