Dagaz

Dagaz

The rune d (ᛞ) is called dæg ("day") in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem. The corresponding letter in the Gothic alphabet, 𐌳 d, is called dags. This rune is also part of the Elder Futhark, with a reconstructed Proto-Germanic name dagaz.

Its "butterfly" shape is possibly derived from the Lepontic san.

Rune Poems
The name is only preserved in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem, as the rune was lost in the Younger Futhark:

Rune Poem

Anglo-Saxon
Dæg byþ drihtnes sond, deore mannum,
mære metodes leoht, myrgþ und tohiht
eadgum und earmum, eallum brice.

The day, the glorious light of the Creator, is sent by the Lord;
It is loved by men, a source of hope and happiness for the rich and the poor,
and a service for all.

Inscriptions
In the runic inscription Ög 43 in Ingelstad, a rune Dagaz is translated with the Old Norse word for "day" as the personal name Dagr.

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