Runes, More Than an Alphabet
This will cover what the runes are. We’ll be staying away from the heady, mystic aspects of the runes for this post. Sad, I know, but it’s important, when learning something as dense as the rune system, to start off on an Apollonian foot.
(While we’re here, if you approach any esoteric tradition without double-checking it against concrete historical or scientific evidence, you’ll likely fall victim to erroneous beliefs and irrational thinking. Fuck that.)
These are runes. Pretty cool-looking, huh? You might have seen them in various movies, video games, or maybe someone’s Instagram page.
Frequently, in the fictional representation of magic, you’ll see Germanic runes, either reimagined or borrowed, straight-up. This is to say that even today, the runes have a subconscious connection with magic. However, despite the rather cheap treatment of runes in modern culture, they are, in fact, powerful, primordial symbols.
Before we get too deep, there are two competing narratives about the runes. The first is the strait-laced, academic narrative (where we’ll be focusing our attention today). The other narrative is the runes as a powerful system of personal transformation.
On a superficial level, the runes are glyphs or “letters” within an old-school Germanic “alphabet”. While many scholars leave it at that, the runes are much more than profane phonetic placeholders. The runes, on a deeper level, are ideographic primers for the various holy concepts, mysteries, and secret lore within the pagan religion of ancient Teutonic peoples.
You could think of the runes as dense computer files. Each rune is a unique file, and inside, contains nearly endless data on the psychological, physical, and spiritual essence of each rune. The beauty of the runes is that the data inside these “files” is open-source, so to speak.
For now, let’s eschew the esoteric and stick to what’s provable by evidence and fact. Without a solid foundational understanding, the esoteric practice will be malnourished. Like a tree, any embarking runologist needs nutrient-dense soil before bearing delectable fruit.
So, let’s get into where the runes, as an “alphabet” system, comes from.
The Word “Rune”
The word rune is, notably, only found in Germanic and Celtic languages, and according to Dr. Stephen E. Flowers (Edred Thorsson) in his book, The Big Book of Runes and Rune Magic, this unique word has two possible etymologies. The first, from Proto-Indo-European,*reu- (to roar and to whisper), connects the word to the vocally performed aspect of runology. Secondly, we have the Proto-Indo-European *gwor-w-on-, which “connects it to the Greek and Indic gods Ouranos and Varuna”, giving it the context of a magical binding (Odin, coincidentally, is also a god associated with magical binding).[1]
From this ancient root word, we get the Germanic and Celtic root *runo-, which has been developed in every Germanic dialect, from Old Norse to Old English.
What is clear from this ubiquitous linguistic development, is that “rune” is an ancient, indigenous term, which, by its own definition, has more to do with mystery or archetypal secret lore than concrete signs or profane letters.[2]
Historical Theories About the Runic System
In his typically exhaustive manner, Dr. Flowers neatly breaks up where the exoteric runes might have originated into four distinct schools of thought: the Latin theory, the Greek theory, the North-Italic (or Etruscan) theory, and the indigenous theory.
Let’s bang out a quick overview:
- The Latin theory. First stated by L.F.A. Wimmer in 1874, this school of thought argues that the rune system was developed from increased contact between the Germanic peoples and Roman culture through trade routes along the Danube and the Rhine, where Germanic tribes adopted the Roman alphabet. However, it’s interesting to note that the oldest runic inscriptions aren’t found along southern trade routes but in the more remote northern regions of Scandinavia, where Romans typically weren’t.
- The Greek theory. Put forth by Sophus Bugge in 1899, this theory posits that the Goths adopted a version of Greek cursive, during contact with the Hellenic cultures hanging around the Black Sea. This is the weakest theory because the period of Gothic/Greek contact comes way later in history than the earliest runic inscriptions are dated. Most scholars have thrown this hypothesis out as a result.
- The North-Italic theory. This theory was first proposed by C.J.S. Marstrander in 1928, where it was modified by Wolfgang Kraus, among others, in 1937. This presupposes that the Germanic people adopted the North-Italian script as early as 300 BCE. This is without a doubt historically plausible, as Dr. Flowers points out because the initial contact between these groups came around three or four hundred years before we have any record of actual runic inscriptions. However, despite the plausibility of this theory, no one Etruscan alphabet has a clear model of the whole of the runic system, which leaves a lot of unanswered questions about how the runic system advanced so uniquely.
- Lastly, we have the indigenous theory. This was developed in the nineteenth century and gained lots of popularity with the Nazis, so we can already tell it’s pretty much garbage. However, in the spirit of thorough examination, we’ll take a quick second to stomp on shit-brained Nazi ideology. Briefly, the idea is the runes are a primordial invention of the Germanic peoples and are even the basis for the Phoenician and Greek alphabets! First expounded by R.M. Meyer in 1896, the runes were thought to have been hieroglyph-adjacent staves that then developed into an alphabet based on the first phonetic value of each rune. This idea, according to Dr. Flowers, “cannot be substantiated because the oldest runic inscriptions date from the first century CE and the oldest Phoenician ones [sic] date from the thirteenth and twelfth centuries BCE.”[3] This is some master-race projection at its finest. Nice try, Hitler!
In all likelihood, the development of the exoteric rune system is probably a synthesis of these theories. The runic system, as an alphabet, probably originated from the Latin script. However, the Germanic people didn’t just accept the Latin system, hook, line, and sinker, but rather reformed it in a variety of ways to make it unique to their culture/worldview. Namely, encoding esoteric cultural secrets.
