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Berkanan

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(Redirected from Beorc) Runic alphabet letter

Name	Proto-Germanic	Old English	Old Norse
	*Berkanan	Beorc	Bjarkan
	"birch"	"birch"/"poplar"?	"birch"
Shape	Elder Futhark	Futhorc	Younger Futhark
Shape
Unicode	ᛒ U+16D2		ᛒ U+16D2	ᛓ U+16D3
Transliteration	b
Transcription	b
IPA			,
Position in rune-row	18		13

This article contains runic characters. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of runes.

Berkanan is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the b rune ᛒ, meaning "birch". In the Younger Futhark it is called Bjarkan in the Icelandic and Norwegian rune poems. In the Anglo-Saxon rune poem it is called beorc ("birch" or "poplar"). The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌱 b, named bairkan.

The letter shape is likely directly based on Old Italic 𐌁, whence comes also the Latin letter B.

The rune is recorded in all three rune poems:

Rune Poem:	English Translation:
Old Norwegian ᛒ Bjarkan er laufgrønstr líma; Loki bar flærða tíma.	Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub; Loki was fortunate in his deceit.
Old Icelandic ᛒ Bjarkan er laufgat lim ok lítit tré ok ungsamligr viðr.	Birch is a leafy twig and little tree and fresh young shrub.
Anglo-Saxon ᛒ Beorc bẏþ bleda leas, bereþ efne sƿa ðeah tanas butan tudder, biþ on telgum ƿlitig, heah on helme hrẏsted fægere, geloden leafum, lẏfte getenge.	The poplar bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers, for it is generated from its leaves. Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned its lofty crown which reaches to the skies.

See also

References

Original poems and translation from the Rune Poem Page Archived 1999-05-01 at the Wayback Machine.

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Germanic Elder Futhark
24-type Fuþark
(ca. AD to 9th c.)

Normalized
Variations

–
–

᛬

᛬

f

u
y

þ
ð

a
ã

r

k

g

ƿ
v

h

n

i

j

ï
é

p

z
ʀ

s

t

b

e
ɛ

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ŋ

d
ð

Anglo-Frisian Futhorc
28-type Fuþorc
(ca. 5th c. to 9th c.)

Normalized
Variations

–
–

f

u
o

þ
ð

r

ȝ
g
ŋ
k

ƿ/v

h

n

i

j

ï
é
ēo

p

x

s

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b

e
ɛ

m

l

ŋ

d

a

æ

y

ea
æa

Later Anglo-Saxon Futhorc
33-type Fuþorc
(ca. 8th c. to 12th c.)

Normalized
Variations

–
–

f

u
o

þ
ð

r

ȝ
g
ŋ
k

ƿ/v

h

n

i

j

ï
é
ēo

p

x

s

t

b

e
ɛ

m

l

ŋ

d

a

æ
y

y

īa
īo

ea
æa

q

k

st

ḡ

k̄
c̄
ck
kk

Norse Younger Futhark
16-type Fuþark
(ca. 8th c. to 11th c.)

Long-Branch

–

᛬

᛬

Short-Twig

–

᛬

᛬

f

u
y/ö
o
v/w

þ
ð

ą
o
å/ǫ

r

k
g
ŋ

h

n

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j
e

a
ä

s
z

t
d

b
p

m

l

ʀ

Later Younger Futhark
Stung Fuþark
(ca. 11th c. to 13th c.)

Regular

–

᛬

᛬

f

u
o
w

þ

r

k

h

n

i
j

a
ä

s
z

t

b

m

l

y
ʀ

Stung

–

v

y
ö

ð

g
ŋ

ɴ

e
ä

d

p

ʟ

Medieval runes
Medieval Fuþark
(ca. 13th c. to 18th c.)

1st types

–

᛬

᛬

f

u
w

þ

o

r

k
q

h
x

n

i
j

a

s

t

b

m

l

y

2nd types

–

v

y
v

ð

ǫ
å

g

n

e

ä

c
z

d

p

ʟ

y

3rd types

–

ö

ng

ɴ

z
c

ᴘ

4th types

–

x

Alphabetical
amalgamation

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ᚴ ᛋ
ᛪ
ᚼ

a

b

c

d

ð

e

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g

ŋ

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k

l

ʟ

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ɴ

o

ǫ

p

ᴘ

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þ

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å

ä

ö

Dalecarlian runes
Dalecarlian alphabet
(ca. 16th c. to 19th c.)

Alphabetical
(incomplete)

–

ᛅ

ᛒ

ᛋ

ᚦ

ᛆ

ᚠ

ᚼ

ᛁ

ᚴ

ᛚ

ᛘ

ᚿ

ᛰ

𐋐

ᛩ

ᚱ

ᛌ

ᛐ

ᚢ

ᛋᛌ

ᛠ

Å

ᚯ

ᛦ

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

k

l

m

n

o

p

q

r

s

t

u

x

y

z

å

ä

ö

See also: Runic inscriptions interactive map; Runic inscriptions; Rune Poems; Runestones; Runic magic; Modern runic writing; Pseudo-runes; Staveless runes

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