*Berkanan

Runic alphabet letter pg oe on *Berkanan Beorc/Berc Bjarkan, Birkal "birch" "birch"/"poplar"? "birch (lumber)", "birch buds" x50px|class=skin-invert-image x50px|class=skin-invert-image x50px|class=skin-invert-image 16D2 16D2 16D3 b, ƀ b, p b [b], [β] [b], [p] 18 13 Runic 30em ᛒ is a rune that is transliterated as b or ƀ (β) in the Germanic Elder Futhark and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc writing systems respectively, and as b or p in the Norse Younger Futhark. The letter shape is likely directly based on Old Italic 𐌁, whence comes also the Latin letter B. Proto-Germanic tradition The reconstructed Proto-Germanic rune name is *berkanan, meaning "birch". While the reconstructed name may have varied historically, the sense of "birch" is uniform across all Runic traditions, including potential derivatives like Irish Ogham, which also uses "birch" for B (sga Beith). In Proto-Germanic, including descendants such as Proto-Norse and thereof, the rune could beyond voiced bilabial plosive Voiced bilabial plosive.ogg b also make the phoneme voiced bilabial fricative Voiced bilabial fricative.ogg β (corresponding to bh or ƀ), i.e. a V-esque sound. Compare: + ᛒ as β in Proto-Norse "raven" Language Amalgam base Attested forms Proto-Norse *hraƀ(a)naʀ /hᵃraβᵃnaʀ/ → ᚺᚨᚱᚨᛒᚨᚾᚨᛉ (non harabanaʀ) Old Norse non *hraƀnʀ /hraβnʀ/ → hrabn, hrapn, hrafn, hravn, hramn Old English ang *hraƀ(æ)n /hraβᵃn/ → hræfen, hræfn, hrefn, hræmn, hremn, hrem Old Frisian ofs *hraƀ(a)n /hraβᵃn/ → ofs ravan Old Dutch odt *hraƀ(a)n /hraβᵃn/ → odt ravan Old Saxon osx *hraƀ(a)n /hraβᵃn/ → hraƀan, hravan, ravan Old High German goh *hraƀ(a)n /hraβᵃn/ → hraban, raban; hram, ram Gothic tradition + Gothic name center|frameless bercna? *bercha? got *𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌺𐌰𐌽 got *𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂(𐌹)𐌺𐌰 *baírkan *bair(i)ka The Goths used the Elder Futhark for some time before switching to the Gothic alphabet in the 4th century. Like the runic system, they gave corresponding names for all the letters, which for the most part are direct analogs to the rune names, meaning that they most likely ported over the old rune names to their new alphabet. This gives the potentially oldest recorded form of the rune name in the corresponding Gothic letter 𐌱 b, recorded in the late 8th century as bercna by Alcuin of York, which was reconstructed by linguist Adolf Kirchhoff (1826–1908) as the earlier proper form got *𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌺𐌰𐌽 (*baírkan);Kirchhoff Adolf Adolf Kirchhoff 1854 Das gothische Runenalphabet de Berlin Wilhelm Hertz https://archive.org/details/dasgothischerune00kircuoft/page/36/mode/2up January 3, 2025 OL14002786M 1042908167 37 alternatively it is a misspelling of *bercha, reconstructed by Peter Andreas Munch (1810–1863) as got *𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰 (*bairika), by Kirchhoff as got *𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌺𐌰 (*bairka; sv birka).https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Die_Aussprache_des_Gothischen_zur_Zeit_des_Ulfilas_eine_sprachwissenschaftliche_Abhandlung_%28IA_bub_gb_YCVHBE3x7EUC%29.pdf Die aussprache desgothischen zur zeit desulfilas: eine sprachwissenschaftliche abhandlung Weingaertner 1858 Leipzig de 47 T.O. Weigel Wilhelm Anglo-Saxon / Old English tradition thumb|upright=0.5|ᛒ (berc) in BL Cotton MS Domitian A IX The Anglo-Saxon and Old English name is recorded as beorc or berc ("birch" or "poplar"). It is found as early as the 8th century, as featured in the Old English rune poem. The Old English