Kaunan
The sixth Elder Futhark rune, transliterated k, and the source of the k in "futhark". The Norse poems name it "sore, ulcer"; the Old English poem names it "torch", and modern divination chose the torch.
At a glance
- Rune
- ᚲU+16B2
- Unicode name
- RUNIC LETTER KAUNA
- Alphabet
- Elder Futhark
- In use
- c. AD 150 – 800 (Roman Iron Age to the beginning of the Viking Age)
- Position
- 6, ætt 1
- Transliteration
- k
- Sound value
- /k/
- Name
- *kaunan: sore, ulcer, boilReconstructed
Names
How the rune is called in each tradition, and how securely each name is recorded.
| Form | Language | Meaning | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| *kaunan | Proto-Germanic | sore, ulcer, boil | Reconstructed |
| cen | Old English | torch, pine-splint | Attested |
| kaun | Old Norse | sore, ulcer | Attested |
An asterisk marks a reconstructed form: a word linguists have worked backwards to, not one that appears in any surviving source.
Etymology
Both Scandinavian poems give "sore" or "ulcer"; the English poem gives "torch". The Norse reading is usually preferred for the Elder Futhark name because it is shared by two independent traditions, but the disagreement is real and old.
Sound value
A /k/. The Younger Futhark form of this rune had to cover /k/, /g/ and /ŋ/ all at once, which is a good illustration of how lossy the 16-rune alphabet was.
Variant forms
Alternative shapes for the same rune across regions and periods.
Anglo-Saxon cen
U+16B3
The rounded English form, which developed a different name and sound value.
Younger Futhark kaun
U+16B4
The Viking-Age form, which took over the /g/ sound as well.
Historical use
A common rune. Its shape is one of the simplest in the alphabet, a single angle, and it is correspondingly easy to confuse with damage or with tool marks on worn objects.
Rune-poem evidence
The medieval verse that records this rune's name. Original text plus our own translation.
Cen byþ cwicera gehwam, cuþ on fyre blac ond beorhtlic, byrneþ oftust ðær hi æþelingas inne restaþ.The torch is known to all living things by its flame, pale and bright; it burns most often where noble folk are resting indoors.(our translation)
Kaun er barna bǫlvan; bǫl gørver nán fǫlvan.A sore is the curse of children; affliction makes a corpse pale.(our translation)
Kaun er barna böl ok bardaga för ok holdfúa hús.A sore is the bane of children and a mark of battle and the house of rotting flesh.(our translation)
Manuscript tags: flagella and konungr ("king"). The Latin word is damaged in the manuscript and is usually printed flagellum, "whip, scourge". The middle phrase is read differently by different editors.
Attested in
Objects and monuments where this rune can actually be seen.
Sixth position in the futhark row, giving the alphabet the k of "futhark".
Signatures follow the Scandinavian Runic-text Database so you can look each inscription up directly. Each name links to the object's own entry.
Modern meaning
How this rune is read in contemporary divination, which is a separate question from what it meant historically.
Upright
Almost all modern systems use the English "torch" reading and treat this as a rune of light, insight and creative fire.
Reversed (modern practice calls this “merkstave”)
Loss of clarity, burnout, a project going dark. A modern convention.
Where this comes from: Note what has happened here: modern practice picked the minority reading. The two Norse poems both say "ulcer", which makes a much less appealing divination card.
Common misconceptions
Claims about this rune that circulate widely and do not hold up.
The popular name "kenaz" is a modern reconstruction built from the Old English cen, not an attested Proto-Germanic form. Linguists more usually reconstruct *kaunan, from the Norse "sore" tradition.
The same rune in other alphabets
Runes descended from the same original character, so you can follow it through time.
The rest of ætt 1
Sources for this entry
Full references are on the sources page. If you think something here is wrong, our corrections policy explains how to say so.