Haglaz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NameProto-GermanicOld EnglishOld Norse
*Hag(a)lazHægl Hagall
"hail"
ShapeElder FutharkFuthorcYounger Futhark
Unicode
U+16BA
U+16BB
U+16BC
U+16BD
Transliterationh
Transcriptionh
IPA[h]
Position in
rune-row
97
Various forms of the haglaz rune in the Elder Futhark

*Haglaz or *Hagalaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the h-rune , meaning "hail" (the precipitation).

In the Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is continued as hægl, and, in the Younger Futhark, as hagall. The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌷 h h, named hagl.

The Elder Futhark letter has two variants, single-barred and double-barred . The double-barred variant is found in continental inscriptions, while Scandinavian inscriptions have exclusively the single-barred variant.

The Anglo-Frisian futhorc in early inscriptions has the Scandinavian single-barred variant. From the 7th century, it is replaced by the continental double-barred variant, the first known instances being found on a Harlingen solidus (ca,. 575–625), and in the Christogram on St Cuthbert's coffin.

Haglaz is recorded in all three rune poems:

Rune Poem:[1] English Translation:

Old Norwegian
Hagall er kaldastr korna;
Kristr skóp hæimenn forna.


Hail is the coldest of grain;
Christ created the world of old.

Old Icelandic
Hagall er kaldakorn
ok krapadrífa
ok snáka sótt.


Hail is cold grain
and shower of sleet
and sickness of serpents.

Anglo-Saxon
Hægl bẏþ hƿitust corna;
hƿẏrft hit of heofones lẏfte,
ƿealcaþ hit ƿindes scura;
ƿeorþeþ hit to ƿætere sẏððan.


Hail is the whitest of grain;
it is whirled from the vault of heaven
and is tossed about by gusts of wind
and then it melts into water.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Original poems and translation from the Rune Poem Page Archived 1999-05-01 at the Wayback Machine.