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Othala (), also known as ēðel and odal, is a rune that represents the ''o'' and ''œ'' phonemes in the Elder Futhark and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc writing systems respectively. Its name is derived from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic *''ōþala-'' "heritage; inheritance, inherited estate". As it does not occur in Younger Futhark, it disappears from the Scandinavian record around the 8th century, but its usage continued in England into the 11th century, where it was sometimes further used in manuscripts as a shorthand for the word ("homeland"), similarly to how other runes were sometimes used at the time.

As with other symbols used historically in Europe such as the swastika and Celtic cross, othala has been appropriated by far-right groups such as the Nazi party and neo-Nazis, who have used it to represent ideas like Aryan heritage, a usage that is wholly modern and not attested in any ancient or medieval source. The rune also continues to be used in non-racist contexts, both in Heathenry and in wider popular culture such as the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and video games.

Name and etymology

The sole attested name of the rune is , meaning "homeland". Based on this, and cognates in other Germanic languages such as and , the can be reconstructed, meaning "ancestral land", "the land owned by one's kin", and by extension "property" or "inheritance". is in turn derived from , meaning "nobility" and "disposition".

Terms derived from are formative elements in some Germanic names, notably ''Ulrich''.

The term "odal" () refers to Scandinavian laws of inheritance which established land rights for families that had owned that parcel of land over a number of generations, restricting its sale to others. Among other aspects, this protected the inheritance rights of daughters against males from outside the immediate family. Some of these laws remain in effect today in Norway as the ''Odelsrett'' (allodial right). The tradition of Udal law found in Shetland, Orkney, and the Isle of Man, is from the same origin.

Elder Futhark ''o''-rune

The ''o''-rune is attested early, in inscriptions from the 3rd century, such as the Thorsberg chape
DR7
and the Vimose planer (''Vimose-Høvelen''
DR 206
.
The corresponding Gothic letter is (derived from Greek Ω), which had the name ''oþal''. The othala rune is found in some transitional inscriptions of the 6th or 7th century, such as the Gummarp, Björketorp and Stentoften runestones, but it disappears from the Scandinavian record by the 8th century. The Old Norse ''o'' phoneme at this time becomes written in Younger Futhark in the same way as the ''u'' phoneme, with the Ur rune.

It has been suggested that the othala rune on the Ring of Pietroassa is used to represent the word "*oþal", referencing the ring as hereditary treasure. Similarly, Wolfgang Krause speculated that the ''o'' rune is used as an ideograph denoting possession in the Thorsberg chape inscription, reading the inscription ''owlþuþewaz'' as ''O �ila- W þu-þewaz'' "inherited property - the servant of Wulþuz".

Anglo-Saxon ''œ''-rune

Usage and shape

The Anglo-Saxon runes preserve the full set of 24 Elder Futhark runes (as well as introducing innovations), but in some cases these runes are given new sound values due to Anglo-Frisian sound changes. The othala rune is such a case: the ''o'' sound in the Anglo-Saxon system is now expressed by ''ōs'' ᚩ, a derivation of the old Ansuz rune; the othala rune is known in Old English as ''ēðel'' (with umlaut due to the form ''ōþila-'') and is used to express an ''œ'' sound, but is attested only rarely in epigraphy (outside of simply appearing in a futhark row). In some runic inscriptions, such as on the Seax of Beagnoth, and more commonly in manuscripts, othala is written with a single vertical line instead of the two diagonal legs, perhaps due to its simpler form.

The rune is also used as a shorthand for the word or ("ancestral property or land") in texts such as ''Beowulf'', ''Waldere'' and the Old English translation of Orosius' ''Historiae adversus paganos''. This is similar to wider practices of the time, in which runes such as , and were also used as shorthands to write the name of the rune.

Notable attestations

Epigraphical attestations include:
*the Frisian Westeremden yew-stick, possibly as part of a given name ''Ƿimod'' (''Ƿimœd'')
*the Harford (Norfolk) brooch, dated c. 650, in a finite verb form: ''luda:gibœtæsigilæ'' "Luda repaired the brooch"
*the left panel of the Franks Casket, twice: '' tƿœgen gibroþær afœddæ hiæ ƿylif'' "two brothers (scil. Romulus and Remus), a she-wolf nourished them".

Rune poem

The Anglo-Saxon rune poem preserves the meaning "an inherited estate" for the rune name:

Modern use

Far-right iconography

The othala rune, like some other runes, was adopted as an occult symbol by German Nazi occultists and thereof in the 1930s, later being adopted by the German Schutzstaffel (SS) as an SS-rune to symbolise kinship, family and blood ties within the Aryan race. The SS modified the symbol with serifs, also called "feet" or "wings", subsequently being nicknamed "Winged Othala" and thereof in modern times. It was subsequently used by various military divisions within the German Army during World War II and also became the badge of the SS Race and Settlement Main Office, which was responsible for maintaining the racial purity of the SS.

After World War II, this symbol has seen continued by Neo-Nazis and similar far-right collectives. White supremacists who use the rune often claim it symbolises the heritage or land of "white" or "Aryan" people which should be free from foreigners. Usages such as these are not attested in any source from before the modern period, being invented by members of these groups.

Popular culture

Othala is widely used in popular culture, including by J.R.R. Tolkien along with other historical runes in The Hobbit, as seen on Thror's map of Erebor. These further form the base for the dwarvish Cirth writing systems used in The Lord of the Rings and described in Tolkien's Legendarium. The rune is also used as the symbol for the "Lore" resource in Northgard, released in 2018, and in Stargate SG-1, Othala is a world in the Ida Galaxy where the Asgard had lived. The Anti-Defamation League notes that because it is part of the runic alphabet, the othala rune is often used in non-racist manners, such as these, and should be interpreted in conjunction with its context.

Heathenry

Othala, along with other runes more widely, often feature prominently in the practices of Heathens, and are commonly used to decorate items and in tattoos. The use of runes such as othala by far-right groups has been strongly condemned by some Heathen groups, including Asatru UK which released a public statement that " tis categorically opposed to fascist movements, or any movements, using the symbols of our faith for hate".

See also

* Troll cross – A symbol which resembles the rune

References

Bibliography

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Odal (Rune)
Fascist symbols
Heraldic charges
Nazi symbolism
Runes
Symbols