Furthermore, the runic system developed in unique ways for the various Germanic cultures using it. Consequently, there is the Elder Futhark, the Younger Futhark, the English Futhorc, and Anglo-Frisian set of runes, each with their own flair. While the foundational lore of the runes and their base function remains intact, certain staves (or runes) were conjoined, re-written, removed, or added-to over the centuries.
I bring this up because it highlights how the runes aren’t dogmatic—or else they would have remained in a perfect, unchanged state. The runic system is a living, breathing complex of symbols, subject to adaptation according to various linguistic changes.
Runic Inscriptions
Tangible pieces of runic evidence are varied, including inscriptions on moveable objects (jewelry, weapons, amulets, etc.) and inscriptions on immovable objects (runestones, bauta stones, caves, cliffs, rock faces, etc.).[4]
In this section, we’ll look at some prime examples of runic inscriptions. I would strongly recommend digging through the internet for pictures and detailed analysis of these objects if you’re interested in this topic. These inscriptions are invaluable for the practicing runologist, as they show us the mind-set of our ancient forebearers.
This isn’t a comprehensive listing of runic inscriptions. In fact, I chose the following examples because they are some of the best at illustrating my original point: that the runes had a function beyond profane interpersonal communication. This is evidenced by the consistent reference to magic within the inscriptions themselves and the fact that they were painstakingly carved into stone and colored according to mythic tradition.
Elder Period Inscriptions
First up, we’ll look at the Veblungsnes rock wall carving from about 550.
Found in central Norway, the carving reads “ek irilaz Wiwila”, or “I [am] the Erulian Wiwila”.
Erulian” is a word that scholars widely agree means runemaster, or magician, and “wiwila” translates roughly to “the little sanctified one”, or “the little one who sanctifies.”[5]
Typically, carvings like this are related to burial rites, and sometimes, runes were even used to protect the resting dead (or keep them inside their graves!). Note the implicit mention of magic here.
Secondly, we’ll look at the Kylver stone. This runestone was found during an excavation of a cemetery near a local farm in Gotland, Sweden. This one’s interesting for a couple of reasons. First, the stone was used to seal a grave, with an Elder Futhark inscription carved underneath the rock, where it would be impossible for anyone to read it. Secondly, this inscription is the earliest known sequential listing of the twenty-four Elder Futhark staves, albeit, with the thirteenth and fourteenth staves slightly out of order (presumably for magical purposes).
What would compel someone to carve letters into stone, where no one would read them, if there wasn’t an alternative (read, magical) use for the runic system?
Younger Period Inscriptions
We find Younger Futhark inscriptions on every material we find Elder Futhark inscriptions; however, Viking Age inscriptions are dominated by memorial stones. One such memorial stone is the Strö stone, found in Southern Sweden. This stone was carved in memory of a Viking that died overseas raiding foreign lands and was part of a complex of seven memorial stones.
The staves are carved into a serpentine pattern (imagine carving an intricate pattern into rock) and reads when transliterated into English: “Father had these runes cut after his brother, Asser, who died up in the north while a-viking.”
Apparently, this stone was commissioned by a master runecarver, which suggests that there was a market for hiring expert runemasters to carve specialized messages. Again, we must ask ourselves a question. If the runes are simply a commonly known, profane alphabet for interpersonal communication, why was there a specialized class of runemaster? Wouldn’t anyone with knowledge of the runes be able to carve a simple alphabet?
Another, more impressive, example is the Gripsholm stone. This stone honors the “brother of Ingvarr” who fell with the mythic hero, Ingvarr, while fighting in the east. The stone is an impressive 6 feet by 4 feet, 6 inches and reads:
“Tola had this stone raised for his son, Harald. Yngvarr’s brother.
[They] fared boldly
Far away after gold
In the east
They gave [food] to the eagle;
They died in the south
In Skerland.”
The lines of the inscription are interesting because they testify to an ancient and sacred formula (giving sacrifice to the eagle), which is deeply connected to Odinic magical cults. Here, we have more explicit evidence suggesting a hidden, magical component to the runes.
In the Old English tradition, we have the scabbard mount of Chessel Down. This is a great example of runic inscriptions carved onto a moveable object, presumably for magical purposes. The inscription, which can’t be seen by anybody once the sword is properly adorned, reads: “Terrible one, wound[!]”
This serves as a pinnacle example of the runes carved onto moveable objects. Clearly, whoever carved this inscription believed that the runes were more than simple letters….
For sake of brevity, we’ll stop there. There are hundreds of other inscriptions from all over the ancient Germanic world, and you’ll find that most inscriptions have implied or explicit references to magic. Don’t just take my word for it, check it out yourself, it’s a fun internet rabbit-hole to explore.
Most of the inscriptions clearly were done after a lot of thought, preparation, and exacting execution. However, the vast majority of runic evidence was carved onto perishable material, so most are lost to us.
Runes, for the individual, would have been found on brooches, armor, weapons, clothing, talismans, and in some Germanic traditions, even built into the frames of homes, to give them extra protection.
In closing, it seems evident that the runes had a magical purpose. If history and tangible artifacts are anything to go by, we have to admit that the runic system is far more complex than any “alphabet” currently known to man. Where the historical records fail us, however, is understanding where the runes actually come from, or how they got their shape, order, and rich symbolic meaning. To understand that, we’ll have to look at the mythology and ancient worldview of the Germanic people.
Stick around for part two, where we’ll start digging into the myth, cosmogony, and magical meaning of the runic systems (the fun stuff).
[1] Edred Throsson; The Big Book of Runes and Rune Magic, 2018 p.3
[2] Ibid, p.4
[3] Ibid, p.6-8
[4] Ibid, p.11
[5] Ibid, p.16