Wurþaz

Wurþaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of one of the runic signs used in the elder runic alphabets. The form is typically rendered as *wurþaz in linguistic reconstructions and is discussed in studies of the early runic system. The name reflects a linguistic root corresponding to the Old English wurþ, Old High German wurt, and related cognates that carrying senses of worth, value, honor, or importance.

Phonology and symbol associations vary by tradition. In the traditional mapping of the Elder Futhark, the sign linked with wurþaz is associated with the W-sound, though the exact visual form of the rune can differ between inscriptions and regional runic alphabets. As with many runic names, the correspondence between the phonetic value, the pictorial rune, and the nominal label is a matter of scholarly interpretation and reconstruction rather than a single, uniform attestation.

Meaning and thematic field. The semantic core of wurþaz centers on worth or value, a common Germanic semantic domain that also appears in related words for wealth, honor, and social standing. Some scholars also explore a possible association with fate or wyrd, given the overlapping semantic sphere of value, consequence, and destiny in Germanic thought, but such connections are interpretive rather than directly attested in a single source.

Attestation and usage. The name wurþaz itself is not found as a standalone inscriptional gloss; rather, it serves as a scholarly label used to discuss the sign’s etymology, semantics, and cross-language correspondences within the Elder Futhark and its descendants. In modern runology, wurþaz helps organize and compare the related lexical and symbolic material rather than pointing to a specific, extant inscription.