rune poem goes: ᛒ ang Beorc bẏþ bleda leas, bereþ efne sƿa ðeah ang tanas butan tudder, biþ on telgum ƿlitig, ang heah on helme hrẏsted fægere, ang geloden leafum, lẏfte getenge. Birch has no fruit, yet it bears nevertheless shoots without fruits, is beautiful with branches high in its crown, splendidly adorned and laden with leaves, pressing up loftilyhttps://archive.org/details/oldenglishrunepo00jonerich/page/81/mode/2up May 2, 2026 The Old English rune poem, an edition Jones Frederick George Jr. 1967 University of Florida Norse tradition In West Norse tradition (Norway, Iceland) the rune is called bjarkan, meaning birch, albeit archaically, as the common form for birch is non bjǫrk. The form probably existed in East Norse as well (Denmark, Sweden), as the Old Danish Norse form biercan is found in Codex Leidensis (10th c.).cod. leidensis lat. 4:o, 83 Danish tradition In Denmark, in comparison to Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, no indigenous rune poem is known. Little is preserved of Danish runic tradition, but some runic names are known. As aforementioned, the rune name "bjarkan" is recorded in Danish Old Norse as biercan, as found in Codex Leidensis (10th c.).cod. leidensis lat. 4:o, 83 thumb|Abecedarium Nordmannicum (10th c.), featuring ᛒ as "brica/briꞇa" Another Danish name is recorded in Abecedarium Nordmannicum (10th c.), which became largely unreadable in the 19th century due to a failed preservation attempt. A handwritten copy exists from 1826, by Wilhelm Grimm, which has the name written as brica or briꞇa (brita) depending on the assumed identity of the fourth character, either being c or ꞇ (insular t). If "brica" is correct, then a reasonable scenario could be that it is a corruption or misspelling of the name birka. If "brita" is correct, then various theories are possible. For example, Brita is a Nordic shortform for the name Birgitta, which stems from the same root as the Irish pagan goddess Brigid, who is believed to have had the "birch" as her holy tree.Hutton 1996 The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain Oxford University Press 9780198205708 832535162 Ronald Likewise, "Börk", a Nordic dialect form for birch, is recorded as a variation of the given name Brita in Västerbotten and Norrbotten in Sweden.dialektl 0109.html börk Icelandic tradition In Iceland, the rune is called bjarkan per Norwegian tradition. The Old Icelandic rune poem is partially incomplete, as the original record, AM 687d 4°, is damaged and impossible to make out at parts, such as the bjarkan poem. Many different forms are recorded.anf/1913 0290.html Bjarkan rune poem A recorded form by Jón Ólafsson of Grunnavík (1732), attributed to either Magnus Olafsson (c. 1573-1636) or a Sveinn a Barði, with Latin translation,Page The Icelandic rune poem 1999 Viking Society for Northern Research, University College London 0 903521 43 1 R. I. reads as: ᛒ non Bjarkan er litit lim non ok laufgat tre non vaxandi vidr Birch is a small twigged and leafy tree growing wood Norwegian tradition In Norway, the rune is called bjarkan. The Old Norwegian rune poem goes: ᛒ non Bjarkan er laufgrønstr líma; non Loki bar flærða tíma. Birch has the greenest leaves of any plant-limb; Loki bore fortune in his deceit. Swedish tradition In Sweden, the rune is called birkal (also recorded as bÿrkal),Granius Nicolaus Andreas Brief van Nicolaus Andreas Granius aan Bonaventura Vulcanius (1538-1614) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brief_van_Nicolaus_Andreas_Granius_aan_Bonaventura_Vulcanius_(1538-1614),_VUL_106_1.pdf June 30, 2026 with secondary forms like birk or björk (Old Swedish: biørk), birke, and birka. The suffix -al in Birkal is assumed to be a diminutive or agent suffix or thereof (reconstructed earlier form: *birkil(l) or *bjarkal(l)), meaning "fruit of the tree", "outgrowth", or therearound based on the runic poems ( goh eihh-ila, "acorn"; gmh büech-el, "beech nut").https://www.saob.se/artikel/?seek=birkal&pz=1 birkal sbst. April 30, 2026 Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB) saob.se This is supported by its primary Swedish rune kenning, sv björkbrumar frodast ("birch buds/sprouts most flourishing").Bureus: Runakänslånäs lärä_spån (1599) Birk and björk simply mean "birch". Birke is a forestry term meaning "birch grove" and "birch lumber".björke sbst. 1 https://www.saob.se/artikel/?seek=BJ%C3%96RKE saob.se Swedish Academy May 18, 2026 Johannes Bureus attested it in 1599 as the name used in the Dalecarlian runic alphabet. Birka is partly a regional variation of birke, but in Old Norse it also meant "trading center" — see Birk (market place), Bjarkey laws.birka https://www.saob.se/artikel/?seek=birka saob.se Swedish Academy 2026-09-13 There are multiple recorded Swedish rune poems, all of which are short rune kennings. Some shows features of the High to Late Middle Ages and regional variation, with others showing archaic features of unknown older descent, with some select being analog to the Norwegian and Icelandic poems. The earliest recorded poem was done rather unknowingly by Johannes Bureus in 1599, simply listing them as la signific ("meaning") in Latin. An incomplete alternative collection was recorded in a letter by Nicolaus Granius sv in 1600, and a supplemented third version, more similar to the Bureus collection, was published by Georg Stiernhielm in 1685.1685 Stiernhielm Anticluverius 156 Georg Georg Stiernhielm Various random forms are also recorded by Olaus Verelius in 1675, found scattered alongside equivalent short forms of the Icelandic poems.Verelius Olauf Olaus Verelius Kort underwijsning om then gambla swea-götha runa-ristning Brief report on the old Swedish-Geatish rune carving 1675 31 https://books.google.se/books?id=1SVKAAAAcAAJ sv, la 4 Olof Rudbeck the Elder published further recorded forms in his work Atlantica sv Atlantica III (1698), which also included poems recorded by Ole Worm in Danicorum Monumentorum (1643), Bureus, and Verelius etc. He cites his new poems from "a Härad-chief sv Häradshövding Teten", "Professor Ericus Aurivillius sv" (1643–1702), "Adjunct Johannes Andreae Murich" (1651–1679), and "Petrus Salanus sv" (1670–1697) and "Nicolaus Jonæ Salanus sv" (1618–1671).Rudbeck Olaus Olaus Rudbeck Atlantica III 1698 Uppsala II: Om Gyllende Taletz Runors bemärckiande + Swedish kennings Publisher Date Kenning Translation Note Bureus 1599 ᛒᛁᚬᚱᚴᛅ_ᛒᚱᚢᛘᚱ ᚠᚱᚭᚦᛆᛋᛏsv Biörkä-brumr frothast "Birch buds most flourishing" Kenning for the name birkal ("birch bud/sprout"). Nicolaus Granius sv Granius 1600 sv Biörkahúltet grönast "The birch grove greenest" Kenning for the name birke ("birch grove/lumber"). Verelius 1675 sv Biarks brumur frodast sv Björks brummar frodast "Birch's buds most flourishing" Kenning for the name birkal ("birch bud/sprout"). sv Biark lunda fegurd sv Björklunda fagert "Birch grove fair"By theme "lunda" is read as sv lund ("grove"), but it could also be the adverb lunda, giving the reading: "Birch be, in a way, fair", which potentially could be a kenning for the name björk ("birch")? Kenning for the name birke ("birch grove/lumber"). Stiernhielm 1685 sv Biörkbrumar frodast; "Birch buds most flourishing; Kenning for the name birkal ("birch bud/sprout"). sv Biörkeskog grönast,sv