Interest in Scandinavian runes not only does not subside over time, but is actively growing throughout the last two centuries. However, today the runes are more often viewed as a tool for fortune telling or as part of the mythological tradition of the Nordic countries. And very often people even have a poor idea of what the runes are in the original version and how they arose.
In its original meaning, the runes are the ancient Germanic alphabet that arose in the 1st-2nd centuries AD. on the territory of modern Northern Europe. As historians suggest, the graphemes, that is, the outlines of runic symbols, were based on the Latin alphabet, but the content and meaning were different.
Runic writing became widespread in countries such as Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and existed in them until the XII-XIII centuries, after which the Latin alphabet replaced the runes. The longest time, almost until the end of the XIII century, the runic alphabet existed in Iceland.
A characteristic difference between the runic system and other alphabetic systems was that it initially performed not only the communicative function of storing and transmitting information, but also had a sacred, magical meaning. The very word "rune" (Old Germanic runa, Old Norse runar) comes from the Old Germanic root run - "secret". In Scandinavian mythology, runes are presented as sacred signs discovered by the god Odin, the supreme deity of the Scandinavian pantheon. Their meaning is described in detail in the epics that have survived to this day, the most famous of which are "The Elder and Younger Edda", "The Saga of Egil".
Runic symbols as magic signs were used in everyday witchcraft to achieve certain goals. With their help, medieval Scandinavians and Germans cured diseases, sent curses on enemies, defended and multiplied their wealth. At the same time, the sagas repeatedly emphasize that knowledge of the runes is not available to everyone. They can be used correctly only by specially trained and gifted people - eryli (priests). For the average person, the use of runic symbols can be dangerous. In particular, in the famous "Saga of Egil", recorded in the XIII century. the famous bard Snorri Sturluson says:
Rune must not cut
Anyone who does not understand them.
In incomprehensible signs
Anyone can go astray.
A characteristic feature of the runic alphabet is the order of letters, which is not found in any other writing system. It is called the futark, after the first six letters of the series. Moreover, the entire alphabet is divided into three groups - atta, with 8 runes in each atta. The writing direction is traditional - from left to right. But runic magic was characterized by the use of various runic ligatures or staves, that is, special symbols composed of several runes and carrying a certain integral semantic load.
