What are runes.

What are runes.

Runes are an ancient script of the Germanic peoples, which appeared around the 1st–2nd centuries AD. Their angular shape is due to the fact that the symbols were carved on hard materials: stone, wood, bone, or metal. The sphere of application of runes is divided into two main categories: historical and modern/occult.

1.    Historical and practical use

In ancient times (before being supplanted by the Latin alphabet in the Middle Ages), runes were carved for the following purposes:

• Writing and recording speech: Recording commemorative inscriptions, names of masters, owners of objects, trade deals, and laws.

• Memorial stelae (runestones): Stones were carved in memory of fallen warriors or rulers, indicating who erected the monument and what feats the deceased had accomplished.

• Charms and talismans: Warriors carved runes (e.g., the rune Týr) on weapons, armor, and amulets to attract victory, protection in battle, or healing from diseases.

• Magical formulas and spells: Individual runes and their combinations applied to everyday objects were used for protection against evil spirits, attracting harvest, or good luck.

2.              Modern use

In the 20th–21st centuries, interest in runes revived, shifting from linguistics to esotericism and culture:

• Fortune-telling and divination: Drawing rune tiles from a bag or laying them out according to a pattern is used to analyze situations, find answers to personal questions, and predict events.

• Rune magic and staves: Creating combined graphic symbols (staves) or chains of runes (scripts) for amulets to attract wealth, protection, or strengthen health.

• Heraldry, symbolism, and design: The use of runic motifs in logos (e.g., the Bluetooth symbol consists of two Scandinavian runes), heraldry, tattoos, and illustrations.

• Paganism and Neo-paganism (Asatru): Part of the religious practice in modern reconstructions of Scandinavian traditions.