Reading the Runes: ‘Futhark,’ the Viking Runic Alphabet, Its History, and Meanings

Reading the Runes: 'Futhark,' the Viking Runic Alphabet, Its History, and Meanings


Reading the runes isn’t easy, but this article will help you through! The Runic alphabet has been around for thousands of years and was used to write many Germanic languages, including that of the Vikings, before the Latin alphabet was introduced.

The Viking Age was an enthralling period in history, known for its fearsome warriors, legendary raids, and enigmatic mythology. The use of runes, a writing system used throughout the Norse world for over a thousand years, is one of the most intriguing aspects of Viking culture. The Futhark, a set of 24 symbols thought to have magical and mystical properties, is the most famous of these runic alphabets. In this blog post, we’ll look at Futhark’s history, meanings, and applications and why it still fascinates us today. Join us on a runic journey to discover the secrets of this ancient language.

Runes were (and still are) believed to hold power, symbolize inherent qualities and values, and be associated with magic, in addition to having meanings in more modern divination and oracle reading practices.

Runes are now used frequently in popular culture and the fantasy genre as a whole. It’s easy to see why runes still have such a strong hold on us when we investigate their origins.

Etymology, history, and origins: Early examples and applications

The earliest runic inscriptions discovered date from around 150 AD, and runes were used by many Germanic communities as early as the 1st or 2nd century AD. When Christianity took hold between 700-1100 AD, runes were gradually replaced by Latin characters, though their practical use persisted for some decorative and specialized purposes for some time afterwards.

The Scandinavian ‘Elder Futhark’ (150-800AD) and ‘Younger Futhark’ (800-1100 AD), as well as the Anglo-Saxon ‘Futhorc’ (400-1100 AD), are the three most well-known runic alphabets. The name of the Anglo-Saxon form differs due to a shift in sound when pronounced in Old English. The Younger Futhark is also divided into several branches, which later evolved into the Medieval and Dalecarlian Runes.

The Younger Futhark was widely distributed, with over 3,000 examples discovered in Scandinavia and other Viking Age settlements. The Elder Futhark is thought to have been a more secretive script known only to a much smaller literate elite (approximately 350 inscriptions have been discovered).

Some inscriptions between 650 and 800 AD mixed Elder and Younger Futhark runes.

The Swedish province of Dalarna (where the Dalecarlian runes survived until the twentieth century) has been dubbed the “last stronghold of the Germanic script.”


The term ‘rune’

The name ‘rune’ comes from the Germanic root ‘run’ (Gothic ‘runa’), which means ‘whisper’ 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.

In other cultures, the root ‘run’ means ”speech” in some Baltic languages, and ‘runoti’ (Lithuanian) means ”to speak” or ”to cut with a knife” – their forefathers must have had sharp tongues and wits!

Another 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’.

Unsurprisingly, Tolkien was inspired by the runic alphabet when creating the languages for The Lord of the Rings. If we consider runes to be the physical manifestation of secrets and intent, it’s not difficult 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 given that far fewer people in early history mastered the written word than it is now. Those who mastered it could not only speak power into the world, but also carry it with them.


Runes and Vikings

According to Norse mythology, Yggdrasil (the world-tree) holds all nine worlds and grows from the Well of Urd. In this well, three Norns live, who use runes to carve the fate of each individual being into the ancient bark at the base of the timeless tree. Odin, the Norse Gods’ king, impaled himself with his own spear and hung from Yggdrasil for nine days and nights in order to discover the true meaning of the runes and the secrets they contain.

Odin made this painful sacrifice because he knew that runes held profound meaning and that understanding them would bestow profound wisdom upon him. After the ninth night, Odin discovered the runes among Yggdrasil, reached out for them, and reclaimed his life, grasping within his hands the power, wisdom, and responsibility of the written form; all its secrets, mysteries, intent, and magic.

This story from Norse Mythology leads us to believe that Vikings saw runes as symbols with potent inherent qualities that could be used to communicate with the supernatural realm rather than just letters.

Runes were used in Viking religion and magic, carved into weapons to imbue them with power. Many people wore them as a form of luck, faith, meaning, and protection.
The use of runes in magic, divination, and oracle reading

In addition to serving as a writing system, some evidence suggests that runes were historically used in magic, divination, and rune reading.


Runic enchantment

There is mention of ‘victory runes’ being carved on swords in the infamous Poetic Edda, while evidence from the Roman and Germanic ages in the form of the words ‘alu’ and ‘erilaz’ are thought to mean an instance of runic magic and someone versed in runes and their magical applications, respectively. More recently, we have Icelandic magical staves, which are runic sigils believed to have magical properties and can be found in 17th-century Icelandic grimoires.

More recently, new varieties of ‘runic magic’ were developed in Germanic mysticism and expanded upon by Germanic Neopagans.


Divination and rune reading

Modern rune divination systems draw influence from Hermeticism, Occultism, and the I Ching (an ancient Chinese divination text).

