Runes have been around since the early 5th century. Many believe them to be tools that can be used to see the future. They can be made from glass, wood or stone. The people most famous for drawing them, the Vikings and other Germanic tribes would draw them on stones and keep them in pouches or boxes. The Vikings used to carve them on big rocks to mark the lives of great men and women. Here’s an example of a rune alphabet:

Medieval sources mention seeing “victory runes” being carved on swords. The Vikings used runes as letters. They would use them to mark things of importance and on the tombstones of those they deemed heroes. Other places that they would carve ruins are :

• Cliff walls, rocks, and buildings as graffiti

• Art and craft objects put there by the gold and silversmiths, wood carvers, etc. who made them

• Trade markers, noting the name of the owner of a pile of trade goods

• Magical charms and talismans

• Religious objects

Runes were everywhere in those days. Primarily, because people believed they held great power, partly because they believed that these symbols and letters would bring them strength.

But the question I’m most curious about is this: Where did they come from?

Many rune studiers believe that they came from the Mediterranean people of the first century CE, who lived to the south of the Germanic tribes. I believe that they originated from the Vikings since it is believed that Odin himself created the runic alphabet.

The earliest known runes used by these Norse men and women were used as early as 200 A.D. The “Elder Futhark” as they refer to their runic alphabet is usually read from right to left. The alphabet is phonetic, with each letter representing a sound, therefore they do not need double consonants. 

They have been translated this way, as it is the closest to Ancient Norse.

After - Sithar

Believe - Trua

Death - Dauthi

Dragon - Dreki

Light - Ljos

The runes were also used for ritual functions, divination and to invoke higher powers that could affect the life and happiness of the tribe. They had runes for weather, fertility, love, and health as well as many others like life and death. The Vikings would carve them on their drinking cups, javelins, amulets, on the lintel of the houses and at the bow of the Viking ships.

When doing the research I was shocked to learn that a majority of these “rune masters” were women. These masters would wear striking clothes so they could be easily recognized as shamans in tribal circles. In the later Anglo - Saxon period, the traditional Germanic Futhark script consisted of twenty-four runes. They divided this alphabet into three "families" of eight runes.  They thought that the numbers three and eight had special magical powers. They named the three groups (aettir) after the Nordic gods Frey, Hagal, and Tyr. 

The Vikings thought that these runes were potent symbols that would solidify their ideas and alter their reality. The Vikings believed that the words they wrote had power and that they should use them wisely. In conclusion, runes helped them to find a sense of purpose and strength in themselves that they may not have been able to find otherwise.