| Lang1: | pg |
| Lang2: | oe |
| Name1: |
|
| Name2: | E(o)h |
| Meaning12: | "horse" |
| Unicode Hex12: | 16D6 |
| Transliteration12: | e |
| Transcription12: | e |
| Ipa12: | pronounced as /[e(ː)]/ |
| Position12: | 19 |
Germanic languages: *Ehwaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the Elder Futhark e rune, meaning "horse" (cognate to Latin Latin: [[Equus (genus)|equus]], Gaulish epos, Tocharian B yakwe, Sanskrit, Avestan and Old Irish Irish, Old (to 900);: ech). In the Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is continued as English, Old (ca.450-1100);: eh (properly English, Old (ca.450-1100);: eoh, but spelled without the diphthong to avoid confusion with English, Old (ca.450-1100);: [[Eihwaz|ēoh]] "yew").
The Proto-Germanic vowel system was asymmetric and unstable. The difference between the long vowels expressed by e and ï (sometimes transcribed as Germanic languages: *ē<sub>1</sub> and Germanic languages: *ē<sub>2</sub>) was lost. The Younger Futhark continues neither, lacking a letter expressing e altogether. The Anglo-Saxon futhorc faithfully preserved all Elder futhorc staves, but assigned new sound values to the redundant ones, futhorc English, Old (ca.450-1100);: ēoh expressing a diphthong.
In the case of the Gothic alphabet, where the names of the runes were re-applied to letters derived from the Greek alphabet, the letter Gothic: e was named "horse" as well (note that in Gothic orthography, (aí) represents monophthongic /e/).
The rune may have been an original innovation, or it may have been adapted from the classical Latin alphabet's E.
The Anglo-Saxon rune poem has:
English, Old (ca.450-1100);: Eh bẏþ for eorlum æþelinga ƿẏn,
English, Old (ca.450-1100);: hors hofum ƿlanc, ðær him hæleþ ẏmb[e]
English, Old (ca.450-1100);: ƿelege on ƿicgum ƿrixlaþ spræce
English, Old (ca.450-1100);: and biþ unstẏllum æfre frofur.
"The horse is a joy to princes in the presence of warriors.
A steed in the pride of its hoofs,
when rich men on horseback bandy words about it;
and it is ever a source of comfort to the restless."