Rune poem Facts for Kids

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Rune poems are special poems from a long time ago. They list the letters of ancient alphabets called runes. Each letter has its own short poem that explains something about it. There are four main rune poems that we know about: the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem, the Norwegian Rune Poem, the Icelandic Rune Poem, and the Swedish Rune Poem.

The Icelandic and Norwegian poems list 16 runes from a system called the Younger Futhark. The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem lists 29 Anglo-Saxon runes. Even though each poem is written a bit differently, they share many similar ideas. These poems also mention figures from old Norse and Anglo-Saxon paganism beliefs, sometimes alongside Christian ideas. People think these poems helped ancient people remember the runes and important cultural information. They were like a fun way to learn and pass down knowledge!

Rune Poems: Ancient Word Puzzles
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Rune Poems: Ancient Word Puzzles

Rune poems are like a mix of an alphabet chart and a book of wisdom. They helped people remember the order and names of each rune. They also stored important cultural facts, making them easy to recall. Think of them as ancient memory aids, similar to old sayings or wisdom poems.

Different Rune Poems

There are four main rune poems that have been found. Each one comes from a different place and time, but they all share the same goal: to explain the runes.

The English Rune Poem

The Old English Rune Poem was probably written around the 600s. It was kept in a very old book from the 900s called Cotton Otho B.x. Sadly, this book was lost in a fire in London in 1731. Luckily, a man named George Hickes had copied the poem in 1705. His copy is what we use today to study the poem.

Hickes wrote the poem in a way that might be different from the original. He divided it into 29 short parts, one for each rune. He even added pictures of the runes next to their poems. This poem is a valuable look into the Anglo-Saxon world.

The Norwegian Rune Poem

The Norwegian Rune Poem was saved thanks to a copy made in the 1600s. The original book it came from was much older, from the 1200s, but it was destroyed. This poem is written in a special style called skaldic metre. Each line often starts with the rune's name and then gives a rhyming line that tells you something about it.

The Icelandic Rune Poem

The Icelandic Rune Poem is found in four old books, with the oldest one from the late 1400s. Many experts say this poem is the most organized of all the rune poems. It's a great example of how people in Iceland used poetry to teach about their runes.

The Swedish Rune Poem

The Old Swedish rune poem is the newest of the four. It was first written down in a letter published in 1908. Because it's not as old as the others, experts haven't studied it as much.

An Example: The Icelandic Rune Poem

Here is a part of the Icelandic Rune Poem. You can see the rune, its name, the old Icelandic poem, and what it means in English. This shows how each rune had a short, poetic description.

#	rune	name	Old Icelandic	English
1	ᚠ	Fé	Fé er frænda róg ok flæðar viti ok grafseiðs gata	Wealth = source of discord among kinsmen and fire of the sea and path of the serpent.
2	ᚢ	Úr	Úr er skýja grátr ok skára þverrir ok hirðis hatr.	Shower = lamentation of the clouds and ruin of the hay-harvest and abomination of the shepherd.
3	ᚦ	Þurs	Þurs er kvenna kvöl ok kletta búi ok varðrúnar verr.	Giant = torture of women and cliff-dweller and husband of a giantess.
4	ᚬ	Óss	Óss er algingautr ok ásgarðs jöfurr, ok valhallar vísi.	God = aged Gautr and prince of Ásgarðr and lord of Valhalla.
5	ᚱ	Reið	Reið er sitjandi sæla ok snúðig ferð ok jórs erfiði.	Riding = joy of the horsemen and speedy journey and toil of the steed.
6	ᚴ	Kaun	Kaun er barna böl ok bardaga [för] ok holdfúa hús.	Ulcer = disease fatal to children and painful spot and abode of mortification.
7	ᚼ	Hagall	Hagall er kaldakorn ok krapadrífa ok snáka sótt.	Hail = cold grain and shower of sleet and sickness of serpents.
8	ᚾ	Nauð	Nauð er Þýjar þrá ok þungr kostr ok vássamlig verk.	Constraint = grief of the bond-maid and state of oppression and toilsome work.
9	ᛁ	Íss	Íss er árbörkr ok unnar þak ok feigra manna fár.	Ice = bark of rivers and roof of the wave and destruction of the doomed.
10	ᛅ	Ár	Ár er gumna góði ok gott sumar algróinn akr.	Plenty = boon to men and good summer and thriving crops.
11	ᛋ	Sól	Sól er skýja skjöldr ok skínandi röðull ok ísa aldrtregi.	Sun = shield of the clouds and shining ray and destroyer of ice.
12	ᛏ	Týr	Týr er einhendr áss ok ulfs leifar ok hofa hilmir.	Týr = god with one hand and leavings of the wolf and prince of temples.
13	ᛒ	Bjarkan	Bjarkan er laufgat lim ok lítit tré ok ungsamligr viðr.	Birch = leafy twig and little tree and fresh young shrub.
14	ᛘ	Maðr	Maðr er manns gaman ok moldar auki ok skipa skreytir.	Man = delight of man and augmentation of the earth and adorner of ships.
15	ᛚ	Lögr	Lögr er vellanda vatn ok viðr ketill ok glömmungr grund.	Water = eddying stream and broad geysir and land of the fish.
16	ᛦ	Ýr	Ýr er bendr bogi ok brotgjarnt járn ok fífu fárbauti.	Yew = bent bow and brittle iron and giant of the arrow.

The Abecedarium Nordmannicum

The Abecedarium Nordmannicum is another old text from the 800s. It's the earliest known list of Norse rune names. However, it doesn't have the poetic explanations like the rune poems do. It's kept in a book called Codex Sangallensis 878 in Switzerland.

Rune poem facts for kids

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