Fehu

Fehu

The Fe rune ᚠ (Old Norse ; Old English feoh) represents the f and v sounds in the Younger Futhark and Futhorc alphabets. Its name means "(movable) wealth," related to the English fee with the original meaning of "sheep" or "cattle" (Dutch Vee, German Vieh, Latin pecū, Sanskrit pashu).

The rune is derived from the unrecorded, but reconstructed Proto-Germanic fehu in the Elder Futhark alphabet, with the original meaning of "money, cattle, wealth."

The corresponding letter of the Gothic alphabet is 𐍆 f, called faihu. Such a correspondence between all rune poems and the Gothic letter name is also unusual, lending a high degree of certainty to the reconstructed name of the Elder Futhark.

The form of the rune is likely based on the Etruscan v 𐌅 F, just as the Greek Digamma Ϝ and the Latin F ultimately derive from the Phoenician waw w.

Rune Poems
The name is mentioned in all three rune poems:

Rune Poem

Old Norwegian
Fé vældr frænda róge;
føðesk ulfr í skóge.

Wealth is a source of strife among the kin;
the wolf lives in the forest.

Old Icelandic
Fé er frænda róg
ok flæðar viti
ok grafseiðs gata
aurum fylkir.

Wealth is a source of strife among kin
and the fire of the sea
and the path of the serpent.

Anglo-Saxon
Feoh byþ frofur fira gehƿylcum;
sceal ðeah manna gehƿylc miclun hyt dælan
gif he ƿile for drihtne domes hleotan.

Wealth is a comfort for all men;
but each man must distribute it freely
if he wishes to gain honour in the Lord's eyes.



 

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