Runic alphabet

runic alphabet or Futhark - term formed starting from the name of the first six letters of this alphabet was italphabet used by the former people of Germanic languages (like Angles and Scandinavian (Old man norrois)), who were called runes.

It was also used in divination and in magic. On the contrary letters of the alphabet Latin, the runes have intrinsic directions. The fact is, however, that the Latin alphabet is the fruit long and slow evolution, heritage of Etruscans, whose alphabet was itself fruit of the heritage of Phenicians ; any alphabet having itself for origin them pictograms, who had, them, a significance symbolic system. It is rather improbable that the Germanic people could invent an alphabet from nothing a few millenia after the birth first alphabets. An Etruscan coin representing the attributes of Athéna found in Were worth in Switzerland recalls rather well the way which had of traversing the alphabet towards north before the Scandinavian people do not adapt it to their own languages.

Roots Indo-European word rune, * run, mean "mystery" or "secrecy" and this are more visible in one of the derivatives raunen meaning "to murmur" or "to speak in secrecy".

Other written forms connected with the runes exist: Runes Hungarian women and the Turkish alphabet runiforme said Runes göktürk.

For information on rune data-processing, to see the article Measuring unit in data processing.

Note: this article was created partly since the English version. It is possible that there remain mistranslations.

Original system

Note: the transliterations follow the model traditional.

The original alphabet of the Scandinavian runes, the futhark with 24 letters, the "line rune is often called" and was organized in three groups of 8 runes each one, named ätter (families); ätts of Frey, Hagal and Tyr respectively, first character of each group being exemplifié by the initial character of the name.

The Scandinavian original futhark of 24 letters, also known like the Germanic futhark:

F U þ has R K G W H N I J EI p ZR S T B E m L ng D O

Later systems

The initial futhark with 24 runes more a rune without glyphe representative "Odhinn" was shortened later on with 16 runes around the year 800 and is generally seen like an adaptation being used to simplify the work of the writer. Majority of the runes of Scandinavia are later to 800 and use the 16 letters:

F U þ? does R K H N I have S T B m L?

This is the Norwegian alternativeSwedish, also called rune brushwood-short. The Danish alternative is very similar. One can read an example of runes Danish in the inscription of Large stone of Jelling.

The others futharks Scandinavian include a form without branch (probably for a faster sculpture) and the medieval futhark (which includes runes representing the complete Latin alphabet).

Runes thorn (?) and wynn (?) were adopted in the alphabet of old English (in the forms þ and ?). Thorn is still used in the alphabet Icelandic.

Origin of the runes

The alphabet runic was created by the speakers of Germanic dialects of languages in order to write their languages. Although some scholars claim that the runes would result entirely fromGreek alphabet (Morris in Odenstedt 359) or of Latin (Odenstedt 362) the majority of the scholars consider that this alphabet is a mixture in the various beginnings. Seebold⁵, Krause³, Jensen (571) and Coulmas (1996: 444 FF.) think that the runic alphabet is a Scandinavian mixture of alphabets Italicalpine with a Latin influence.

This majority thought is certainly more realistic than the explanations provided by Morris and Odenstedt.

Some letters have an obvious Latin origin, for example runes for/F and/R /, others which recall - at least on the level of the format -alpine alphabet, for example the rune/H/. There are as symbols which can be as well Latin as alpine, for example the rune/I- rune. Bernal (36) thinks that there was also some substrate of implied alphabet; Miller (62) claims that the origins of the runic alphabet are it Mediterranean antiquated. Both do not explain the reasons of their beliefs. In same work, Miller also writes that the phonetic parameters on which the runic alphabet is based are finally clearly Semitic and are related to the scenarios of Byblos and Ugarit as well as italphabet phenician. Several different scenarios runic were developed in the course of time, including a Anglo-Saxon system which had even differences for/K and/C (modern English/tS/). This last was symbolized by the old man rune/K- rune; a new symbol was created for the Anglo-Saxon/K/.

Use of the runes

The runes were usually used for inscriptions in wood, metal or stone. The runes consisted mainly of vertical and diagonal marks, with less horizontal or curved marks (certain versions of runes have any no). The drawing of the runes helped with their sculpture in wood. The words were written along the grain of wood, meaning that all the marks were cut through the grain. This is due to the fact that cuts along the grain would have caused breaks in wood, or would have been closed again if wood absorbed moisture.

