(Message inbox:5) Received: from SOUTH-STATION-ANNEX.MIT.EDU by po8.MIT.EDU (5.61/4.7) id AA20732; Thu, 25 Sep 97 17:43:03 EDT Received: from orbitor.ica.net by MIT.EDU with SMTP id AA08878; Thu, 25 Sep 97 17:42:56 EDT Received: from [207.245.215.114] by orbitor (NTMail 3.02.13) with ESMTP id ra678357 for ; Thu, 25 Sep 1997 17:42:45 -0400 Message-Id: <1.5.4.16.19970925174110.1157725a@ica.net> X-Sender: runesmith@ica.net X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 1.5.4 (16) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: Jerrad Pierce From: Jennifer Smith Subject: Re: so.... Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 17:42:45 -0400 X-Info: Greetings from Canada On-Line - http://www.ica.net/ At 03:07 PM 25/09/97 EDT, you wrote: >no ideas on what is the standard set of runes for represntation of English? Sorry - I've been busy. At 10:28 PM 22/09/97 -0400, you wrote: >also, got any tips/hints/opinions on which is the standard/should be >used for english? Are you talking about the actual shapes of the runes, or correspondances between runic and 'English' letters? For the shapes, the ones I have on my web site are pretty standard (from Elliott, Page, and other academics). There were some minor variations, but these were the most common forms for the Elder (Germanic) futhark. The letter correspondances aren't quite so simple, because runes were designed to write a language other than English. A few combined sounds (th, ng), and not enough consonants. There have been several attempts at standardization, some better than others, but none are going to be perfect. My recommendation would be the following: A = ansuz B = berkana C = kenaz (they didn't have a 'c') D = dagaz E = ehwaz F = fehu G = gebo H = hagalaz I = isa J = jera K = kenaz L = laguz M = mannaz N = nauthiz O = othila P = perth Q = kenaz (they didn't have a 'q' either - this is the closest sound) R = raido S = sowulo T = teiwaz U = uruz V = fehu (a stretch, but this is actually the rune the Vikings used later for 'v') W = wunjo X = algiz Y = eihwaz or jera (I prefer eihwaz - 'j' didn't start sounding like a 'y' in Norse until later) Z = algiz You'll have to look up the runes corresponding to these names on my web site. I wouldn't recommend trying to come up with 26 different runes to correspond 1:1 with our alphabet - it really would be a mess. BTW, the word 'futhark' (or 'futhorc') is just like the word 'alphabet', only referring to runes (which follow a different order). There are three main types: the Elder futhark, which had 24 runes and was the original; the Anglo-Saxon (or Anglo-Frisian) futhorc(s), which had anywhere between 28 and 33 runes and showed up around the 6th century in England; and the Younger futhark(s), which had 16-18 runes and developed around the 8th century in Scandinavia. You think you're having trouble corresponding the Elder futhark to the alphabet - you should try the other two! Anyway, I hope this helps, and sorry again for taking so long to reply. ************************************* "And it's a heave ho, high ho, coming down the plains Stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains And it's a ho hey, high hey, farmers bar your doors When you see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores!" '************************************* Jennifer Smith - Tara Hill Designs P.O. Box 23074, 55 Ontario St. S., Milton, ON Canada L9T 5B4 runesmith@ica.net http://www2.ica.net/~runesmith