Eihwaz
Encyclopedia
Eiwaz or Eihaz was a Proto-Germanic
word for "yew
", and the reconstructed name of the rune .
The rune survives in the Anglo-Saxon futhorc
as Ēoh "yew" (note that eoh
"horse" has a short diphthong).
It is commonly transliterated
as ï or æ, or, in reconstructions of Proto-Germanic, ē2. Its phonetic value at the time of the invention of the Futhark (2nd century) was not necessarily a diphthong, but possibly a vowel somewhere between i and e or æ, continuing Proto-Indo-European language
}.
Two variants of the word are reconstructed for Proto-Germanic, *īhaz (*ē2haz, PIE }), continued in Old English as ēoh (also īh) , and *īwaz (*ē2waz, Proto-Indo-European }), continued in Old English as īw (whence yew). The latter is possibly an early loan from the Celtic, compare Gaulish ivos, Old Irish ēo
. The common spelling of the rune's name, "Eihwaz", combines the two variants; strictly based on the Old English evidence, a spelling "Eihaz" would be more proper.
The Anglo-Saxon rune poem
:
The rune is sometimes associated with the World tree
Yggdrasil
, which, imagined as an ash
in Norse mythology
, may formerly have been a yew or an oak
. The Proto-Germanic
for "oak" was *aiks (PIE *aigs, likely cognate to Greek krat-aigon
) is continued the name of another futhorc rune, ac, which has, however, no Elder Futhark predecessor.
The rune is not to be confused with the Sowilo
rune, which has a somewhat similar shape, or with Ehwaz
, the rune expressing short e or ē1. In the Younger Futhark
, there is the terminal -R rune Yr "yew", but neither its shape nor its sound is related to the Eihwaz rune: it is, rather, a continuation of Algiz
.
Proto-Germanic language
Proto-Germanic , or Common Germanic, as it is sometimes known, is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all the Germanic languages, such as modern English, Frisian, Dutch, Afrikaans, German, Luxembourgish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, and Swedish.The Proto-Germanic language is...
word for "yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
", and the reconstructed name of the rune .
The rune survives in the Anglo-Saxon futhorc
Anglo-Saxon Futhorc
Futhorc , a runic alphabet used by the Anglo-Saxons, was descended from the Elder Futhark of 24 runes and contained between 26 and 33 characters. It was used probably from the fifth century onward, for recording Old English and Old Frisian....
as Ēoh "yew" (note that eoh
Ehwaz
*Ehwaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the Elder Futhark e rune , meaning "horse"...
"horse" has a short diphthong).
It is commonly transliterated
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
as ï or æ, or, in reconstructions of Proto-Germanic, ē2. Its phonetic value at the time of the invention of the Futhark (2nd century) was not necessarily a diphthong, but possibly a vowel somewhere between i and e or æ, continuing Proto-Indo-European language
Proto-Indo-European language
The Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...
}.
Two variants of the word are reconstructed for Proto-Germanic, *īhaz (*ē2haz, PIE }), continued in Old English as ēoh (also īh) , and *īwaz (*ē2waz, Proto-Indo-European }), continued in Old English as īw (whence yew). The latter is possibly an early loan from the Celtic, compare Gaulish ivos, Old Irish ēo
Iodhadh
Iodhadh is the Irish name of the twenty-fifth letter of the Ogham alphabet, . In Old Irish, the letter name was idad. Its phonetic value is [i]....
. The common spelling of the rune's name, "Eihwaz", combines the two variants; strictly based on the Old English evidence, a spelling "Eihaz" would be more proper.
The Anglo-Saxon rune poem
Rune poem
The Rune Poems are three poems that list the letters of runic alphabets while providing an explanatory poetic stanza for each letter. Three different poems have been preserved: the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem, the Norwegian Rune Poem, and the Icelandic Rune Poem.The Icelandic and Norwegian poems list 16...
:
- Eoh byþ utan unsmeþe treow,
- heard hrusan fæst, hyrde fyres,
- wyrtrumun underwreþyd, wyn on eþle.
- The yew is a tree with rough bark,
- hard and fast in the earth, supported by its roots,
- a guardian of flame and a joy upon an estate.
The rune is sometimes associated with the World tree
World tree
The world tree is a motif present in several religions and mythologies, particularly Indo-European religions, Siberian religions, and Native American religions. The world tree is represented as a colossal tree which supports the heavens, thereby connecting the heavens, the earth, and, through its...
Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil
In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed...
, which, imagined as an ash
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
in Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, may formerly have been a yew or an oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
. The Proto-Germanic
for "oak" was *aiks (PIE *aigs, likely cognate to Greek krat-aigon
Crataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
) is continued the name of another futhorc rune, ac, which has, however, no Elder Futhark predecessor.
The rune is not to be confused with the Sowilo
Sowilo
Sól or Sunna is the Sun personified in Germanic mythology. One of the two Old High German Merseburg Incantations, written in the 9th or 10th century CE, attests that Sunna is the sister of Sinthgunt...
rune, which has a somewhat similar shape, or with Ehwaz
Ehwaz
*Ehwaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the Elder Futhark e rune , meaning "horse"...
, the rune expressing short e or ē1. In the Younger Futhark
Younger Futhark
The Younger Futhark, also called Scandinavian runes, is a runic alphabet, a reduced form of the Elder Futhark, consisting of only 16 characters, in use from ca. 800 CE...
, there is the terminal -R rune Yr "yew", but neither its shape nor its sound is related to the Eihwaz rune: it is, rather, a continuation of Algiz
Algiz
The Algiz is part of the ancient Nordic and Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet, often equated to the modern day z, however was traditionally pronounced yr. The letter has come to symbolize many neo-pagan religions and is often worn as a pendant...
.