Fehu
Fehu is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name for the rune ᚠ (Old Norse: fé; Old English: feoh), found as the first rune in all futharks (runic alphabets starting with F, U, Þ, Ą, R, K), i.e. the Germanic Elder Futhark, the Anglo-Frisian Futhark and the Norse Younger Futhark, with continued use in the later medieval runes, early modern runes and Dalecarlian runes.[citation needed] It corresponds to the letter f in the Latin alphabet, but it can periodically shift into the sound value of v (compare "leaf" and "leaves").[citation needed] CharacterThe shape of the rune is likely based on Etruscan v ⟨𐌅⟩ ⟨⟩, like Greek Digamma ⟨Ϝ⟩ and Latin ⟨F⟩ ultimately from Phoenician waw ⟨⟩.[citation needed] The change of the bistaves pointing upward could stem from visually diverging it from the rune ᚨ, as well as linking it visually to the horns of cattle (see § Name).[citation needed] NameThe root name is an ancient word for "livestock". Compare Swedish: fä ("livestock, animal"), Dutch: vee ("livestock, cattle"), German: Vieh ("livestock"), Latin: pecū, pecūs ("livestock"), Sanskrit: पशु (paṧu, "livestock, cattle"). By extension, it also means '(loose) wealth' and thereof, thus surviving as fee in English with the meaning of "payment compensating for rights or services".[citation needed] The Proto-Germanic name *fehu has been reconstructed, with the meaning of "livestock, cattle" and by extension "wealth".[1] The corresponding letter of the Gothic alphabet is ⟨𐍆⟩ ⟨f⟩, called faihu. Such correspondence between all rune poems and the Gothic letter name, as well, is uncommon, and gives the reconstructed name of the Old Futhark a high degree of certainty.[citation needed] Rune poemsThe name is recorded in all three rune poems:[2][full citation needed]
See alsoReferences
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