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Attested
Found in inscriptions or medieval manuscripts.
Ansuz is the fourth rune of the Elder Futhark and writes the sound /a/.
The Icelandic poem calls this rune óss, a god, and describes an ancient god who is lord of Ásgarðr and ruler of Valhalla. The Norwegian poem uses óss for a river mouth, the usual way into a voyage. The Old English poem calls it ōs and describes the mouth as the source of all speech.
Reconstructed
Scholarly reconstruction from linguistic evidence.
The Proto-Germanic name is reconstructed as *ansuz, "a god."
In practice today
How people use this rune now, in divination, magic, and devotion. Valid in its own right, and labeled modern so it isn’t mistaken for history.
In Ralph Blum's modern divination system, this rune (spelled Ansuz) is read as signals or messages.
Practice today: wyrd, galdr, and other old words people use when working with the runes now.