According to the the Unicode folks, an Ethel (or œðel) is a Runic character, but it doesn’t much resemble your example.

and i thought Bringhurst was the authority on everything! In any case, I’m referring here to the OE ligature.

I’ve not seen the O and E overlapped so much before. It seems like it would be a dark spot in the text and stick out though.

ChrisL

I’ve seen that form before too. I’m thinking Koch, or maybe a Czech.

hhp

It’s an archaic form. I’ve seen it used in a title page from the Imprimerie Royale, 1750, spelling “OEUVRES”, where it is useful to avoid three consecutive vowels.
Transitional.

nick! are you back on the continent yet?

Oh yes, I think I might have recently seen it in some IN book [too].
Paul, let me know if you’d like me to track it down.

BTW, I’m curious: What’s wrong with three vowels (visually)? Also, the “OE” there is linked due to grammatical rules - it’s like a distinct letter, so it’s not like it’s an option (although Baskerville for one has set them -or actually an “AE”- as two characters, just using tighter spacing to “link” them).

hhp

... it is useful to avoid three consecutive vowels

There’s an Aegean island in The Odyssey call Aeaea, sometimes spelled Aiaia. How’s that for vowels?

> Aeaea

Ah yes, home of the mythical Greek Tarzan!

OK, some vowel trivia:
What’s the only word in Arabic that’s made up only of vowels?

hhp

FF Acanthus by Akira Kobayashi has it.