![]() ![]() ![]() The runic alphabet is named after its first six letters: The oldest runes are often found on items such as coins, suit buckles, weapons and implements, and are often the names of the owner of the item or the name of the person who made it. The earliest runic inscriptions, dating from ca 150 AD, are particularly common in what is now Denmark, Northern Germany and Southern Sweden. Runes developed in areas populated by Germanic tribes, probably inspired by the Latin alphabet of the Romans. What are runes?ĭuring the first centuries AD, the Romans influenced most of Europe. The Latin letters are the ones we use today. They are imitations of the Latin letters used in most of Europe during the Viking era. The first set was Freysætt, the second was Hagalsætt or Heimdallsætt, and the third was Týsætt.The Vikings used letters called runes. When used for magic or divination, they were divided into three sets. The Norse had a different order to arrange the runes: f u þ a r k, h n i j s t, b m l ʀ - ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚬ ᚱ ᚴ, ᚼ ᚾ ᛁ ᛅ ᛋ ᛏ, ᛒ ᛘ ᛚ ᛦ. The obsolete runes and their names (in Old English) are in brackets. Some of the runes in the chart were no longer used in the Norse kingdoms. Heritage, estate, possession, inheritance, tradition, nobility Yngvi/Ingwaz, fertilization, the beginning of something, the actualization of potential, Freyr Water, sea, ocean, formlessness, chaos, potentiality, the unknown, lake, waterfall Horse, trust, faith, companionship, twin forces Protection, shield, elk, defense of that which one lovesīirch tree, fertility, growth, sustenance, birth, liberation Yew, strength, stability, yew tree, dream, YggdrasilĮlder tree, feminine energy, dance, sexuality (speculation) Torch, fire, malady, death, mortality, pain, ulcer Movement, work, growth, journey on horseback, horse, ride, Thor Odin, inspiration, wisdom, prosperity, vitality, god The heraldic weapon of Hedeby is two "F"-runes double written to also look like a tree. Odin even tells of how he can raise the dead with his runic knowledge.įloki uses runes carved on antlers to cure Ragnar from disease. Victory in battle, love, protections of the gods, and the curing of disease could be achieved from runic magic. It was believed that runes had great magic within them and by carving, naming, and painting the runes correctly that magic could be invoked. Staring into the void beneath the tree he pulled up the runes. According to legend, Odin hung on the worldtree Yggdrasil for nine nights without food or drink. Neither is it known why the futhark was first invented, but Norse mythology paints an esoteric story. Why and when runes started to be considered to have magical abilities is still not known. Runes where used for everything from marks of a craftsman, to writing memory stones, simple messages, and magic. Although the use of the Younger Futhark eventually declined after the Christianization of Scandinavia, there were still living traditions of using a descendant of the Younger Futhark, the Dalecarlian runes, in remote areas of Scandinavia which continued into the 20th century. The Elder Futhark was phased out during the 8th century. The original Elder Futhark developed into the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc and the Younger Futhark, the latter was used for Old Norse, the language that was spoken by the Vikings. Like the Latin alphabet is called "alphabet" due to the first letters being alpha (A) and beta (B), a runic alphabet is called a futhark because it derives from their first six letters of the alphabet, "f," "u," "th," "a," "r," and "k." There are several futharks due to the changes in the languages of the Germanic peoples. They were probably inspired by the Latin alphabet, but took on their own significance among Germanic peoples. ![]() Runic inscriptions appeared first in Denmark in the first centuries AD. ![]()
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