Sigil Library

The Elder Futhark

The Elder Futhark is the oldest of the runic alphabets, cut into stone, metal and bone across northern Europe from around the second century onward. It is named for the sounds of its first six letters. The oldest complete row of it to survive is the one on the Kylver stone in Gotland, cut around 400 AD, and that is the order used here.

Each rune is given the stanza the Old English Rune Poem provides for it, in Bruce Dickins’s translation of 1915.

Collection All The Ars Goetia The Olympic Spirits The Pentacles of Solomon The Angels of the Days The Elder Futhark

24 runes, free to browse and free to keep

Fehu Fehu f No. 1 Uruz Uruz u No. 2 Thurisaz Thurisaz th No. 3 Ansuz Ansuz a No. 4 Raido Raido r No. 5 Kaunan Kaunan k No. 6 Gebo Gebo g No. 7 Wunjo Wunjo w No. 8 Hagalaz Hagalaz h No. 9 Naudiz Naudiz n No. 10 Isaz Isaz i No. 11 Jera Jera j No. 12 Eihwaz Eihwaz ï No. 13 Pertho Pertho p No. 14 Algiz Algiz z No. 15 Sowilo Sowilo s No. 16 Tiwaz Tiwaz t No. 17 Berkanan Berkanan b No. 18 Ehwaz Ehwaz e No. 19 Mannaz Mannaz m No. 20 Laguz Laguz l No. 21 Ingwaz Ingwaz ng No. 22 Othala Othala o No. 23 Dagaz Dagaz d No. 24
Where these come from

The Rune Poem describes the Anglo-Saxon futhorc, which grew out of the Elder Futhark rather than being the same alphabet. Each stanza therefore belongs to the Old English rune that continues the one shown, not to the Elder Futhark rune itself. Most rune pages pass over that in silence; every page here says so.

Inscriptions from the 2nd century onward; the Kylver stone, c. 400 AD. Poem printed 1705, translated 1915. The text and the runes are in the public domain.

The other collections

The Ars Goetia — The seventy-two spirits of the Lesser Key of Solomon, each with the seal set down beside it. 72 seals.

The Olympic Spirits — The seven governors of the Arbatel, who divide the world between them and each rule it in turn for 490 years. 7 characters.

The Pentacles of Solomon — Forty-four pentacles from the Key of Solomon, seven to a planet, each with the use the book puts it to — many of them protective. 44 pentacles.

The Angels of the Days — The seven angels who govern the days of the week, each with the sigil the Heptameron sets beside him. 7 sigils.

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