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If you have ever watched a fantasy-genre movie or played an RPG, you have probably seen runes-but do you know what they are, or what their purpose is?

As with most history, the beginnings are blurry. Historians and language experts debate over the origin of runes, some claiming they date back to 200b.c. while others claim 1st century a.d. Likewise, cases have been made that they were derived from Greek, Latin and Northern Italic. The truth undoubtedly hides somewhere in the middle.

What we know for sure is that by 5th century a.d., runes were in common use in Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark (among other places) as both magical symbols and letters of an alphabet. Indeed, the name given to them, "futhark", was created by using the first few runes in the same way the word "alphabet" uses the first 2 latin letters. They have been found carved into stones, the handles of swords, pendants, doors, and countless other places, implying that a major part of their magical purpose was protection and guidance.

Runes as an Alphabet

If there is one thing that really stands out about the runic alphabet, it is that every "letter" is also a "word". The first letter of the futhark, fehu, means cattle. This gives each letter great significance, making the act of writing much more than a means of communication with other human beings.

The story of the runic alphabet seems to begin with hllristningar, pre-runic symbols found on Bronze Age rock carvings in Sweden and surrounding areas.

Many runes are obviously derived from hllristningar, while others are very similar to Roman letters, implying that runes are a system created by combining the two forms of writing.

This original alphabet was called the Elder Futhark, and consisted of 24 letters. These are the runes that were used in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Germany. Most of the oldest runic inscriptions use the Elder Futhark.

In 5th century a.d., the Anglo-Saxon invaded the northern parts of the Netherlands and Germany, and with their arrival came many changes to the runes they used. The appearance of several runes changed and 9 runes were added. This runic system is now known as the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc.

Scandanavia continued using the Elder Futhark until sometime in the 8th century a.d., when the Old Norse language began changing at a rapid pace. Rather than add runes, however, the Norse actually reduced the number of runes from 24 to 16 and gave each rune more than one sound. This system spread to Norway and Sweden, and also to Iceland

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