ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᚨᚲᚢᛞᛟ
Proto-Norse
editEtymology
edit*ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᚨ (*ragina, “the ruling powers, the gods”) + *-ᚲᚢᛞᚨᛉ (*-kudaʀ, “born, originating”). First element from Proto-Germanic *raginą (“decision, advice, counsel”), ancestor of Old Norse regin (“the gods, the ruling powers”). Second element from Proto-Germanic *kundaz (“born (of)”), compare Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍃 (himinakunds, “born of heaven, heavenly”).
Adjective
editᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᚨᚲᚢᛞᛟ (raginakudo /raginakundō/) (feminine accusative singular)
- born of the gods; of divine origin
- 450-600, Noleby Runestone (KJ 67, Vg 63)
- ᚱᚢᚾᛟᚠᚨᚺᛁᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᚨᚴᚢᛞᛟ […]
runofahiraginakudo […]- rūnō fāhī raginakundō
- I paint a rune of divine origin
- 450-600, Noleby Runestone (KJ 67, Vg 63)
Usage notes
edit- The dropping of a nasal before a dental in runic spelling (kudo instead of kundo) persists into the Younger Futhark period. Compare also ᚹᛁᛞᚢᚺᚢᛞᚨᛉ (widuhudaʀ /Widuhundaʀ/), ᚲᚢᚾᛁᛗᚢᛞᛁᚢ (kunimudiu /Kunimundiu/).
- Other reflexes of the phrase *rūnu raginakundu, "rune of divine origin", appear on the younger Swedish Sparlösa Runestone, and in the Old Norse poem Hávamál. This reveals an ancient poetic formula, of pre-Christian origin.
Declension
editThe adjective agrees in gender, case and number with the noun it modifies, ᚱᚢᚾᛟ (runo /rūnō/, “rune, mystery, esoteric secret”), and is thus in the feminine accusative singular (Proto-Norse -ō corresponds to Old Norse -a). From other attested adjectives, we can presume that the masculine and feminine nominative singular forms would have been *raginakundaʀ and *raginakundu, respectively.
Descendants
edit- Old Norse: reginkunnr
Further reading
edit- KJ 67 in the Runenprojekt Kiel