Phonetically, the runes of the Younger Futhark were working double-duty to cover the changes that were differentiating the Norse tongues from that of other Germanic peoples. This reduction in runes was not because the language was becoming simpler but because it was becoming more complicated. By the Viking Age (roughly, 793-1066) the Elder Futhark gradually gave way to the Younger Futhark. The Kingittorsuaq Runestone below was found in Greenland and is currently located at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.Įlder Futhark has 24 runes, and over the next few centuries became widely used amongst the many Germanic tribes that vied for survival throughout northern Europe. However, most of them were found in Sweden, and many of these were erected in the eleventh century as the Viking And in Denmark as early as the eighth and ninth century.

Some of the raised runestones first appear in the fourth and fifth century in Norway and Sweden. Runestones were often raised next to grave sites. Others might have been meant to consecrate ground. Runestones were intended as a display of power, declaring the dominion of the ruling family (such as Harald Bluetooth’s famous Jelling stones). Though gray and weathered now, runestones were once brightly colored and featured red, black, or blue runes. There are about 3,500 known runic inscriptions in Scandinavia (2,400 in Sweden, 450 in Denmark and only about 140 in Norway). During the Viking Age (circa 793-1066), runestones proliferated and included large, heavy monuments carved by specialists. Roughly 50 runestones have been found from the early Migration Era, before the Vikings. (Read more about the Svingerud Stone here).Īs the name implies, runestones were stones (often large monoliths of granite) inscribed with runic messages and sometimes pictures. UPDATE: 2023: An older runestone known as the Svingerud Stone was recently excavated in Norway and the carved runes are believed to have been inscribed around the time of Christ, pushing back the age the Elder Futhark runes even further. Elder Futhark earns its designation because it is the oldest-discovered complete runic system, appearing in order on the Kylver Stone from Gotland, Sweden, dated from the dawn of the Migration Era (around the year 400). Similarly, modern experts have termed runic alphabets futharks (or futhorks), based on the first six letters of Elder Futhark which roughly correspond to our F, U, Th, A, R, and K. Our word alphabet comes from the Greek letters, alpha and beta. With a little practice, runes are not difficult for English speakers to read. It is obvious to see how common influence between runes and English letters used today, such as the T, O, F and S seen in the image of the above pendants. While evidence suggests that most Vikings could read the runes on at least a basic level, for them the true study and understanding of these symbols was a pursuit fit for the gods. Rather than being penned on vellum or parchment, runes were usually carved on wood, bone, or stone, hence their angular appearance. Because they had inherent meaning, they could be used as a means of communication between the natural and supernatural, and could thus be used in spells for protection or success.Ĭarved on sticks, bone, shells, or other objects, runes could be cast and deciphered to discern the present or predict the future. They could be carved into runestones to commemorate ancestors and mark the graves of heroes.

Instead, runes were originally for inscriptions of great importance. However, they did not use this writing the way we do now, or even the way Mediterranean and other neighboring cultures did then. The Norse and other Germanic peoples wrote with runes since at least the first century. So, we see from this story how the Vikings thought of runes not merely as letters but as having potent virtues within themselves of a metaphysical or even magical nature. Odin made his sacrifice at great anguish and risk to himself because he knew that the runes conveyed deep meaning, and if he could understand their meaning he would gain profound wisdom and power. In Norse lore, the god, Odin, impaled his heart with his own spear and hung on the world tree, Yggdrasil, for nine days and nights all to perceive the meaning of the runes. The runes were symbols that sprang from the Well of Urd – the source of fate.

Elder futhark rune for strength