ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᚨᚲᚢᛞᛟ

Proto-Norse

Etymology

*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

ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᚨᚲᚢᛞᛟ (raginakudo /raginakundō/) (feminine accusative singular)

1. 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

Usage notes

• 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

The 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

• Old Norse: reginkunnr

Further reading

• KJ 67 in the Runenprojekt Kiel