Some Runes Used in “Once Upon A Time” Season 4

So, Queen Elsa has made her appearance in “Once Upon A Time” ABC TV series. And it looks like the production team care enough to include some ancient runes in their properties. Thus I can play my favorite runes deciphering game once again. Let’s take a look at some.

(Note: Google Chrome browser may not display runic font properly. You may need IE or Firefox to read at some point)

The Gravestones (episode 01) The Queen’s Diary (episode 01) The Urn (episode 03) The Scroll (episode 06) The Family Tree (episode 06) The Book of Lost Tales (episode 07) The Mama’s Letter (episode 10)

The Gravestones (episode 01)

I have seen the sneak peek of this scene quite a while. They seem to be Elder Futhark runes which are different from the movie (see my old post about this). But due to the strange spelling and the video was too blur, I couldn’t make it out. Until lately I find that they are just direct transcribing of plain English. It turns out that the they’d also misused some characters. For instance, they use “ᛜ” (ingwaz) for the letter “n” where it should normally represent “ŋ” (ng), and that confused me at first. They use “ᛇ” (eihwaz) or “ei, ï” instead of simple “i”. They also use “ᚦ” (thurisaz) couple with “ᚺ” (hagalaz) for “th” while the letter “ᚦ” alone should be sufficient. The inscriptions on both stones are also identical. And here is what we get.

The first line is still hard to read. The best I can guess is as follows.

Runes	Transliterate
ᚺᛖᚱᛖ ᛚᛇᛖᛋ	here lïes
ᚦᚺᛖ ᚲᛇᛜᚷ	þhe kïŋg
ᚨᛜᛞ	aŋd
ᚲᚹᚢᛖᛖᛜ	kwueeŋ
ᛟᚠ ᚨᚱᛖᛜᛞᛖᛚᛚᛖ	of areŋdelle

So, in OUAT, they suggest that these are really graves of the king and queen of Arendelle, not just the memorial stones.

Update: I’ve just found someone’s personal picture post in Google+. It is the set they were shooting at and that confirms the text.

The Queen’s Diary (episode 01)

Text in the diary are quite clear and easy to read. To be honest, I can read the diary before the gravestones. This confirms me that they really use Elder Futhark for plain English transcription. Runes in here are also used more proper than in the gravestones. At least they use “ᚾ” (nauthiz) for letter “n”. They (mostly) use “ᛏᚺ” (teiwaz+hagalaz) for “th”. That is ok if they mean to do letter by letter transcribing. Now, from the left hand side page, we get these fragments.

þher be some ??? ?? are painful and theight in them sets ??? ????

of some kinds of baseness are nobly undergone and most poor matters point to rïch ends

þhis my mean task would be as heay to me as odious o she

is wen times more gentle than her fathers: ï must remoe some thousands of these logs and pile them up upon a sore injunction: my sweet mistress point to rïch ends:

ï must remoe some thousands of these logs and pile them up upon a sore injuncton my sweet mistress weeps when she sees me work and says such baseness had

It’s not hard to see that text in the right hand side page are somewhat repeated text from the left. Note that I can translate these text in effortless because I have unexpected reference. It is actually the Shakespeare’s play, “The Tempest” Act 3 Scene 1. I started by translating few words and search them in the internet to see if anyone has already done this similar work but ultimately found that these are from “The Tempest”. Here is the passage of the original text.

FERDINAND There be some sports are painful, and their labor Delight in them sets off: Some kinds of baseness Are nobly undergone. And most poor matters Point to rich ends. This my mean task Would be as heavy to me as odious, but The mistress which I serve quickens what’s dead And makes my labors pleasures: O, she is Ten times more gentle than her father’s crabbed, And he’s composed of harshness. I must remove Some thousands of these logs and pile them up, Upon a sore injunction: My sweet mistress Weeps when she sees me work, and says such baseness Had never like executor. I forget: But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my labors, Most busy lest, when I do it.

I’m kind of impressed though it’s not relevant to the story. “Tempest” is still a meaningful choice in the scene when Elsa has learned something about their parent’s decision to go. Also The Tempest has very interesting plot in parallel to Frozen. In The Tempest, King Alonso and company in the ship are struck by the storm created by magic of Prospero, his old enemy, during the journey back from his daughter’s wedding.

The Urn (episode 03)
“I think these are ancient Futhark runes. I can’t read it” said Elsa.

You sure can’t, Elsa. For ones who know Nordic runes can identify in no time that the inscription is not Futhark, particularly those triangles. The symmetry figures look more like decorations than a meaningful writing. I doubt that the inscription is just a plot device to hold Elsa from destroying it. I don’t think those are real letters nor have any meaning.

