Runes are an ancient form of divination that continues to be used today. Their exact origin is not known though it is thought that they may come from the east. The existing hundreds of rune sets have been developed from the older sets. Rune sets continue to be developed in this modern age. An old German word "raunen" means to carve. An older and unused interpretation of the same word means "secret whisper".

The runes represent different alphabets yet are much more complex than a simple alphabet. There is much knowledge contained in each rune symbol. A rune could be interpreted as numbers, the elements and signs from a divine source. There are also cultural world views contained in each set. For instance, the knowledge contained in the Elder Futhark rune set is that from a hardy people who faced a harsh environment.

Runes were used in different parts of the world. It is thought that the rune sets developed over time and in different areas and that, runes did not suddenly appear at once. The different rune sets have different numbers of runes and different symbols. The symbols and their meanings were not recorded until Christian times.

Rune poems were being created from the ninth century until the fourteenth century that included a verse for each rune that told its meaning. It is thought that the rune poem helped users to remember the runes and their meanings. Examples of rune poems that exist include the Icelandic, Norwegian and Anglo Saxon rune poems.

It is believed that the runes were always used for a magical purpose and secondly, as an alphabet for writing. It is thought that many of older rune sets that were made of straight lines came from cultures who worked with metal, rock and wood. Rune sets with rounded symbols came from cultures that used a softer medium for rune making including clay or mud. The medium that allowed the greatest freedom in symbol creation was papyrus.

The magical purposes for runes were divination, healing, communication, invocation and rune spells. The symbols were thought not to be merely symbolic of the thing depicted. It is believed that the rune symbol is the thing itself. Many objects including jewelry and swords were marked with rune symbols as a way of imbuing them with the power of the symbol. It is thought that by writing with runes, the written work is itself magical.

Some of the more familiar older rune sets include the Elder Futhark, Younger Futhark and the Anglo Saxon rune set. As Christianity spread, the use of runes was oppressed. They became banned and in some cases, severe punishment was received if one was found to have a rune set. This type of punishment occurred as late as the seventeenth century. The use of runes became hidden until modern times. Nowadays, they are one of the favored forms of divination.


Editor's Picks


Back to the Paranormal Articles Site Map

Contribute your True Ghost Stories here. This link takes you to BellaOnline's Paranormal Forum topic where you can contribute your true ghost or other paranormal story and view other reader contributed stories.