Runes & the Alphabet
The Elder Futhark has 24 runes in three families, or ættir. The table separates conventional historical transliteration from RuneScope’s practical spelling key for modern names and words. The same key appears in both editions of the Little Book.
| Rune | Name | Historical transliteration | Book key (modern options in brackets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freyr’s ætt | |||
| ᚠ | Fehu | F | F |
| ᚢ | Uruz | U | U (Ú) |
| ᚦ | Thurisaz | Þ | Þ (Ð, Th) |
| ᚨ | Ansuz | A | A |
| ᚱ | Raidho | R | R |
| ᚲ | Kenaz | K | K (C, Q) |
| ᚷ | Gebo | G | G |
| ᚹ | Wunjo | W | W (V) |
| Heimdall’s ætt (Hagal’s ætt) | |||
| ᚺ | Hagalaz | H | H |
| ᚾ | Nauthiz | N | N |
| ᛁ | Isa | I | I (Í, Y, Ý) |
| ᛃ | Jera | J | J |
| ᛇ | Eihwaz | ï | ï |
| ᛈ | Perthro | P | P |
| ᛉ | Algiz | Z | Z |
| ᛊ | Sowilo | S | S |
| Týr’s ætt | |||
| ᛏ | Teiwaz | T | T |
| ᛒ | Berkano | B | B |
| ᛖ | Ehwaz | E | E |
| ᛗ | Mannaz | M | M |
| ᛚ | Laguz | L | L |
| ᛝ | Ingwaz | NG | NG |
| ᛟ | Othala | O | O (Ó, Ö) |
| ᛞ | Dagaz | D | D |
Letters outside brackets give conventional transliteration. Brackets show modern spelling choices in this key, not exact ancient sound values. The same key applies on the rune pages in both books.
Using the modern spelling key
Þ is the conventional transcription of Thurisaz; the alphabetic letter thorn also has a historical connection to this rune. Ð and the digraph Th are included here as modern spelling options. Uruz is U (Ú); W belongs with Wunjo, where V is a modern approximation.
Use C and Q with Kenaz only where they represent a k sound. English y in “yes” follows Jera; Icelandic y and ý follow Isa. Ó and Ö under Othala are spelling approximations. Not every modern sound has an exact Elder Futhark equivalent.
ï identifies Eihwaz in conventional transcription; its sound value is uncertain. Ei and Æ are not fixed equivalents and are not offered as such in this key. Z represents Algiz’s early value; NG represents the ng sound. The blank rune, Wyrd, has no historical letter value.