But if we really want to do some (over?) analysis. They seem to fit with Old Italic script, a branch of Greek alphabets, which is the writing system used centuries Before Christ. And Elsa was right, these alphabets were literally ancient than any Futharks.

Old Italic Script

ABGDEVZHΘIKLMNΞOPŚQRSTUXΦΨ, read right to left

 
The writing direction of Old Italic can be either right-to-left or left-to-right. So the symmetry of those letters could be one word written in both directions.

 
Two first alphabets are obviously “D” and “I” respectively. But I’m not sure about the last one. It could be “G” or “P” depends on variation of the writing though I tend to believe it is G. So the direct transliteration is.

DIG DIG

 
Strange. I don’t know what language it is or what should it mean. To me, I’d rather leave it as untranslatable runes than to take it as the DIG DIG spell. Or maybe I am missing something.

The Scroll (episode 06)

This is from OUAT 4.06 promo. Many has already did the translation. I don’t know yet what it’s all about. It just read like this. Note that we can see more beginning lines in the Canadian promo as pointed out by Fabian’s comment below.

I have travelled the world near and far

my search knows no bounds

my obsession will not leave me

my search will continue to the ends of the earth

one thing I know for sure

the name of the savior is emma

the savior shall be my sister

the family must be complete

Pretty much Elder Futhark though they have misused some runes for example the use of ᚦ (þ) for ‘c’, the use of ᛉ (z) for ‘y’ and their invention of upside-down rune ᛗ (m) for ‘w’.

The Family Tree (episode 06)
This is the clearest picture I can get for now. May update later.

Looks like the production team have mastered their Elder Futhark skill. Still some errors to be found like the name should be “Harald” not “Herald” as spelt in runes.

I tried hard to see the name of the last queen. It looks like something “dafilotd”, “dafiwgle”. But still couldn’t make it out.

The Book of Lost Tales (episode 07)

Emma, What Belle brought to you is “The Book of Lost Tales”, a book edited by Christopher Tolkien, son of J.R.R.Tolkien, the creater of the Lord of the Rings. This book contains many early outlined “tales” of Middle-earth written by J.R.R.Tolkien but never been published.

On the left page there the excerpt from the chapter about “The Tale of Tinúviel”. The right page passages are just repeating of it.

Then was there much eagerness alight, and Eriol told them of his first

wanderings about the western havens, of the comrades he made, and the ports he knew; of how he was one time wrecked upon far western islands and

there upon a lonely eyot found an an- cient mariner who dwelt forever solitary in a cabin on the short, that he had fash- ioned of the timbers of his boat. More wise was he, said Eriol, in all matters of the sea than any other I have

met, and much wizardry was there in his lore. Strange things he told me of regions far beyond the Western Sea, of the Magic Isles and that most lonely one that lies behind. Once long ago, he said, he had sighted it glimmering

afar off, and after had he sought it many a day in vain.

Text are plain English written in Anglo-Saxon Futhorc Runes not Elder Futhark Runes and that’s why this time Elsa cannot read it but Belle can (seriously?).

The Mama’s Letter (episode 10)
And finally, they have made it right to the script. The Anglo-Saxon Futhorc in the letter are transcribed almost exactly the same as Anna read. No repeated text, no irrelevant text this time. Beautiful.

 

 

dearest darling daughters, you nœd to know the truth about hwy we went to this voyage. it wasnt hwat we told you. i wish we could be telling you in person but alas that does not appear possible. elsa, anna, time is running out. i do not know if your father and i will ever get back to you. but i nœd you to know we were so wrong. we were wrong to tell elsa to conceal her powers. you must know this. i fœl terrible this happened before and i cannot let it happen again. years ago i made the same mistake with my sister ingrid. she like you had ice powers. i never told you about my sisters helga and ingrid they were beautiful and kind and ingrid they they were beautiful and kind and wonderful and i was fearful and i let that fear guide me. i made the mistake of letting ingrid hide hwen we should have celebrated her for how she was. i loved her so much. in this crystal are the memoy of my sisters which i stole from the people of arendelle. please return them. my sisters deserve to be known. in a cave in the north valley, you will find an urn that contains my sister ingrid. please do hwat i should have done years ago and release her. she deserves to be remembered and more importantly like you, ersa and anna, she deserves to be loved. hwen you sœ her, please terr her i love her and that i am sorry. terr her i would give anything to take back hwat i did, to hold hands with her iust one more time. all my love, mama.