History of Gaelic Runes

Gaelic runes were in use from 150 AD to about 1100 AD. The use of runes fell out of practice with the introduction and use of the Latin languages for communication among the Anglo races. At first, it appears that only priests and druids used runes, for they were considered magical and dangerous. Over the years, however, the common people were able to use the runes. The original purpose of runes seems to be to ward away evil spirits, and to divine the future. In some Norse mythology, it is said that certain runes are capable of raising the dead. As rune use became more popular, it became less of a magical set of symbols, and more of a regular language. Runes were basically the language of Europe before the Latin speaking peoples took over.

[edit] Structure of runes

There are three different runes list structures that have been uncovered by archeologists. They are the Elder Futhark, the Younger Futhark, and the futhorc. The Elder Futhark was used for writing proto-Norse, and had twenty four symbols representing common Norse words. The futhorc runes came later, and were used among the Anglo Saxton peoples. Their rune sets used twenty nine to thirty three symbols, and their pronunciation and structure differed from the Elder Futhark with the different language set. The Younger Futhark runes were a simplified set of Elder Futhark. They consisted of sixteen runes, and were based on Old Norse, rather than proto-Norse. Scandinavian peoples used Younger Futhark as well.

[edit] Modern uses of Gaelic runes

For many years, the runes list went out of popular culture. However, in WWII, the Nazis used runes for many of their symbols and signs. The reason for this was because, at first, the Nazis were interested in keeping up with folklore and preservation of German heritage. Many of the uses of runes among Nazis were based on the work of Guido von List, who had published a book about runes in the early 1900s. After WWII, runes again fell out of use because of the bad connotations. However, many authors still used runes in their stories. Most notably, JRR Tolkien, who created a rune set for his Lord of the Rings books based on the ancient Anglo Saxton runes. Still, it wasn't until the 1980's and the resurgence of new age religions that runes made another comeback.

[edit] Runes in modern religions

Many of the religions that use runes today are based on the ancient pagan religions that were around during the time of the original runes. Concepts such as druids, getting in tune with nature, and using runes for divination purposes are all part of the old religions begun in pre-medieval times. Many of these modern religions use the old runes list to try and discover the mystical power in them. The idea of a natural religion is appealing to many people, in part, because the idea of being a part of something so ancient gives a powerful feeling. The practices each religion renews varies by sect. However, it is doubtful that anyone reuses the practice of human sacrifices. Still, the old religions will clearly be around for many years.