Runic Text on the Franks Casket

The runic text of the Franks Casket is transcribed below in Unicode. Five cryptogrammic runes for the vowel letters that occur on the right panel of the casket were only encoded in Unicode 7.0 (released June 2014), and will only be displayed if you are using a runic font that supports Unicode 7.0, such as the BabelStone Anglo-Saxon Runic Fonts. This page is configured to use the Web font version of the BabelStone Runic Beowulf font, which includes the feoh-ac ᚠ‍ᚪ bind rune.

The transcription, transliteration, interpretation and translation of the Fransks Casket text is based on R. W. V. Elliot's Runes (Manchester University Press, 1971) pp. 96–109.


Lid

Lid of the Franks Casket

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Transcription

ᚫᚷᛁᛚᛁ

Transliteration

ÆGILI

Interpretation

Ægili.

Translation

Egill.



Front Panel

Front Panel of the Franks Casket

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Transcription

ᚠᛁᛋᚳ᛫ᚠᛚᚩᛞᚢ᛫ᚪᚻᚩᚠᚩᚾᚠᛖᚱᚷ

ᛖᚾᛒᛖᚱᛁᚷ

ᚹᚪᚱᚦᚷᚪ᛬ᛋᚱᛁᚳᚷᚱᚩᚱᚾᚦᚫᚱᚻᛖᚩᚾᚷᚱᛖᚢᛏᚷᛁᛋᚹᚩᛗ

ᚻᚱᚩᚾᚫᛋᛒᚪᚾ

ᛗᚫᚷᛁ

Transliteration

FISC FLODU AHOFONFERG
ENBERIG
WARÞGA:SRICGRORNÞÆRHEONGREUTGISWOM
HRONÆSBAN
MÆGI

Interpretation

Fisc flodu ahof on fergenberig;
warþ gasric grorn, þær he on greut giswom.

Hronæs ban.

Mægi.

Translation

The flood lifted up the fish on to the cliff-bank;
the whale became sad, where he swam on the shingle.

Whale's bone.

Magi.



Back Panel

Back Panel of the Franks Casket

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Transcription

ᚻᛖᚱᚠᛖᚷᛏᚪᚦ

ᛏᛁᛏᚢᛋᛖᚾᛞᚷᛁᚢᚦᛖᚪᛋᚢ

HICFUGIANTHIERUSALIM

ᚪᚠᛁᛏᚪᛏᚩᚱᛖᛋ

ᛞᚩᛗ

ᚷᛁᛋᛚ

Transliteration

HERFEGTAÞ
TITUSENDGIUÞEASU
HICFUGIANTHIERUSALIM
AFITATORES
DOM
GISL

Interpretation

Her fegtaþ Titus end giuþeasu.
Hic fugiant Hierusalim afitatores.
Dom.
Gisl.

Translation

Here fight Titus and the Jews.
Here the inhabitants flee from Jerusalem.

Doom.
Hostages.



Left Panel

Left Panel of the Franks Casket

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Transcription

ᚱᚩᛗᚹᚪᛚᚢᛋᚪᚾᛞᚱᛖᚢᛗᚹᚪᛚᚢᛋᛏᚹᛟᚷᛖᚾ

ᚷᛁᛒᚱᚩᚦᚫᚱ

ᚪᚠᛟᛞᛞᚫᚻᛁᚫᚹᚣᛚᛁᚠᛁᚾᚱᚩᛗᚫᚳᚫᛋᛏᚱᛁ᛬

ᚩᚦᛚᚫᚢᚾᚾᛖᚷ

Transliteration

ROMWALUSANDREUMWALUSTWŒGEN
GIBROÞÆR
AFŒDDÆHIÆWYLIFINROMÆCÆSTRI:
OÞLÆUNNEG

Interpretation

Romwalus and Reumwalus twœgen gibroþær:
afœddæ hiæ wylif in Romæ cæstri,
oþlæ unneg.

Translation

Romulus and Remus, two brothers: a she-wolf fed them in Rome city, far from their native land.



Right Panel

Right Panel of the Franks Casket

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Transcription

ᚻᛶᚱᚻᛴᛋᛋᛵᛏᛸᚦᛴᚾᚻᛸᚱᛗᛒᛶᚱᚷᛸᛷᚷᛚ

ᛞᚱᛵᚷᛵᚦᛋᚹᛸ

ᚻᛵᚱᛵᛶᚱᛏᛷᛶᚷᛵᛋᚷᚱᛷᚠᛋᛸᚱᛞᛖᚾᛋᛴᚱᚷᛸᛷ

ᚾᛞᛋᛶᚠ‍ᚪᛏᛴᚱᚾᛸ

ᚱᛁᛋᚳᛁ

ᛒᛁᛏᚪ

ᚹᚢᛞᚢ

Transliteration

HERHOSSITÆÞONHÆRMBERGÆAGL[.]
DRIGIÞSWÆ
HIRIERTAEGISGRAFSÆRDENSORGÆA
NDSEF͡ATORNÆ
RISCI
BITA
WUDU

Interpretation

Her hos sitæþ on hærmbergæ,
agl[.] drigiþ; swæ hiri Erta egi sgraf,
særden sorgæ and sefa tornæ.

Risci.
Bita.
Wudu.

Translation

Here the horse stands above the mound of woe,
It suffers tribulation; just as to her Erta appointed anxiety,
A grave of grief, in sorrow and anguish of heart.

Wood. Biter. Rush.