Mannaz

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Characterized as a symbol representing humanity and social order, drawing from ancient mysticism and linguistic roots
2. Describing an emblem of human nature and community, often associated with growth and collaboration in esoteric traditions
3. Signifying a conceptual framework for understanding humankind and relationships, linked to historical and cultural significance in runic alphabets

Etymology: Mannaz is the name of a rune in the Elder Futhark, the oldest runic alphabet, used by Germanic peoples from roughly the 2nd to the 8th century. Its name is a reconstruction from Proto-Germanic "mannaz," meaning "man" or "human being," and it is the root of English "man" and German "Mann." The rune's shape, a sort of stylised figure with arms raised, is generally thought to reflect that meaning, though the link is an inference from the name rather than something the inscriptions state directly. The sound value of the rune is /m/, which is the reason the name is preserved in the first place. Runic alphabets were taught and remembered through "rune poems," short verses in which each letter is tied to a word starting with that sound. Old English and Old Norse versions survive, and each gives a line about mankind to the rune for m, so the name was kept alive through the poems long after everyday speakers stopped thinking of the letters as anything more than a sound.

Synonyms: rune, symbol, sign