We reach one of my favorite runes today — Giefu.
It means “gift”.
Most felicitous, since today is the feast of St Nicholas, famed for his giving!
Giefu’s forms in the different futharks is as follows:
- Eldar Futhark: *Gebō
- Anglo-Frisian: Ʒiefu (Giefu)
- Marcomannic: Gibu
Giefu is the first of the runes lost in the Younger Futhark. It also has the alternative Anglo-Saxon form Gyfu, along with an alternative interpretation: Gar “spear.”
The old runic poems focus on its meaning “gift,” and all the positive aspects of generosity, both in the honor it gives to the giver and the help it gives to the recipient.
Unsurprisingly, this sense is carried through to modern interpretions. The Giefu rune stands for generosity, and all aspects of giving and receiving, including within relationships. It stands also as a pledge, since, in the past gifts were often given to cement relationships and alliances; they were visual, often long-lasting, tokens of agreements made.
This role of gifts still lingers today in the gift of rings when people get engaged or married.
The meaning “gift” is one frequently seen in names from all cultures and times.
Gyfu itself featured frequently in Anglo-Saxon girls names, such as:
- Ælfgifu — “elf gift”; Latinized as Elgiva
- Æðelgifu — “noble gift”; also Latinized as Elgiva
- Beorhtgifu — “bright gift”
- Cwengifu — “gift of a queen”
- Cynegifu — “royal gift”
- Eadgifu — “rich gift”; Latinized as Ediva
- Ealdgifu — “old gift”
- Godgifu — “gift of (a) God”; Latinized as Godiva
- Goldgifu — “gold gift”
- Hungifu — “gift of the Hun”
- Leofgifu — “dear gift”; Latinized as Leviva
- Leohtgifu — “gift of light”
- Modgifu — “gift of the heart”
- Osgifu — “gift of (a) God”
- Sægifu — “gift of the sea”
- Sunngifu — “gift of the sun”
- Wulfgifu — “wolf gift”
- Wynngifu — “gift of joy”
Many Greek names too featured the element dôros (feminine dôra) and dotos (feminine dota), deriving from the verb didômi “to give.” It was frequently found coupled with the name of a deity. Just some of them are:
- Apollodorus, Apollodora — “gift of Apollo”
- Apollodotus, Apollodota — “gift of Apollo”
- Artemidorus (short form: Artemias), Artemidora — “gift of Artemis”
- Asclepiodotus (short form: Asclepias), Asclepiodota — “gift of Asclepius”
- Athenadorus, Athenadora — “gift of Athena”
- Casiodorus, Casiodora — “gift of a brother”
- Cleodorus, Cleodora — “gift of glory”
- Diodorus, Diodora — “gift of Zeus”
- Diodotus, Diodota — “gift of Zeus”
- Dionysodorus, Dionysodora — “gift of Dionysus”
- Dorothea — “gift of a God(dess)”; has the well-known vernacular form of Dorothy, short-forms Dora and Thea, and pet-forms Dot, Dotty, Doll, Dolly, Dodie and Dodo.
- Eudorus, Eudora — “well given”
- Hecatodorus, Hecatodora — “gift of Hecate”
- Heliodorus, Heliodora — “gift of Helius”
- Herodotus, Herodota — “gift of Hera”
- Isidorus (usually Isidore in English), Isidora — “gift of Isis”
- Metrodorus, Metrodora — “gift of a/the mother”
- Nymphadorus (short form: Nymphas), Nymphadora — “gift of the nymphs”
- Olympiodorus, Olympiodora — “gift of an Olympian (God)”
- Pandora — “gift of all (the Gods)”
- Parthenodorus, Parthenodora — “gift of the Maiden” (a reference to Athena)
- Philodorus, Philodora — “gift of a friend”
- Polydorus, Polydora – “richly gifted”
- Pythodorus, Pythodora — “gift of Pytho”
- Theodorus (usually Theodore in English), Theodora — “gift of (a) God”
- Theodosius, Theodosia — “gift of (a) God” — a late variant of THEODORUS
- Theodotus, Theodota — “gift of (a) God”
Other names inspired by Giefu include
- Abishai — Hebrew “my father is a gift”
- Adia — Swahili: “gift” — specifically, a valuable gift
- Awen — Welsh: “poetic gift”
- Božidar — Slavic: “divine gift”
- Bertilak — Old English: “bright gift”
- Deodatus, Deodata — Latin: “gift of (a) God”
- Devdan — Sanskrit: “gift of (a) God”
- Dîyar — Kurdish: “gift”
- Donatus, Donata — Latin: “given”
- Doron — Greek: “gift”
- Hadiah — Malay: “gift”
- Hadiyya — Arabic: “gift”
- Jazi — Swahili: “gift” and “reward”
- Lahja — Finnish: “gift”
- Mahdiyeh — Persian: “gift of the moon”
- Makana – Hawaiian: “gift” and “prize”
- Maon — Old Irish: “gift” and “treasure”
- Matthew — Hebrew: “gift of Yahweh”
- Mehrdad — Persian: “gift of Mithras/the sun”
- Nawal — Arabic: “gift”
- Shai — Hebrew: “gift”
- Zawadi — Swahili: “gift” and “memento”
- Zebedee — Hebrew: “gift of (a) God”
