The U Rune (ᚢ)--Rune Origins Series

[@JacksonCrawford]

A current (Feb. 2023) summary of what I think is the most likely derivation for the rune alphabet (and its individual letters) at kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKioeqSbf8aBgrs

[@GaryDunion]

As a Scots speaker it's always fun when I come across a cognate for a Scots word that doesn't have an obvious one in English (as most Scots words do) - "grátr" (weeping) at 1:40 is clearly cognate with the Scots "greet" (also weep/cry/sob etc).

[@robertl6196]

"The sky is crying?" Somewhere, Brother Stevie Ray is looking down, smiling.

[@mattbaker7305]

Enjoying this series but especially this one with the beautiful background. As always thank you for sharing your knowledge with your KZbin students. From the dry skies of Sacramento, CA I'm wishing you... All the best.

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

In modern norwegian, "úr" for light precipitation has become "yr". Drizzle.

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

@@servantofaeie1569 Oh, probably Kygo or someone like that.

[@marcelineraber]

Wishing you... All the best... *Disappears* Really nice video, Dr Crawford. I enjoy watching.

[@cecilrhodes1057]

It's interesting those three names you give for uruz because I'm just a hobbyist folklorist but in the kalevala which is a finnish poem it describes the wanderer vainamoinen and he seeks to make a spell to heal a wound but he doesnt know the special words for it. I dont remember the specifics but it is talked about in the poem in the same area about what the name for iron is and it is described as milk from the teats of female spirits who ran over the swamp. iron is said to be milk because in order for it to be liquid you must heat it up to be white hot. and it is also elaborated that the iron dug out of the peat of swamps is pig iron and I don't know if that relates to slag in someway but it is interesting.

[@Tina06019]

Slag is the stoney matter left behind when one purifies iron. Ref: my son is a blacksmith.

[@Mr.Buttons]

Great video today! Major respect for putting out this content, also very great cinematics in these videos. Thanks

[@THEinSEnDeaieri]

I really appreciate your work. Linguistics is one of the things I have yet to find an end in my enthusiasm. I like trying to piece together the world through language.

[@SirDeathDark]

You say the names are different in the three poems, but to me, it reads as though they all agree the rune's called "ur", they just disagree about what "ur" means. EDIT: I should've finished the video before commenting

[@jonrolfson1686]

Re ᚢ, as it represents or is short for the Aurochs: While hearing your explanation of a third meaning of ᚢ, the thought occurred that the modern spelling Aurochs (also known as aurochsen, urus or ure,) hides or camouflages the meaning (ur-meaning) of Ur-Ox, the original or primordial bovine critter.

[@wenqiweiabcd]

"ur-" as in "urvater" isn't the same word as "ur" the rune name. It's unrelated either to the rain meaning or the aurochs meaning.

[@gweiloxiu9862]

Here's a shot at it: the shapes themselves were copied from a different group and had meaning assigned to them by the copying group (the proto Germanics). The Gylfaginning describes the elements and process that make up the "primal ice" in interesting detail. It is certainly a solid and is the result of other solids melting and resolidifying. It goes on the describe the formation of Audhumla from the melting of this most recent solid, into the form of a cow. As an IDEA it fits the concept of "dross" very well. The shape of uruz makes me think of a cow with it's head down grazing while dew drips down from it's horns. Fits the concepts of "(cosmic)cow", "precipitation (especially as a cyclic process of melting/evaporating then reoccurring repeatedly)", and "dross", pretty well I think.

[@OddBunsen]

Woah! That does sound similar

[@gweiloxiu9862]

Exploring this more. From the (Brodeur translation) Gylfaginning 1-10: ""The streams called Ice-waves, those which were so long come from the fountain-heads that the yeasty venom upon them had hardened like the slag that runs out of the fire,--these then became ice; and when the ice halted and ceased to run, then it froze over above. But the drizzling rain that rose from the venom congealed to rime, and the rime increased, frost over frost, each over the other, even into Ginnungagap, the Yawning Void." Then spake Jafnhárr: "Ginnungagap, which faced toward the northern quarter, became filled with heaviness, and masses of ice and rime, and from within, drizzling rain and gusts; but the southern part of the Yawning Void was lighted by those sparks and glowing masses which flew out of Múspellheim." And Thridi said: "Just as cold arose out of Niflheim, and all terrible things, so also all that looked toward Múspellheim became hot and glowing; but Ginnungagap was as mild as windless air, and when the breath of heat met the rime, so that it melted and dripped, life was quickened from the yeast-drops, by the power of that which sent the heat, and became a man's form. And that man is named Ymir, but the Rime-Giants call him Aurgelimir; and thence are come the races of the Rime-Giants...." and on to the cow: "Straightway after the rime dripped, there sprang from it the cow called Audumla; four streams of milk ran from her udders, and she nourished Ymir..." Note these two lines in particular: "The streams called Ice-waves, those which were so long come from the fountain-heads that the yeasty venom upon them had hardened like the slag that runs out of the fire..." The original word that has been translated to english here as "slag", is "sindr". Literally dross. The part that follows the above quoted section is this: "these then became ice; and when the ice halted and ceased to run, then it froze over above. But the drizzling rain that rose from the venom congealed to rime, and the rime increased..." These are both part of the same cosmic origin narrative given in Gylfaginning 5 through 6. It pretty clearly spells out a cow being formed from from dross (sindr) which itself was formed from rain. This explanation covers all the meanings described in the rune poems, in a very logical straightforward way, without the addition of speculative interpretation. The meaning of the word, "ur-" is "primal, original".

