vikings_runes.pdf

Viking Runes

Origin of the Runes

(1) Like wrestling, swimming and

fighting, writing was considered a

special skill among the Vikings. The

alphabet they used was invented by

their ancient Norse ancestors

around 200 B.C. The letters or

runes may have been based on the

early Latin or Greek alphabets or

on Neolithic (stone-age) characters

carved in rocks throughout northern Europe. Whatever their origin,

the runes were changed slightly by the Norse, probably because

they had few things with which to write.

(2) The word rune means mystery or whispered secret . In Viking

mythology, the runes were a gift from their all-powerful

god Odin . In order to learn them and the magical

powers they possessed , Odin hung upside down on the

tree of knowledge for nine days. When he saw the

runes, he used his sword to carve them into the tree. In

return for gaining the wisdom and magic powers

associated with the runes, Odin gave up his left eye.

Because of this sacrifice , the Vikings considered the

runes to be sacred .

The Viking Runic Alphabet

(3) The Viking alphabet is often called the futhark after the first six

letters of the original alphabet of twenty-four letters. The alphabet

was later reduced to sixteen runes. This made spelling difficult for

rune carvers because all of the sounds in the Norse language

could not be covered. It also made it difficult for translators who

tried to understand their meaning.

(4) Viking runes weren’t written with pen and ink on paper.

Instead, runes were carved into stone, wood, clay and bone with a

knife or chisel . To make carving into these surfaces easier, the

runes were made using only straight lines. Words were formed by

separating groups of runes with what we call a colon ( : ). In some

cases, just a single period was used.

Uses of Runes

(5) Runes were used for many ordinary and extraordinary

things. Ordinary Vikings used them to label household items

and personal belongings like the fishing sinker pictured above.

Viking merchants used runes to keep records of items bought

and sold. Viking warriors decorated their swords with runes

to identify the owners. Because the Vikings though the runes

were magical, the believed their weapons became stronger in

battle. Warriors who knew how to read and write runes could

blunt enemies’ weapons, break chains, cure illnesses and

guard against witches. The runes were also carved on

amulets , pieces of jewelry worn by a deceased Vikings for

protection in the next world.

Viking Rune (Memorial) Stones

(6) The Vikings used runes to inscribe memorial stones.

Some of the inscriptions were tributes to fallen heros and loved

ones. Other stones mocked a dishonest Viking who had

betrayed family and friends. Nearly 3000 runestones have been

discovered across Scandinavia. A much smaller number have been

unearthed in other parts of Europe.

(7) The rocks used to make runestones were usually large

boulders with at least one naturally flat surface. Before they

became Christians, the stone contained only runes. After

conversion , pictures were added. The images

and inscriptions were often decorated with black,

red, blue and white paint extracted from berries, garden plants

and clay-like earth. The stones often depicted snakes,

horses and ships.

Archaeological Importance of Viking Runes

(8) Wherever the Vikings went, they carved runes on

rocks, buildings and statues . Some coins have been

found that have Viking runes carved in their surfaces

too. It’s lucky for us they were graffiti artists. Some

of what we know about the Vikings has come from

their graffiti. Runestones and the sagas recorded by

skalds (Viking poets) have helped archaeologists

reconstruct some of what we know about the

Vikings. Some runestones are petroglyphs and

their pictures give us a glimpse of what Viking

life was like. What do you think the Thor’s

hammer hanging from the top of this stone says

about the deceased ?

Other Viking Rune Stones

(9) Viking runes were also inscribed on thumb-

sized stones. The stones were placed in bags

and removed one by one by Viking fortunetellers

and magicians. The stones were then used to

predict the future, heal the sick, banish evil, or

bless people, places, and things. The

watermark (the lighter graphic in the

background on this page) depicts a full collection

of Viking rune stones. The rune in the lower left-hand corner is

blank. This enabled a person to select his/her own rune, maybe a

reminder that ultimately, we are in control of our own destiny.

The Viking Alphabet

(10) This is the 24 character old Viking runic alphabet. It is no

coincidence that some of the runes resemble our own letters. Our

alphabet was influenced by the Latin and Greek alphabets too!

(11) Viking runes were written and read

from right to left- opposite to the way we

write and pronounce our characters.

When carved on a snake’s body on a

runestone, the runes were written and

read beginning at the head and then

following the body to the tail.

(12) Not all of the sounds in the English

language are covered by the runes. The

Vikings had no “qu”, “v” or “x” sounds and

the “k” or “s” sound was used for our

letter “c”.

The End of the Use of Runes

(13) The use of runes was not limited to the Vikings. Many others

societies in Europe used these characters. But, because the runes

were associated with paganism , their use ended when the

Europeans converted to Christianity. The Vikings were one of the

last group of Europeans to make this conversion. Consequently ,

their use of runes lasted longer than any other European society.

More than Just Alphabetical Characters

(14) The individual characters in the Viking rune alphabet have

several meanings. Objects in the Viking world -plants and animals

for example- could be referred to by a single rune. The letter “f” -

pronounced “fe”- meant cattle and was associated with wealth .

Some characters represented the Viking gods. Pronounced “ride”

the “R” rune meant wagon and was associated with travel,

movement, progress and the wheels of time. It was also the

sacred symbol for Thor, the oak tree and the eagle.

Feh

(fe)

Reid

(ride)

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