Who invented runes

Runic inscriptions expressing prayers, love letters, jokes and gags and personal messages were found in quantity there. Runic inscriptions, however, are rarely found on manuscripts. Rather, the futhark was used for memorial purposes, or to identify an object or for magical reasons, for cursing or healing. Contrary to popular belief, the Vikings were not illiterate, as most people could understand the runes.

While sagas, tales and songs were all memorized and unwritten, there would have been no use for a memorial stone if no one could understand the runic inscription on it. Since there were thousands of runestones, it stands to reason that most people could understand the runic inscriptions. The historical origins of the runes came from the days when Germanic warbands raided people living south of them, in present day Italy.

In the Viking Age, runes were used only by the people living in the Nordic area. The Vikings who traveled the world brought the runes with them. The runic alphabet of the Viking Age lacks some runes to express all sounds in the language. There are no longer runes for o, d, e and g. The Vikings instead used the runes closest to the sound they were supposed to use.

They could use the u-run for the o-sound, the t-run for the d-sound, the i-run for the e-sound and the k-run for the g-sound. Even though there are fewer letters in the runic alphabeth of the Viking Age Younger Futhark it is the easiest of the two Futharks to use today, because the runes here can be easily rewritten to the letters we have today. You write words and names as they sound. Christoffer is written 'kristofer', and if you are called Chanel, you have to write it, as you pronounce it: 'sjanel'.

You should not use the same rune twice in succession and there is no difference between big and small runes. So if you are called Marianna or Emma, just write 'mariana' or 'ema'.

All runes have their own name, which dates back to the earliest runes. The names of the runes have probably helped to remember what sound the runes stand for. It is only the rune names of the Viking Age that we know for sure. If Odin was first and always the highest magician, we realize that the runes, however recent they may be, would have fallen under his sway. New and particularly effective implements for magic works, they would become by definition and without contest a part of his domain.

From the perspective of the ancient Germanic peoples themselves, however, the runes came from no source as mundane as an Old Italic alphabet. No aid I received, Not even a sip from the horn. The tree from which Odin hangs himself is surely none other than Yggdrasil , the world-tree at the center of the Germanic cosmos whose branches and roots hold the Nine Worlds. Directly below the world-tree is the Well of Urd , a source of incredible wisdom.

The runes themselves seem to have their native dwelling-place in its waters. There stands an ash called Yggdrasil, A mighty tree showered in white hail. A kenning is a figure of speech, a roundabout, two-word phrase used in the place of a one-word noun. Kennings were first used in Anglo-Saxon and Norse poetry. Kennings can be developed into a poem or a riddle but a Kenning refers to the two word expression. Skip to content Useful tips.