11 Viking Runes Facts: Learn All About These Interesting And Rare Runes

Runes were the letters used by the Germanic people initially, and more notably by the Vikings, later.

Though the exact origins of rune are under debate, this script does have links with the Italian script of the time. However, the Vikings of the Old Norse religion believed that each runic symbol had magical powers and was created by Odin, the King of Gods.

A runestone is a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also refer to inscriptions on boulders or bedrock. In Scandinavia alone, there are more than 3,000 runestones, with the major concentration in Sweden.

A runestone is best described as a stone or boulder with runic inscriptions on it. Since the Vikings had not written down their stories or the tales of their warriors, most of the runestones depict memorial messages.

The Vikings carved the runes on the wood, or stones, or even iron. In fact, you can make your own runic inscription, by carving runes on a piece of wood or clay using a stick or with something sharp!

During the Viking Age, the Younger Futhark was the most commonly used and established letter. The majority of runestones to have been discovered in Scandinavia consist of this type of runic inscription.

After the Christianization of Scandinavia, the rune was replaced by Latin characters. In present times, there has been a revival of runes in popular culture as well as in some social and political situations.

To learn more about the history of Viking runes, keep reading! You can also check out Viking arts and crafts factsandViking armor facts.

The Hidden Meanings Behind Viking Runes

The history of the runic inscription is quite interesting, to say the least. While it has not been possible to deduce the meaning behind every Viking rune and runestone, historians and researchers have been able to form a basic idea about these writings and inscriptions.

Firstly, it is essential to note that the Runic alphabet is known as Futhark.

This naming was done based on the first six letters of the alphabet, which were  F, U, Þ, A, R, and K. The runic inscriptions found across Scandinavia in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, along with the British Isles and parts of Northern Europe, were mostly found on runestones.

These runestones were carved by the Vikings.

Generally, runestones were used by the Vikings for writing messages related to memorial purposes, Vikings did not resort to carving their sagas on stones. The Kjula Runestone of Sweden is a brilliant example of a Viking inscription that celebrated important values like honor and valor. This runestone was erected in honor of Spjót, the warrior.

Additionally, during the Viking Age, the Younger Futhark was in use. By studying the runic inscriptions of this time, researchers have been able to deduce what some of the runes or letters meant. For instance, ᚠ or fé meant 'wealth', ᛋ or sól meant 'sun', and ᚦ or Thurs meant 'giant'.

Origins Of Viking Runes

Though the exact origins of the Viking runes are debated to this date, researchers have been able to find some similarities between the runic scripts and scripts of other cultures at the time.

It has been hypothesized that the runic script came from Greek, Roman, Italic, or Danish letters. Among them, researchers think that the Italian script of those ages was most closely related to the Runes.

This is further underlined by the fact that the Italian scripts of the time had a characteristic angular shape, which was also a feature of the runes. The Italian scripts were in turn derived from the Greek alphabet.

The first appearance of runes occurred in Northern Germany and Denmark. Two hypotheses exist to explain this occurrence.

The first theory, known as the West Germanic Hypothesis, suggests that the runes were developed by nomadic groups who had settlements around the Elbe River. The second theory, named Gothic Hypothesis, presents the opinion that runes were developed during the expansion of the East Germanic region.

There is also a mythological origin of the Viking runes where is quite fascinating. According to Norse mythology, Odin, the King of the Gods, was the one who discovered the runes. He discovered it by hanging himself from Yggdrasil, the world tree in the Old Norse culture.

Hence, these Norse men and women believed that runes had magical properties. Interestingly, the word 'rune' translates to 'secret knowledge and wisdom' in the Old Norse language. This naming further highlights the beliefs of the Vikings regarding runes.

Multiple Systems Of Runes

Through the course of time, the runic script developed, and spread to much of Scandinavia, along with England, Russia, Germany, Poland, and Hungary. The best-known runic alphabets are discussed below.

Elder Futhark- The Elder Futhark lasted from 160-700 A.D and was in use by the Norse or Viking people during the beginning of the Viking age. This system of the Runic alphabet had a total of 24 letters, which were quite uniform.

The uniformity came from the arrangement of the runes, as they were grouped in three rows, with each row containing eight letters. One of the best examples of the Elder Futhark is the runic inscriptions on the Kylver Stone of Sweden.

Younger Futhark- Also known as the Scandinavian runes, this Futhark came after the Elder Futhark runic alphabet and consisted of 16 letters. The Younger Futhark lasted from 700-1200 A.D. and was the main language spoken by a majority of the Vikings.

Unlike the Elder Futhark, the Younger Futhark was much more widespread and not just limited to the upper-class aristocrats.

Many of the shapes of the older letter were also changed or simplified. Most of the Scandinavian runestones have the Younger Futhark characters, with over 3000 runic inscriptions belonging to this alphabet and period.

Anglo-Saxon Futhorc- The Anglo-Saxon Futhorc was a development carried out by the Germanic people who moved to England during the time. This runic alphabet consisted of 29 characters initially, which later extended to 33 characters.

Some of the Anglo-Saxon runes are 'ᛉ', 'ᚹ', and 'ᛞ'. Unfortunately, there are not many inscriptions depicting Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. The history of Anglo-Saxon Futhorc shows that up until the 1000 A.D., the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc was relatively common, after which it gradually disappeared.

The Later Runes

Towards the end of the famous Viking Age, when the Christianization of Scandinavia took place, the Latin alphabet started replacing the ancient runic system. However, many of the Norse men and women continued the use of the runic alphabet, after making certain changes.

One of the most prominent changes that were made was the addition of dot symbols to the runic written alphabet. Though the new dotted runes were not different from the old ones, the presence of the dot was used to mark a different sound.

However, some aspects of the later runes or medieval runes were influenced by Latin.

For instance, bind-runes, where two or more runes were added to make a single character became quite common. This was under the influence of the Latin alphabet, where writings included characters like 'œ' and 'æ'.

History shows that runes continued to be in use, long after the introduction of the Latin script. Archaeological findings which consisted of letters and manuscripts show the use of the runic alphabet, mixed in with some Latin.

Common people like farmers also used runes to communicate. One of the best examples of runic writing can be found in the Dalarna province of Sweden, where the runic script was in use till the 20th century.

The Use Of Viking Runes Today

Though the Vikings are long gone, the Viking alphabet has been revived for a variety of reasons over the years.

The famous novel 'The Hobbit', written by J. R. R. Tolkien featured Anglo-Saxon runes on a map, to establish a connection between the map and elves. In Norse mythology, elves are real and exist in one of the nine worlds.

Did you know that the logo for Bluetooth consists of two Younger Futhark characters? These runes depict the letters 'H' and 'B', in accordance with the initial of Harald 'Bluetooth' Gormsson, the king of Norway and Denmark during the Viking era.

Unfortunately, the runes have also been used by far-right groups and were especially relevant to the Nazis. Some of the runes which had special connections to the Nazis are Hagal, Algiz, and Eihwaz runes.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Viking runes facts, then why not take a look at Viking culture facts or Viking shield facts?