The oldest runes which reached us would be dated from year 200, and it is generally accepted that they were not invented before year 1. These runes primitive to the surroundings of year 650 seems all to use same the futhark of 24 runes. The majority of these inscriptions are very short and incomprehensible, and in almost all the cases it is difficult to translate them and to be certain of their precise language. The majority of the preserved runes are out of stone, however some fragments exist out of wood, bark and bone, and some on parchment, most famous being it Runicus Codex.

It appears that the runes could be much older. The rune for the sound æ, as in sAd, was not used in the writing, because at that time the Germanic languages did not have this sound. Nevertheless, in each list of characters it always appears. However, in the German proto-west æ seems to have existed like one phoneme complete.

Later the runes varied from one country to another. The range of the futhark is reduced to 16 or 18 runes in Norway and Sweden, where the vast majority of the more recent runes are found. In England the futhark increased with approximately 28 runes (more some used only on a regional level or for foreign proper names).

Almost all the runes which were deciphered were used to write Germanic languages, like the Scandinavian old man, Norwegian, Swedish, old English, and in the case of many runes old, the languages seem Germanic but are difficult to identify more precisely. The only use of runes identified for nonGermanic languages is probably some Latin inscriptions written with English runes, or rather a mixture of Latin letters and runes English. It is possible that there are some rare other cases.

Although the runes were used for work of writing like Bible, they were more usually used for short inscriptions rather than for a complete text.

The runes except seem to have fallen in disuse around the year millet in Scandinavia where they continued to be used during a few other centuries. Some areas more isolated from Scandinavia continued to use the runes until the modern time. There were some rebirths during centuries, generally by people wanting to join the past in a certain manner. The current wave of enthusiasm seems partially inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien and partially by mysticism New Age. The runes have an important value for the followers of religion Ásatrú.

Runes and their associations mythological and magic

In Scandinavian mythology the god Odin is suspended in the world-tree, Yggdrasil for nine days in personal sacrifice in order to bring the gift of the runes to humanity. According to Tacit, the former Germanic people were accustomed to digging marks on fruit wood sheets and selecting them like batches for the divination. Moreover, each rune is associated to a god, and by there has a particular magic significance, who can join others runes to form a fate, an amulet or a blessing. This point, and several poems runic associated associating significances and images with the name with the runic letters led occultists to try to rebuild the systems of divination by using the runic letters.

See the article Runic magic for more details.

Runes and Nationalismes

Like Germanic symbols, the runes were used by Nazis. Some symbols like the rune Odal? are used on the flags néo-Nazi in the place of Swatiska prohibited.

Unicode Coding

In Unicode, there are 81 characters runic: 75 runic letters, 3 punctuation marks, and 3 other symbols used in calendar Scandinavian.

The following line will be posted in characters runic if your navigator Internet supports them: (engraved on Large stone of Jelling)

• ??????? ??? ??? ??? ???????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ???? ????? ???????
• haraltr ias sar uan tanmaurk ala auk nuruiak auk tani karTi kristna
• Harald which gained whole Denmark and Norway and Dane made Christian

In the contrary case, seek a navigator supporting itUnicode and a bill of character containing the runes, to see below.

Examples of inscriptions

• Small stone of Jelling ;
• Large stone of Jelling.

Bibliography

1. Musset, Lucien, 1965, Introduction to the runology, Paris: Sapwood-Montaigne
2. Bernal, Martin, 1990, Cadmean letters. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
3. Jensen, Hans, 1970, Sign Symbol and Script. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. Translation of Die Schrift in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften. 1958, have revised by the author.
4. Krause, Wolfgang, 1970, Runen. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter (translated into French: Runes, 1995, Paris: Editions of Carries-sword)
5. Page, R. I., 1987, Reading the past, volume 4: Runes, British Museum Publications (republished by University of California Press, 1993)
6. Miller, D. Gary, 1994, Ancient scripts and phonological knowledge. AmsterdamPhiladelphia: John Youngest children Publishing Company.
7. Seebold, Elmar, 1991, Die Stellung DER englischen Runen im Rahmen der Überlieferung of the älteren Fuþark In: Bammesberger S. 439-569.

External bonds

• Rune font
• The Rune Poem (Old English runic version here)
• James Kass offers Code2000.ttf, a police force containing nearly 35 000 glyphes of which the runes (partagiciel)
• Angerthas.of - appearances of the runes in work of Tolkien/ Rune font/ Futhark