The Futhark
The Elder Futhark (named after the initial phoneme of the first six rune names: F, U, Th, A, R and K) consist of twenty-four runes, often arranged in three groups of eight runes called an ætt. In the following table, each rune is given with its common transliteration:
| f | u | þ | a | r | k | g | w |
| h | n | i | j | ï | p | z | s |
| t | b | e | m | l | ŋ | d | o |
þ corresponds to . ï is also transliterated as æ, and may have been either a diphthong, or a vowel near or . z was Proto-Germanic, and evolved into Proto-Norse, and is also transliterated as . The remaining transliterations correspond to the IPA symbol of their approximate value.
The earliest known sequential listing of the alphabet dates to 400 and is found on the Kylver Stone in Gotland:
- uþarkghnijpïzstbemlŋdo
Two instances of another early inscription were found on the two Vadstena and Mariedamm bracteates (6th century), showing the division in three ætts, with the positions of ï, p and o, d inverted compared to the Kylver stone:
- fuþarkgw; hnijïpzs; tbemlŋod
The Grumpan bracteate presents a listing from 500 which is identical to the one found on the previous bracteates but incomplete:
- fuþarkgw ... hnijïp(z) ... tbeml(ŋ)(o)d
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