{"product_id":"perle-viking-rune-ansuz-bronze","title":"Viking Rune Bead Ansuz: the Mouth and the God","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAnsuz, the spoken word — the rune the three traditions do not agree on\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA vertical stave and two diagonal strokes slanting down to the right, engraved in a cartouche on a bronze-patina alloy \u003cstrong\u003ebeard bead\u003c\/strong\u003e, also for hair. \u003cem\u003eAnsuz\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFind this design in our \u003ca href=\"\/en\/collections\/perles-viking-barbe-cheveux\"\u003ecollection of Viking beads for beard and hair\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat sets this beard bead apart\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Anglo-Saxon rune poem calls it \u003cem\u003eōs\u003c\/em\u003e, the mouth, “source of all speech”; the Norwegian poem reads it as \u003cem\u003eóss\u003c\/em\u003e, the mouth of a river; the Icelandic poem, for its part, bluntly writes “Odin.”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIt is the rune of those whose trade is speaking: breath, the word, the formula spoken aloud rather than carved.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThreaded on, not clasped:\u003c\/b\u003e 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.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHole of about 6 mm:\u003c\/b\u003e the only criterion that really matters. It should be slightly narrower than the finished braid, and slightly wider than the loose lock of hair.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFeatures\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/b\u003e Zinc alloy, patinated bronze finish\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eInner hole:\u003c\/b\u003e about 6 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/b\u003e about 10 mm high, 8 mm in diameter\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWorn on:\u003c\/b\u003e beard, mustache or hair, on a braided plait\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSold:\u003c\/b\u003e individually\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDid you know?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Germanic word behind Ansuz is \u003cem\u003e*ansuz\u003c\/em\u003e, “the god” — the same root as Old Norse \u003cem\u003eáss\u003c\/em\u003e, plural \u003cem\u003eæsir\u003c\/em\u003e, which names Odin's family. So when the Icelandic rune poem glosses the rune as \u003cstrong\u003e“Odin”\u003c\/strong\u003e 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 \u003cem\u003eos\u003c\/em\u003e, the mouth, to the pagan god he heard underneath.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo go further, our \u003ca href=\"\/en\/blogs\/news\/coiffure-viking\"\u003eguide to Viking hairstyles\u003c\/a\u003e details the cuts, braids and beards, with sources to back it up, and our \u003ca href=\"\/en\/blogs\/news\/futhark-ancien-alphabet-runique-viking-complet\"\u003eguide to the Futhark alphabet\u003c\/a\u003e goes through each sign one by one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eComplete your set\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/en\/products\/perle-viking-rune-kaunaz-bronze\"\u003eViking Kaunaz Rune Bead: the Torch or the Wound\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/en\/products\/perle-viking-rune-gebo-bronze\"\u003eViking Gebo Rune Bead: the Gift That Binds\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/en\/products\/perle-viking-rune-fehu-bronze\"\u003eViking Fehu Rune Bead: the Wealth That Moves\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n","brand":"Le Comptoir Viking","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57913598574974,"sku":"LCV-PERLE-RUNEANSUZBRONZE","price":7.9,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/0569\/8430\/files\/perle-viking-rune-ansuz-bronze-ambiance.jpg?v=1787662009","url":"https:\/\/www.le-comptoir-viking.fr\/en\/products\/perle-viking-rune-ansuz-bronze","provider":"Le Comptoir Viking","version":"1.0","type":"link"}