Hagalaz

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

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

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

The Anglo-Frisian futhorc in early inscriptions uses the Scandinavian single-barred variant. From the 7th century, it is replaced by the continental double-barred variant, with the first known examples found on a Harlinger solidus (c. 575–625) and in the Christogram on the coffin of Saint Cuthbert.

Haglaz is mentioned in all three rune poems:

Rune Poem:

Translation

Old Norwegian:

Hagall er kaldastr korna;
Kristr skóp hæimenn forna.

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

Old Icelandic:

Hagall er kaldakorn
ok krapadrífa
ok snáka sótt

Hail is cold grain
and hail showers
and the sickness of snakes.

Anglo-Saxon:

Hægl byþ hƿitust corna;
hƿyrft hit of heofones lyfte,
ƿealcaþ hit ƿindes scura;
ƿeorþeþ hit to ƿætere syððan.

Hail is the whitest of grains;
it is driven from the vault of the heavens,
whirled by the wind’s squalls,
and then it melts to water.