Berkanan

Name	Proto-Germanic	Old English	Old Norse
	*Berkanan	Beorc	Bjarken/Bjarkan
	"birch"	"birch"/"poplar"?	"birch"
Shape	Elder Futhark	Futhorc	Younger Futhark
Unicode	ᛒ U+16D2			ᛓ U+16D3
Transliteration	b
Transcription	b
IPA	[β]	[b]	[b], [p]
Position in rune-row	18		13

Berkanan is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the b rune ᛒ, meaning "birch". In the Younger Futhark it is called Bjarken in the Icelandic rune poem and Bjarkan in the Norwegian rune poem. In the Anglo-Saxon rune poem it is called beorc ("birch" or "poplar"). The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌱 b, named bairkan.

The letter shape is likely directly based on Old Italic 𐌁, whence comes also the Latin letter B.

The rune is recorded in all three rune poems:

Rune Poem:[1]	English Translation:
Old Norwegian Bjarkan er laufgrønstr líma; Loki bar flærða tíma.	Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub; Loki was fortunate in his deceit.
Old Icelandic Bjarkan er laufgat lim ok lítit tré ok ungsamligr viðr. abies buðlungr.	Birch is a leafy twig and little tree and fresh young shrub.
Anglo-Saxon Beorc byþ bleda leas, bereþ efne swa ðeah tanas butan tudder, biþ on telgum wlitig, heah on helme hrysted fægere, geloden leafum, lyfte getenge.	The poplar bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers, for it is generated from its leaves. Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned its lofty crown which reaches to the skies.

See also

• Elder Futhark
• Rune poem
• Beith (letter)
• Loki

References

1. Original poems and translation from the Rune Poem Page.