Benjamyn

Runes of Yggdrasil Talon Abraxas RUNES Runes are woven into Norse religion and are closely associated with Norse magic (seiðr) and skaldic poetry. The runes were not invented. The old poem Hávamál explains that Odin discovered the runes when he hung himself from the world tree Yggdrasil in order to learn wisdom. He hung on the wind-blown tree for nine nights and days. Just as he was about to die, he found the runes, grabbed them and earned his life.

A more prosaic explanation is that the runes were developed in the firsth century AD, possibly inspired by the Latin alphabet. Although used by all Germanic peoples, most of them, however, are discovered in Scandinavia. Runes have a form such that they are easy to carve into a hard material. Note that one does not write but rather carves a rune.

Runes were carved on weapons, tools, jewellery, amulets, bones, pieces of wood, memorial stones, church walls etc.

Sometimes the runic inscription is read from left to right, sometimes from right to left.

Runes constitute contemporary documentation, but it can be difficult to decipher the runes and there are often several interpretations of an inscription. Den eldre futharken

The elder Futhark

THERE ARE SEVERAL RUNIC ALPHABETS The two main types of runic alphabet are called the elder Futhark and the younger Futhark after the sequence of the first six runic letters. The runes of the Middle Ages are relatively similar to the younger Futhark, but are characterised by pricks that shall differentiate between individual sounds such, for example, as P and D.

In addition, there is a sequence of local variants. Runic script existed simultaneously with the Latin alphabet and was in use up the 1500s. In Dalarne in Sweden, a particular type of runic script was in use up until approximately 1900.

The elder Futhark: 24 characters. These were in use from approx. 100 to 800 AD. The younger Futhark: 16 characters. These were in use from approx. 800 AD to 1100 AD. Medieval runes: 23 runes. Used from approx. 1100 to 1500 AD.