i.e. bäst til Wärke Birch forest greenest,i.e. best (material) for working" Kenning for the name birke ("birch grove/lumber"). Rudbeck 1698 sv Biorken håltune grönast sv Björken hultene grönast "Of the birch, the grove greenest" Kenning for the name birke ("birch grove/lumber"). sv Biorke lunde grön sv Björkelunde grön "Birch grove green" Kenning for the name birke ("birch grove/lumber"). sv Baldur byter fä "Balder trades livestock/possessions"?The given translation is based on Rudbeck's second exegesis, otherwise every word have several possible historical meanings in regards to the theme. The poem features alliteration, and the last word fä ("livestock") may hypothetically have been a third alliteration in some regard: sv *Balder byter bä ("Balder trading baa", the sound of a sheep)? Kenning for the name birka ("trading center")? sv Biork brumar frodast (Verel.) "Birch buds most flourishing" Kenning for the name birkal ("birch bud/sprout"). sv Bonden beter best "Farmer bates best"? See Rudbeck's second exegesis (below). non Biarkan er lauf grenst lima. (Worm.) "Birch has the greenest leaves of any plant-limb" The Norwegian poem. Rudbeck (1698) also gives three unspecified "exegeses" to the kennings: Rudbeck's exegeses Translation sv Biörken holtune grönast / är skapnad paslig skönO huru önska alla / att biörken blifwer grön. "The birch grove is the greenest, it is beautifully shapedOh how everyone wishes, that the birch becomes green." sv Detta åhr blifwer Löfskogen skön för att bryta Löf åth Söderna/ och alla som gå till tingz / winna något till bytes/ och är ett godt Tingz åhr. "This year the deciduous forest will be nice for gathering leaves for the livestock,and everyone who goes to the thing assembly will win something as a trade,and it will be a good thing year." sv Detta åhr gifwer och godt Wärkie att hugga. "This year gives and good work lumber to shop." Norse p-rune (Plástr) on stunginn ᛒ opin ᛒ, Plástr "stung ᛒ" "open ᛒ", "Bandage" 16D4 16D5 p p [p] *13 The Norse ᛒ rune primarily stood for /b/, but also represented /p/. In the Early Medieval period, various improvements were made to the Norse runic system in order to make it easier to write with, leading to some proper p-runes. Such generally lacked its own name, but have at times been referred to as non Plástr ("bandage"). ᛔ Stung Bjarkan/Birkal A stung version of Bjarkan/Birkal ᛔ appeared in the 12th century (Old West Norse: stunginn Bjarkan; Old Swedish: stungen Birkal), meant to indicate that the rune made a /p/ sound. ᛕ Open Bjarkan/Birkal The stung version of the Bjarkan/Birkal ᛔ was complex to carve, leading to a simplified modification ᛕ where the loops were opened, leading to the "open Bjarkan/Birkal".Axelsdóttir All the King’s Runes https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1385970/FULLTEXT01.pdf University of Iceland Katrín reversed ᛒ Turned Bjarkan/Birkal In Norse Medieval writing, the ᛒ was sometimes mirrored reversed ᛒ to represent /p/ instead of /b/. Such runes are recorded in Early Modern Swedish as being called "turned runes" (sv vändrunor). A potential name could be sv *Birkal-vänd ("ᛒ turned") based on other recorded rune names.Karlsson Götisk kabbala och runisk alkemi: Johannes Bureus och den götiska esoterismen https://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:293693/FULLTEXT01.pdf Stockholm University May 2, 2026 sv 2009 978-91-628-8030-9 kaghvänd 232 Thomas Notes See also Beith (letter) Bluetooth Elder Futhark Loki Rune poem References ramm sbst. 4 https://www.saob.se/artikel/?seek=ramn&pz=1 saob.se Swedish Academy May 18, 2026 sv urnord. haraƀanaR Category:Runes