Forgotten Ground Regained

Mnemonic for the Futharc

This poem was originally publilshed in Wiðowinde 61/62, pp. 3-4.
Editor's Notes: 1. The Futharc is the old Germanic alphabet. Masson gives the Old English version. 2. The Handboc was a member's manual given to members of Tha Engliscas Gesithas, a British historical society concened with everything Old English. Members of the society referred to Old English as Englisc This poem was first published in their journal, Wiðowinde
Let us reckon aright · the runes in their order:When men fought in the field, for ᚠee or for gloryIn years of yore, or the ᚢrus huntedSuch things were well thought of. As through ᚦorns the MerciansWere urged into action · against ᚩswald the Saint,Rune-lore against rood-lore, on their ᚱide into battletheir courage and cheerfulness · were ᚳindled by the hopethat the gods would yield them · the ᚷift of victoryfor their wielding of these wonders. Folk ᚹeened that their powerwas a help against harm. When a ᚺail-storm threatened,a knowledge of their names · men would ᚾeed, to avert its onslaught from their acres, lest the ᛁce lay them wasteand yield be not generous · that ᛄear from their farms. When used by enchanters, on light ᛇew-wood engravedtheir placing must be perfect, like ᛈieces in a chess-gameexpertly executed. When, like elᛉ for fierce zeal,soldiers drew their swords, and in the ᛋun they glittered,twice with the token · of ᛏiw they were markedfor a blessing in battle. On ᛒirch-twigs folk carved themto aid their animals. ᛖquine or bovine,as a magical medicine. A man might invoke themwhen launching his long-ship · on ᛚake or on sea,from some anchorage in England. Iᛝ’s people to visitat his ocean-journey’s end · on the ᛟdal estateswhere they dwelt in Denmark · in that ᛞay long ago.Add now some others · that were afterwards devised.The oᚪk tree. The ᚫsh tree, and an ᛠar of cornwere used for their names, and with the yew-wood bowand an inmate of ocean, an ᛡl or the likebut it’s quite a hard question · what ᛢeorᚦ can have meant.
Pat Masson's Notes: As far as possible, the worcl bearing the flrst stress in the second half-line is always the modern forn or derivative of the rune-nane, or the nearest equivalent for sound and meaning. (as ᚪ, ᚫ ind ᛠ are all vowels it seened easier to put them all in one line than have three consecutive lines with the same alliteration.) Where the sound of the rune does not occur in the modern word I have tried to indicate it somewhere in the line.All information is taken from Leaf VII, or from Runes by R. W. V. Elliott.
ᚢ = Aurochs. I have used the alternative name for this animal to bring in the equivalent Roman letter.
ᚷ ‘ Gods’ and ‘Yield’ indicate alternative words for this sound in Englisc
ᛄ The Handboc gives a ‘J’ sounal for this rune so I have indicated this by using ‘generous’
ᛇ The Handboc gives no equivalent letter. R.W.V. Elliott gives the name of this rune as ‘ih’ or 'eoh', and its sound as 'ė' (similar to ‘i’) or the front spirant (ç) as in ‘almeʒtig’. J.R.R. Tolkien on the jacket of The Hobbit uses it for ‘eo’ in ‘George’. In order to use the modern form of the name I have used it for 'y’ (as in Dalziel). The initia1 letters of 'enhanters on’ provide a clue to remember ‘eo’, and ‘light’ (English ‘leoht’, Scots 'licht') recalls all three possible pronunciations.
ᛉ I have used the neaning ’elk’ (one of the possible meanings given by R.W.V. Elliott) so as to bring in the ‘x' sound. The word 'zeal’ indicates the original continental sound.
ᛟ Odal = a form of land tenure in Scandinavia. The initial letters of ‘ocean-journey’s end’ and ‘Odal estates’ indicate the ‘œ’ diphthong.
ᛡ The initial letters of ‘inmate (of) ocean’ indicate the diphthong 'io’. (This spelling for ‘eel’ is I think justified phonetically if a colloquial (esp. Cockney) pronunciation is used.
Among the original 24 runes, this is the only place where a new line begins a new sentence. To remember the sequence, note that nowadays, ‘yew’ alliterates with ‘year’.
Copyright © Pat Masson, 1982. Reprinted with the permission of her family.