Kaunan: Information from Answers.com

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Name	Proto-Germanic	Anglo-Saxon	Old Norse
	*Kaunan(?)	Cen	Kaun
	?	"torch"	"ulcer"
Shape	Elder Futhark	Futhorc	Younger Futhark
Shape
Unicode	ᚲ U+16B2	ᚳ U+16B3	ᚴ U+16B4
Transliteration	k	c	k
Transcription	k	c	k, g
IPA	[k]	[k], [c]	[k], [g]
Position in rune-row	6

The evolution of the rune in the elder futhark during the centuries.

The k-rune ᚲ (Younger Futhark ᚴ, Anglo-Saxon futhorc ᚳ) is called Kaun in both the Norwegian and Icelandic rune poems, meaning "ulcer". The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is *Kaunan. It is also known as Kenaz ("torch"), based on its Anglo-Saxon name.

The Elder Futhark shape is likely directly based on Old Italic c 𐌂 / Latin C. The Younger Futhark / Futhorc shapes have parallels in Old Italic shapes of k 𐌊, Latin K (compare the Negau helmet inscription). The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌺 k, called kusma.

Rune Poem:^[1]	English Translation:
Old Norwegian ᚴ Kaun er barna bǫlvan; bǫl gørver nán fǫlvan.	Ulcer is fatal to children; death makes a corpse pale.
Old Icelandic ᚴ Kaun er barna böl ok bardaga [för] ok holdfúa hús. flagella konungr.	Disease fatal to children and painful spot and abode of mortification.
Anglo-Saxon ᚳ Cen byþ cwicera gehwam, cuþ on fyre blac ond beorhtlic, byrneþ oftust ðær hi æþelingas inne restaþ.	The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame; it always burns where princes sit within.
Notes: The Icelandic poem is glossed with Latin flagella "whip". The Anglo-Saxon poem gives the name cen "torch".

Kaunan

References