Odin made this painful sacrifice because he knew that runes held deep meaning and that understanding them would bring upon him profound wisdom. Odin - king of the Norse Gods - impaled himself with his own spear, hanging from Yggdrasil for nine days and nights in order to discover the true significance of the runes and the secrets that they hold. In this well live three female entities called Norns, who use runes to carve the destiny of every individual being into the ancient bark at the base of the timeless tree. In Norse lore it is told that Yggdrasil (the world-tree) holds all nine worlds and grows out of the Well of Urd. Those that became adept in it were not only able to speak power into the world, but carry it with them too.

If we imagine runes as the physical embodiment of secrets and intention, it’s not hard to imagine them having fantastical properties – bringing mystery, power, protection and a certain magic that lies beneath to the world in a more physical form especially when, during early history, the written word was mastered by far fewer people than it is now. No wonder Tolkien was inspired by the runic alphabet for the languages he forged for The Lord of the Rings.

In other cultures, the root ‘run’ means ‘’speech’’ in some Baltic languages, while ‘runoti’ (Lithuanian) means ‘’to speak’’ or ‘’to cut with a knife’’ – we imagine their ancestors must have had some sharp tongues and wits indeed!Īnother theory is that the root of ‘ rune’ comes from the root ‘ reuə’ (' dig’) in Indo-European language, while the Finnish term for rune (‘ riimukirjain’) means ‘ scratched letter’ and ‘ runo’, which originates from a similar source to the English ‘ rune’ means ‘ poem’ – a word borrowed from the Proto-Germanic ‘rūnō’, which means ‘ letter’, ‘ literature’ or ‘ secret’. Similarly, in Old Irish Gaelic, ‘ run’ also means ‘ secret’ as well as ‘ mystery’ or ‘ intention’ and in Old English and Welsh, ' rūn' and ' rhin' mean ‘ mystery’, ‘ secret’ or ‘ secret writing’ - fitting, considering the mystery and power that runes (and language as a whole) have been considered to wield throughout history, and an insight into why they may have been looked upon to wield magical properties too. The name ‘ rune’ is derived from the Germanic root ‘ run’ (Gothic ‘ runa’), to mean ’ whisper’ or ‘ secret’. The Elder Futhark is thought to have been a more secretive script, know by a much fewer literate elite (only about 350 inscriptions have been found).īetween 650 to 800 AD, some inscriptions mixed the use of Elder and Younger Futhark runes.įun fact: The Swedish province of Dalarna (where the Dalecarlian runes persisted until the 20 th century) has been called the ‘last stronghold of the Germanic script’. The Younger Futhark was widely spread and examples have been found around 3,000 times in Scandinavia and other Viking Age settlements.

The Younger Futhark is also subdivided into several branches and developed into the Medieval and Dalecarlian Runes as time went on. The Anglo-Saxon form differs in name due to a shift in the sound when pronounced in Old English. The three most well known runic alphabets are the Scandinavian ‘Elder Futhark’ (150-800AD) and ‘Younger Futhark’ (800-1100 AD) and the Anglo-Saxon ‘Futhorc’ (400-1100 AD). Runes began to be replaced with Latin characters once Christianity began to take hold between 700-1100 AD, though their practical use persisted for some decorative and specialized purposes for sometime after. The oldest runic inscriptions found to date are from around 150 AD, while runes were used by many Germanic communities from the 1 st or 2 nd century AD. Origins, history and etymology Early examples and uses When exploring the origins behind them, it’s easy to see why runes still resonate with us so much still. Today, runes have also become a common occurrence in popular culture and the fantasy genre as a whole. The runic alphabet has existed for thousands of years and was used to write many Germanic languages before the introduction of the Latin alphabet, including that of the Vikings.Īs well as being a literal alphabet used during the Viking ages, runes were (and still are by some) believed to hold power, symbolize inherent qualities and values and be associated with magic, as well as having meanings in more modern divination and oracle reading practices too.

Rune alphabet elder futhark