Taufr
Old Norse for sorcery, charms, talismans. A sorcerer was a tauframaðr, a “charm man”. The word lives on in Icelandic töfrar, “magic”, and its cousin is German Zauber.
The lake that was Taufr
Above Tau in Ryfylke lies Krossvatnet. The local historian Holger Barkved believed its old name was Taufr, “sorcery”, and that the village took its name from the lake. Click the water to ask it something. Click the glowing marks to hear what is known.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The word
The seeress’s pouch
In the Saga of Erik the Red, the seeress Þorbjörg lítilvölva wears a large pouch on her belt. In it she keeps her töfr, the charms she needs for her knowledge.
Taufer, 1389
Tau is first written down in 1389 as Taufer, then Taugir (1427) and Thouff (1602). Scholars are not sure of the origin. It is either taufr, “sorcery”, or taug, “rope”, for the way the stream runs.
Tauver
Some Norwegian dialects kept the word as tauver, a sickness that lamed the mouth and throat of cattle. Folk belief said it was caused by witchcraft.
Cast the runes
Think of a question, then draw three of the sixteen runes of the Younger Futhark.
Write your name in runes
The Younger Futhark had only sixteen signs, so many sounds share a rune. This is how a Viking-age carver might have written it.
ᛏᛅᚢᚠᚱ
Send a raven
Questions, stories from Tau, or a rune you want read? Send word.