After being inspired by visions, Johannes Bureus, a 17th-century Hermeticism and Rosiscrucianism practitioner, created the Adulruna, a runic divination system based on the Futhark (Runes) and Kaballah (from Jewish Mysticism). Guido von List created the Armanen runes (based on the Younger Futhark) in his book ‘The Secret of the Runes’ in 1902, and others have since expanded upon them.

Several other runic divination systems have been developed since then, with Ralph Blum writing the first book on runic divination in 1982, which resulted in the creation of a set of runes designed for oracle reading, divination, and fortune telling – where runes are selected from a bag or thrown down at random for a reading.


The names and meanings of the runes

Because runes have been around for a long time and used in various ways by different cultures and communities, some of their meanings and names may vary from place to place. The most common transliterated runes are listed below, along with some of their perceived meanings and qualities.

  • A – Ansuz (ᚨ)
    ”God” – Odin, wisdom, truth, communication, inspiration, deity
  • B – Berkanan (ᛒ)
    ”Birch” – birth, fertility, growth, new beginnings
  • C – Kaunan/Cen (ᚲ)
    ”Torch” – revelation, creativity, fire, transformation, regeneration, illumination
  • D – Dagaz (ᛞ)
    ”Day” – dawn, awakening, awareness, breakthrough, new enterprises
  • E – Ehwaz (ᛖ)
    ”Horse” – fluidity, partnership, swiftness, trust, teamwork, harmonious relationships
  • F – Fehu (ᚠ)
    ”Cattle/Wealth” – money, abundance, luck
  • G – Gebo (ᚷ)
    ”Gift” – love, partnerships, generosity, exchanges, marriage
  • H – Hagalaz (ᚺ)
    ”Hail/Precipitation” – radical change, loss, transformation, uncontrollable force of nature
  • I – Isa/Isaz (ᛁ)
    ”Ice” – challenge, stillness, self-control, concentration
  • J – Jera (ᛃ)
    ”Year/Harvest” – peace, rewards, prosperity, fruitfulness
  • K/O – Kaun (ᚴ)
    Wound, transformation, regeneration, illumination, fire
  • L – Laguz (ᛚ)
    ”Water” – flow, sea, renewal, dreams, fantasies, intuition, sensitivity
  • M – Mannaz (ᛗ)
    ”Man” – friends, self, mankind, social order, intellect, mind, memory, learning
  • N – Naudiz (ᚾ)
    ”Need’ – necessity, hardship, endurance, survival, self-reliance
  • O – Othila/Opila/Opala (ᛟ)
    ”Heritage/Possession” – ancestral, home, plenty, inheritance, legacy
  • P – Peorth/Perþ- (ᛈ)
    Hearth, magic, mystery, secrets, divination, uncertain, hidden
  • R – Raido (ᚱ)
    ”Ride/Journey” – wheel, movement, travel, destiny
  • S – Sowilo (ᛋ)
    ”Sun” – health, energy, mastery, success, wholeness
  • T – Tiwaz (ᛏ)
    ”Tiwaz” (the god) – Victory, honour, justice, balance, leadership, authority
  • U/V – Uruz (ᚢ)
    ”Aurochs” (an extinct cattle) – power, strength, courage, creative force, endurance
  • W – Wunjo (ᚹ)
    ”Joy” – fellowship, hope, harmony, friendship, kinship, comfort
  • X/Z – Algiz (ᛉ)
    ”Elk/Protection/Defence” – self-defense, divine protection, courage, valkyrie energy
  • Y/æ – Eihwaz (ᛇ)
    ”Yew tree/Yggdrasil” – stability, reliability, strength, tree of life, eternity, resilience, longevity
  • TH/þ – Thuriaz/Purisaz (ᚦ)
    ”Giant/Thord” – strength, defence, protection, conflict, change, catharsis
  • ŋ -Ingwaz (ᛜ / ᛝ)
    ”Ing” (the god) – unity, harmony, agreement

Today’s runes

It’s easy to see why runes are still so popular in culture today. Being able to write secrets, stories, and intentions down must have seemed like a certain type of magic at a time when humanity was still grappling with making sense of the world.

Their bold, straight, visceral lines echo the era in which they were created: a time when life was hard and people were even harder, when the gap between cultures and the individuals within them seemed larger and more unknown. Their roots in history and mythology imbue them with an ancient, fantastical sense, reinforced by their use in popular culture and modern divination. They also appear to be pretty cool.

We don’t know how much the Vikings and their Germanic cousins believed in the significance of runes, other than as an important communicative tool, but it’s easy to imagine them as much more than simply spoken words carved into rocks.

Many mysteries remain unsolved behind the runes discovered thus far, and there are likely still some Germanic secrets written down in them, daring to be deciphered.

Aside from future discoveries, in a world where hastily scribbled text travels as fast as a finger can push, the time and thought that must have gone into ancient writing stands in stark contrast. In some ways, runes and other ancient alphabets harken back to when words seemed more important. They are still; perhaps they can help remind us of that even today.

So, the next time you need to write something important, try doing so with the zeal of a Viking, scratching the letters into stone.

You never know who might come across them in 2,000 years.

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