| Lang1: | pg |
| Lang2: | oe |
| Lang3: | on |
| Name1: |
|
| Name2: | Cēn |
| Name3: | Kaun |
| Meaning1: | ? |
| Meaning2: | "torch" |
| Meaning3: | "ulcer" |
| Unicode Hex1: | 16B2 |
| Unicode Hex2: | 16B3 |
| Unicode Hex3: | 16B4 |
| Transliteration1: | k |
| Transliteration2: | c |
| Transliteration3: | k |
| Transcription1: | k |
| Transcription2: | c |
| Transcription3: | k, g |
| Ipa1: | pronounced as /[k]/ |
| Ipa2: | pronounced as /[k], [c], [tʃ]/ |
| Ipa3: | pronounced as /[k], [g]/ |
| Position13: | 6 |
The k-rune (Younger Futhark, Anglo-Saxon futhorc) is called Kaun in both the Norwegian and Icelandic rune poems, meaning "ulcer". The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is *Kauną. It is also known as Kenaz ("torch"), based on its Anglo-Saxon name.
The Elder Futhark shape is likely directly based on Old Italic c and on Latin C. The Younger Futhark and Anglo-Saxon Futhorc shapes have parallels in Old Italic shapes of k and Latin K (compare the Negau helmet inscription). The corresponding Gothic letter is k, called kusma.
The shape of the Younger Futhark kaun rune is identical to that of the "bookhand" s rune in the Anglo-Saxon futhorc.The rune also occurs in some continental runic inscriptions. It has been suggested that in these instances, it represents the ch /χ/ sound resulting from the Old High German sound shift (e.g. elch in Nordendorf II).[1]
| Rune Poem | English Translation: | ||
| Old Norwegian Kaun er barna bǫlvan; bǫl gørver nán fǫlvan. | Ulcer is fatal to children; death makes a corpse pale. | ||
| Old Icelandic Kaun er barna böl ok bardaga [för] ok holdfúa hús. flagella konungr. | Disease fatal to children and painful spot and abode of mortification. | ||
| Anglo-Saxon Cen bẏþ cƿicera gehƿam, cuþ on fẏre blac ond beorhtlic, bẏrneþ oftust ðær hi æþelingas inne restaþ. | The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame; it always burns where princes sit within. | ||
Notes:
| -- (Which was perhaps an expansion upon the "burning" of the ulcers or chancres described in the Scandinavian poems, or possibly because the original meaning had become lost.) --> | ||
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