Wyrdseidr

ᚺ *hagalaz

Elder Futhark · position 9 (ætt 2) · hail

Name
*hagalaz
Meaning
hail
Name known from
Old English hægl, Old Norse hagall (all three poems); Gothic letter name haal in Codex Vindobonensis 795
Transliteration
h
Sound
/h/ (a fricative, [x] in some positions)
Unicode
U+16BA runic letter haglaz h

Line of descent

ᚺ*hagalazElder Futhark →ᚼhagallYounger FutharkᚻhæglAnglo-Saxon Futhorc

History

h begins the second ætt. It has two forms. In Scandinavia it is two staves joined by a single slanting bar (ᚺ). In continental inscriptions a form with two bars (ᚻ) also occurs, and that form became the standard English rune, hægl. Most scholars link the shape to Latin H.

The name *hagalaz "hail" is secure. All three poems name the rune with the word for hail. The Old English and Norwegian poems both call it the whitest or coldest "grain", a striking agreement that suggests shared older wording. The Icelandic poem calls it "cold grain".

The Vimose comb, the oldest securely dated runic object (c. 160), begins with h: harja. The Gallehus horn has two examples, hlewagastiz holtijaz, and the Lindholm bone piece has hateka "I am called".

When the Scandinavian row was reduced to sixteen runes, h survived but changed shape. The Younger Futhark hagall is a star-like rune ᚼ (short-twig ᚽ), probably a reworking of the old double-barred form. Combined with ᛒ in a bind-rune, it makes the modern Bluetooth logo, from the initials of the Danish king Haraldr Gormsson (Harald Bluetooth).

In the rune poems

The Old English Rune Poem, stanza 9
Hægl byþ hwitust corna; hwyrft hit of heofones lyfte,
wealcaþ hit windes scura; weorþeþ hit to wætere syððan.
Hail is the whitest of grains; it whirls from heaven's air,
gusts of wind toss it about; afterwards it turns to water.
The Norwegian poem also calls hail 'the coldest of grains', one of several parallels between the English and Scandinavian poems.
The Old Norwegian Rune Poem, stanza 7
Hagall er kaldastr korna;
Kristr skóp hæimenn forna.
Hail is the coldest of grains;
Christ shaped the world in ancient times.
The Old Icelandic Rune Poem, stanza 7 · Latin gloss grando · chieftain word hildingr
Hagall er kaldakorn
ok krapadrífa
ok snáka sótt.
Hail is cold grain
and a driving shower of sleet
and the sickness of snakes.
'Sickness of snakes' is a kenning for winter, when snakes lie torpid.

Original text from the public-domain editions named on each poem's page; translations are our own.

Where it is found

  • Vimose comb (DR 207): harja
  • Gallehus horn (DR 12): hlewagastiz holtijaz
  • Lindholm bone piece (DR 261): hateka

On inscriptions described on this site

Vimose combEinang stoneTune stoneKylver stoneRing of PietroassaGolden horns of Gallehus

Sources

  • Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata), signa DR 207, DR 12, DR 261
  • Dickins (1915), note to Norwegian rune poem st. 7
  • Wikipedia, 'Haglaz', 'Anglo-Saxon runes' and 'Younger Futhark' (checked 2026-10-26)
← ᚹ*wunjō*naudizᚾ →