Origin
Little is known about the origins of the Runic alphabet, which is traditionally
known as futhark after the first six letters. The word rune means
'mystery' or 'secret' in Old Germanic languages and runes had a important
role in ritual and magic.
What we do know is as follows:
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The alphabet was created independently rather than evolving from another
alphabet.
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Runic writing was first used in southern Europe and was carried north by
Germanic tribes.
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The Runic alphabet is thought to have been modelled on the Etruscan alphabet.
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Whoever created the Runic alphabet was familiar with the Latin alphabet.
The earliest known Runic inscriptions date from the 1st century AD, but the
vast majority of Runic inscriptions date from the 11th century. Runic
inscriptions have been found throughout Europe from the Balkans to Germany,
Scandinavia and the British Isles.
Notable features
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The direction of writing in early Runic inscriptions is variable. Later they
settled down into a left to right pattern
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Word divisions were not generally recognised in Runic writing, although one
or more dots were occasionally used for this function.
There are a number of different versions of the Runic alphabet including:
Elder Futhark
Elder Futhark is thought to be the oldest version of the Runic alphabet,
and was used in the parts of Europe which were home to Germanic peoples,
including Scandinavia. Other versions probably developed from it. The names
of the letters are shown in Common Germanic, the reconstructed ancestor of
all Germanic languages.
Gothic runes
Gothic, an extinct east Germanic language, was originally written with a
Runic alphabet about which little is known. One theory of the origins of
runes is that they were invented by the Goths, but this is impossible to
prove as very few inscriptions of writing in Gothic runes survive. These
runes were replaced with a new alphabet in the 4th century AD.
Anglo-Saxon Futhorc
A number of extra letters were added to the Runic alphabet to write
Anglo-Saxon/Old English. Runes were probably bought to Britain in the 5th
century by the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians (collectively known as
the Anglo-Saxons), and were used until about the 11th century.
Runic inscriptions are mostly found on jewellery, weapons, stones and other
objects. Very few examples of Runic writing on manuscripts have survived.
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