History of Norwegian Runes

An ancient rune stone in Stallarholmen, Sweden.

Norwegian runes, or Nordic runes, were the foundation of a series of runes created for the six Gaelic languages spoken between 150 AD and 1100 AD. These runes represented a series of Norwegian words depicted in 16 or 24 different signs, depending on whether it was the earliest period for runes, or the later period. These runes were reportedly first used for magical purposes, but later changed into being just a regular means of communication. The set of runes most used by the Norse are the Elder Futhark runes, and they are the oldest set of complete runes available for study today.

[edit] Finding runes through archeology

The process of rediscovering Norwegian runes has been a long and interesting process. When they were first discovered, the runes were thought of as being mainly used for the elite members of society, including druid priests and sorcerers. Magic and divination was a large part of Norse society, which has become evident through the materials found from that time period. The Norse gods were nearly as famous as the Greek ones, although they were considered more malevolent than the Greek and Roman gods. When these runes were first discovered, they were thought to be only used in special rituals and to protect the dead and other such uses. However, over time, the meaning of the runes changed.

[edit] Runes as magical creations

In many old texts and materials from early Norwegian society, many investigators were finding runes inscribed on items of what would have been considered personal objects. These runes were set in place largely to protect the bearer from forces of evil. Many references in Old Norse literature cite the power of Norwegian runes to raise people from the dead, and to ward off evil. People of the day really believed in the power of the runes, although there are no surviving documents that describe how to use the runes to get the powerful effects that they seem to have had in the original uses.

[edit] Runes as a means of communication

The later forms of runes were used as a regular alphabet. Archeologists are finding runes all the time that have common inscriptions and lower forms of communication. Some artifacts with runic writings even have jokes and other such subject matter inscribed on them. As the runes became more popular, each different language group adapted and changed them to suit their own unique words and cultures. By 1100 AD, however, runes began to fall out of use in favor of the Latin languages and scripts. When Latin took over, many of the meanings and uses of the runes fell away, making it hard to decipher the meanings of the old runes today.

[edit] Runes in modern society

A resurgence of popularity of runes has emerged with the higher level of interest in the pagan religions today. The magical and divination properties of the runes are a subject of great interest to many people. There are countless numbers of books and movies that use runes as a magical means of doing something. These runic powers range from the simple to the highly improbable. The fact that something written can have true power is fascinating to many, which is probably why runes have regained their popularity.