Alu: the most common early runic charm word
The word alu is three runes: ansuz, laguz, uruz. It stands on at least fourteen named objects from the third to the eighth century, bracteates and brooches among them, and it is the most common early runic charm word. What it meant, nobody has settled: ale, protection, ecstasy and dedication have all been argued, and none has won. The word was carved where it mattered, and its meaning left with the carvers.
Where this comes from
attested use alu on at least fourteen named objects · third to eighth century
The count and the centuries are the solid part: at least fourteen named objects, third to eighth century, catalogued by name. The readings argued for the word over the years include ale, protection, ecstasy and dedication, and none of them has carried the field. Where a modern book gives alu one settled meaning, that meaning is the book’s own, and the book is recent. The honest statement is the count, the centuries, and the open question.
What the poems say
The poems describe the runes themselves, and alu never enters the four witnesses. What ansuz, laguz and uruz each mean on their own is gathered here, rune by rune.
Rune magic: what is attested, piece by piece Bind runes: what is attested, and what is new Ansuz Laguz Uruz