Fe (rune)
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The Fe rune ᚠ (Old Norse fé; Old English feoh) represents the f-sound. It is the first letter of the Futhark alphabet. Its name means "(mobile) wealth", cognate to English fee with an original meaning "sheep" or "cattle" (German Vieh, Sanskrit pashu). The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is *fehu (PIE *peḱu-), loaned into Latin as feudum (see Feudalism).
The shape of the rune is likely based on Etruscan v 𐌅 
, like Greek Digamma Ϝ and Latin F ultimately from Phoenician wāw 
.
The name is recorded in all three rune poems:
- ᚠ Fé vældr frænda róge;
- føðesk ulfr í skóge.
- Wealth is a source of discord amongst kin;
- the wolf lives in the forest.
- ᚠ Fé er frænda róg
- ok flæðar viti
- ok grafseiðs gata
- aurum fylkir.
- Wealth is a source of discord amongst kin
- and fire of the sea
- and path of the serpent.
- ᚠ Feoh byþ frofur fira gehwylcum;
- sceal ðeah manna gehwylc miclun hyt dælan
- gif he wile for drihtne domes hleotan.
- Wealth is a comfort to all;
- yet must everyone bestow it freely,
- if they wish to gain honour in the sight of the Divinity.
The corresponding letter of the Gothic alphabet is 𐍆 f, called faihu. Such correspondence between all rune poems and the Gothic letter name, as well, is uncommon, and gives the reconstructed name of the Old Futhark a high degree of certainty.
| Runes | see also: Rune poems · Runestones · Runology · Runic divination · Runes in popular culture | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elder Fuþark: | ᚠ | ᚢ | ᚦ | ᚨ | ᚱ | ᚲ | ᚷ | ᚹ | ᚺ | ᚾ | ᛁ | ᛃ | ᛇ | ᛈ | ᛉ | ᛊ | ᛏ | ᛒ | ᛖ | ᛗ | ᛚ | ᛜ | ᛞ | ᛟ | ||||||
| Anglo-Saxon Fuþorc: | ᚠ | ᚢ | ᚦ | ᚩ o | ᚱ | ᚳ c | ᚷ ȝ | ᚹ | ᚻ | ᚾ | ᛁ | ᛄ | ᛇ eo | ᛈ | ᛉ x | ᛋ | ᛏ | ᛒ | ᛖ | ᛗ | ᛚ | ᛝ | ᛞ | ᛟ œ | ᚪ a | ᚫ æ | ᚣ y | ᛠ ea | ||
| Younger Fuþark: | ᚠ | ᚢ | ᚦ | ᚬ ą | ᚱ | ᚴ | ᚼ | ᚾ | ᛁ | ᛅ a | ᛋ | ᛏ | ᛒ | ᛘ | ᛚ | ᛦ ʀ | ||||||||||||||
| transliteration: | f | u | þ | a | r | k | g | w · | h | n | i | j | ï | p | z | s · | t | b | e | m | l | ŋ | d | o | ||||||
