The Germanic Runes

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The source of the Germanic runes is uncertain. One theory is that they were devised by Germanic tribes that lived around the Black Sea under influence from the Greeks, and the Greek alphabet inspired the development of the runes. One thing which supports this theory is the similarity between some runes and some Greek letters (the rune which correspond with O, for example). Around 100 A.D. they were widespread and were used by all the Germanic tribes. This kind of runes are called the Germanic Futhark (from the first six runes in the alphabet), or the Elder Futhark and consist of 24 different runes. Probably they were designed to be carved in wood and other hard surfaces. Their shape, with straight lines, is a evidence of that.

Around 700 A.D. the runes changed, probably following the change in language that had been. The use of runes also disappeared in many areas around this time, when most of the Germanic tribes became christened and started to use the Latin alphabet instead of the runic one. 

During the colonization period the runes changed into what is called the Nordic Futhark, or the Younger Futhark, which consist of 16 different runes. The people who used this kind of runes where the inhabitants of today's Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. We have entered the Viking Age. The younger futhark exists in several different variants. Two of this variants are the short branched and the long branched. The long branched is probably the original and the short branched is a simplification, for reasons unknown to me. Probably the long branched was used mostly in memorial services and special occeasions, as where the runic stones and the short branched futhark was for everyday use.

Not all Vikings could read and write the runes. The people who understood the runes were highly respected members of the community and the were considered to have magic powers. Often they were called Rune Masters. Some earned their living by making runic stones and other memorials. The use of runes in the Nordic countries disappeared gradually with the enforcement of the Christian religion upon the people, around 1000-1100 AD. In some remote parts of the Nordic countries the use of runes lived on until 1500-1600 AD. and even developed.

The Germanic runic alphabet , the 24-rune Elder Futhark, was the common ancestor of all runes which followed.

During the 300 years the Elder Futhark was in use, several of its runes changed in appearance. For example, the s-rune, the e-rune, the j-rune and the ing-rune changed during this period.

The Germanic Runic Alphabet