| Lang1: | pg |
| Lang2: | oe |
| Name1: |
|
| Name2a: | Gyfu |
| Name2b: | Gār |
| Meaning1: | 'gift' |
| Meaning2a: | 'gift' |
| Meaning2b: | "spear" |
| Unicode Hex1: | 16B7 |
| Unicode Hex2a: | 16B7 |
| Unicode Hex2b: | 16B8 |
| Transliteration1: | g |
| Transliteration2a: | ȝ |
| Transliteration2b: | g |
| Transcription1: | g |
| Transcription2a: | ȝ, g |
| Transcription2b: | g |
| Ipa1: | pronounced as /[ɣ]/ |
| Ipa2a: | pronounced as /[g], [ɣ], [ʎ], [j]/ |
| Ipa2b: | pronounced as /[g]/ |
| Position1: | 7 |
| Position2a: | 7 |
| Position2b: | 33 |
Gyfu is the name for the g-rune in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem, meaning 'gift' or 'generosity':
| Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem:[1] | English Translation: | |
| Gẏfu gumena bẏþ gleng and herenẏs, ƿraþu and ƿẏrþscẏpe and ƿræcna gehƿam ar and ætƿist, ðe bẏþ oþra leas. | Generosity brings credit and honour, which support one's dignity; it furnishes help and subsistence to all broken men who are devoid of aught else. |
The corresponding letter of the Gothic alphabet is g, called giba. The same rune also appears in the Elder Futhark, with a suggested Proto-Germanic name *gebô 'gift'. J. H. Looijenga speculates[2] that the rune is directly derived from Latin Χ, the pronunciation of which may have been similar to Germanic g in the 1st century, e.g., Gothic *reihs compared to Latin rex (as opposed to the Etruscan alphabet, where / had a value of pronounced as /[s]/).
The gyfu rune is sometimes used as a symbol within modern mysticism, particularly amongst those interested in Celtic mythology. It's described, for example, in the book The Runic Tarot as a representation of the giving-receiving balance in friendships.[3]
In addition to gyfu, the Anglo-Saxon futhorc has the gār rune, named after a species of medieval spear. It is attested epigraphically on the Ruthwell Cross, and also appears in 11th-century manuscript tradition. Phonetically, gār represents the /g/ sound. It is a modification of the plain gyfu rune .
Old English 'gār' means 'spear', but the name of the rune likely echoes the rune names ger, ear, ior: due to palatalization in Old English, the original g rune (i.e., the Gyfu rune) could express either /j/ or /g/ (see yogh). The ger unambiguously expressed /j/, and the newly introduced gar rune had the purpose of unambiguously expressing /g/.
Gār is the 33rd and final rune in the row as given in Cotton Domitian A.ix.