[@grneyefin]

Thank you

[@amandachapman4708]

I find it interesting that all runes apparently have some specific word attached to them, unlike (say) English, which has only A and I with specific meanings.

[@Thulesmann]

In the Finnish language "Uros" means a male animal, and in Finnish slang when used to describe a man it means that he is regarded by women as a "stud".

[@bendthebow]

If the alphabet came through the Alps might the names be from another language? Celtic or even Etruscan?

[@cecilrhodes1057]

it's debatable that the runes came through the alps

[@katarinawikholm5873]

Is ur/sleet tied to Swedish yr(snö)/powdery snow flying about? Yra is also a verb for a similar action, yr as an adjective means dizzy.

[@j3tztbassman123]

I'm wondering if this particular rune was not inspired by the hoof prints of an ox, or wild predecessor.

[@lumethecrow2632]

The rune I most want to see is Þ I just can't figure out what Etruscan/Greek letter it could've come from

[@lindolcrews8883]

Hey brother can you make a video on how to say, Ek er thin ok thu er mi

[@MilluMArt]

..or maybe, the rune means all 3 possibilities? It's not really new for scandinavian words to have multiple meanings, depending on the context it's used in. A modern danish word like *kost* can mean both *diet* or *broom.* If you say 'someone *koster rundt* with somebody else' it means 'someone is *bossing* somebody else *around.'* If you ask what something *koster* you ask what something *costs.* I truly believe we can trust, that quite some words from the old times, most likely have had multiple meanings.

[@melissahdawn]

Could more be explained about the alpine language/alphabet? (I meant could, not would ...though it would be interesting, but maybe not widely so.)

[@nedau]

Are there any ties between Spartans and Vikings?

[@Sindraug25]

No, Sparta is in Greece. They were Greeks. The Vikings were Scandinavians and came over 1000 years later.

[@cecilrhodes1057]

they are both indo european cultures but that's really it, later the vikings would be employed by the byzantine empire which included greece

[@nedau]

@@Sindraug25 Thanks captain obvious, lots of people migrated in that 1000 years.

[@Sindraug25]

@@nedau Don't ask a question if you don't want the answer.

[@nedau]

@@Sindraug25 dude, you are a troll. Who the hell doesn't know that there is 1000 years between vikings and spartains. The only reason you replied at all is to be cheeky and cute. You are neither.

[@ThomasCurtis1973]

We need Thidrekssaga in English.

[@deadgavin4218]

slag and sleet arent very different

[@Codicemvitae]

I love your videos, Im an avid follower, I just wish you could use a microphone or something, sometimes even at high volumes, it is too low.

[@ipwarden3977]

Uriel and maybe the bull of Heaven

[@whynonbelieversareidiots8543]

how can I get in contact with you I have something to show you about NORSE HISTORY

[@mehmetkurtkaya3106]

İ think sleet and also slag and the animal name is a late invention

[@tobiasdomes2731]

The Aurochs or Ure was probably pretty unknown to Norwegians and Islanders. It never existed that far north. Only up to great Britain and Denmark. Maybe also in the most southern parts of Sweden.

[@cecilrhodes1057]

we are from the steppes of western eurasia we had cattle before we moved north, also yes there were cows that far north, we don't have any wild relatives because they're extinct

[@tobiasdomes2731]

@@cecilrhodes1057 Yes you are right. Domestic cattle is a common thing in the north even in the Iron age. I referred to the Ure witch is a wild ancestor wich never existed in Norway, Ireland and Iceland. The Ure was far more muscular and wild and had much bigger horns. So comparing them It's like comparing a husky and a wolf. So fehu and uruz are not the same animal. Aurochs existed in England up to the late bronce age but survived in continental Europe up to the late medieval period. Sorry for my bad English

[@bloodsuckern]

when will he review the diablo 2 runes