Elder [0] and Younger [1] Futhark (or Fuþark) are the name of two runic writing systems used by Germanic and Scandinavian Vikings. The name Futhark is a combination of the first 6 runes /f/, /u/, /ð/, /ɑ/, /r/, and /k/. Similar to how you get the name "alphabet" from the first two letters of Greek's writing system.
replyi had only skimmed this link and not even wondered about the name - but learned the meaning serendipitously within 2 minutes when it popped up in the OTHER hackernews link i had opened:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48118478 which links to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_runestones
replyFuthark appears in the first paragraph! i don't think i ever read the term before