Viking Rune Bead Ansuz: the Mouth and the God
Specifications
| Color | Bronze |
| Material | Zinc alloy, patinated bronze finish |
| Dimensions | Height: 10 mm | Diameter: 8 mm | Hole: 6 mm |
| For | Unisex |
- For: men and women (adults)
- Zinc alloy, patinated bronze finish
- 6 mm hole · worn on a beard or hair braid
- Sold individually, height 10 mm, diameter 8 mm
- Free shipping from 49€ · secure payment
Ansuz, the spoken word — the rune the three traditions do not agree on
A vertical stave and two diagonal strokes slanting down to the right, engraved in a cartouche on a bronze-patina alloy beard bead, also for hair. Ansuz is the fourth sign of the Elder Futhark, and one of the few whose meaning can be followed from one language to another — except that it changes along the way.
Find this design in our collection of Viking beads for beard and hair.
What sets this beard bead apart
- The Anglo-Saxon rune poem calls it ōs, the mouth, “source of all speech”; the Norwegian poem reads it as óss, the mouth of a river; the Icelandic poem, for its part, bluntly writes “Odin.”
- It is the rune of those whose trade is speaking: breath, the word, the formula spoken aloud rather than carved.
- Threaded on, not clasped: the bead slides onto the lock of hair before braiding. It is the bulk of the braid that holds it in place, so there is nothing that can break.
- Hole of about 6 mm: the only criterion that really matters. It should be slightly narrower than the finished braid, and slightly wider than the loose lock of hair.
Features
- Material: Zinc alloy, patinated bronze finish
- Inner hole: about 6 mm
- Dimensions: about 10 mm high, 8 mm in diameter
- Worn on: beard, mustache or hair, on a braided plait
- Sold: individually
Did you know?
The Germanic word behind Ansuz is *ansuz, “the god” — the same root as Old Norse áss, plural æsir, which names Odin's family. So when the Icelandic rune poem glosses the rune as “Odin” without beating around the bush, it is not making a poetic connection: it is rendering the word by what it means. The shift toward “the mouth” in the Anglo-Saxon poem has another explanation: the Christian who compiled it had good reasons to prefer the Latin os, the mouth, to the pagan god he heard underneath.
To go further, our guide to Viking hairstyles details the cuts, braids and beards, with sources to back it up, and our guide to the Futhark alphabet goes through each sign one by one.
Complete your set
What does the Ansuz rune mean?
Its Germanic name means “the god.” The Icelandic rune poem glosses it directly as Odin, the Norwegian one as a river mouth, and the Anglo-Saxon one as the mouth and speech.
Why do the three rune poems disagree?
They were compiled centuries apart and in different contexts. The Anglo-Saxon poem, a Christian text, readily replaces the original pagan meaning with a more neutral Latin homonym.
Is Ansuz linked to Odin?
Yes, through etymology: the root of the name gives Old Norse áss, plural æsir, the family of gods to which Odin belongs. The Icelandic poem spells it out in black and white.
What braid thickness does this bead fit?
The hole is about 6 mm: a beard braid of medium density, or a thin braid of hair.
Delivery — Allow 7 to 15 business days for mainland France, 10 to 20 days for the European Union. Free delivery on orders over €49.
Delivery guarantee — If your parcel is not delivered within 60 business days, we will provide an immediate reshipment or a full refund.
14-day returns — You have 14 calendar days from receipt to request an exchange or refund. The item must be returned within this period, in its original packaging.
Legal guarantees — All our products are covered by the legal guarantee of conformity and the guarantee against hidden defects, in accordance with the Consumer Code and the Civil Code.
