Rune set consisting of 25 tumbled, glass rune stones with gold-painted lettering. Also includes black velvet bag.

Runes

The Runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages prior to the adoption of the Latin alphabet. The Scandinavian variants are also known as Futhark (or fuşark, derived from their first six letters of the alphabet: F, U, Ş, A, R, and K.

The three best-known runic alphabets are the Elder Futhark, the Anglo-Saxon runes, and the Younger Futhark. The origins of the runic alphabet is uncertain. Many characters of the Elder Futhark bear a close resemblance to characters from the Latin alphabet. In Norse mythology, the runic alphabet is attested to a divine origin. The Noleby Runestone from around 600 CE reads 'I prepare the suitable divine rune'.

Early runes were not so much used as a simple writing system, but rather as magical signs to be used for charms. The name rune itself, taken to mean "secret, something hidden", seems to indicate that knowledge of the runes was originally considered esoteric. A recent study of runic magic suggests that runes were used to create magical objects such as amulets (MacLeod and Mees 2006).

Nowadays Runes are mainly used in divination, they work best if you detail your current circumstances and then ask a specific question. Rune readings are sometimes obscure. They hint toward answers - this is when the rune casters intuition becomes paramount.

Some Tips

The first step in learning to read the runes must be to get to know the runes themselves. Take one rune each day and meditate on it. There are several exercises you can do daily to aid in this: word association with the rune names, visualization, physical connection with the rune, etc.

Always keep a record of your rune readings in a journal. Even if a reading makes no sense to you when you do it, its meaning might become clearer later on, and this will encourage you to pay closer attention to your instincts - even if you are sure you're wrong.