Since ancient times, people have wanted to know their fate by cards, bones, coffee grounds and other very different fortune-telling tools. Runes are one of the oldest predictor tools that appeared on the territory of a number of countries and had a deep symbolic meaning.
Runes as a tool of fortune-tellers and predictors appeared at the dawn of time and could predict, as it was believed, any event and the future. They were carved out of wood and bone, made of them cult inscriptions designed to endow objects and places with magical power, and kept from generation to generation. An interesting fact is that the runic letter itself, according to different historians, refers to different primary source languages, since similar letters are found in several ancient alphabets at once - but experts unanimously agree that the runic writing was used by the ancient Germanic tribes in the northern territories of modern Europe before the Latin alphabet supplanted this writing.
Mythological version of the origin of runes
In Scandinavian mythology, runes are mysterious signs describing everything living, dead, past and future, revealed to the god Odin, when he hung on Yggdrasil for nine days and nights. According to legend, the first writing of the runes belongs precisely to his hand, which made this inscription with his own blood on the bark of the Great Tree, and he also whispered them to his deceased son Balder at his funeral ceremony. The echo of these words is heard by all predictors and that is why they correctly interpret the meaning of the fallen runes.
Quantity, appearance, value
The runic alphabet, Futhark (by the names of the first six letters), is divided into three parts, eight letters each. Each letter consists of one or more straight lines that fold into a symbol. The original meaning and transcriptions of the runes were not preserved, therefore, the specialists restored the sound and translation from the preserved inscriptions and transformations of these runes in other languages.
Part 1: F - Fehu, "cattle, property", U - Uruz, "bison", Th, þ - Þurisaz, "thorn, devil", A - Ansuz, "god, deity, sacred", R - Raidu, " path, path ", K - Kauna," torch ", G - Gebu," gift ", W - Wunju," joy ".
Part 2: H - Hagalaz, "hail, element", N - Naudiz, "need", I - Isaz, "ice", J - Jara, "year, harvest", ï, ei - Iwaz, "yew, tree", P - Perþu, "storehouse of memory, Wisdom", R - Algiz, "elk", S - Sowilu, "Sun".
Part 3: T - Tiwaz, "Tyr", B - Berkana, "birch", E - Ehwaz, "horse", M - Mannaz, "man", L - Laguz, "lake", N - Iŋwaz, "Yngwie", D - Dagaz, "day", O - Oþila, "heritage".
For other traditions of runic writing, both the meaning and the number of runes used can differ significantly - for example, in Slavic runic fortune-telling, 18 runes are used, which correspond to Futhark in writing. Slavic names of the runes - Peace, Chernobog (Death), Alatyr (Equilibrium), Rainbow (Road), Viya (Need), Theft (Fire), Treba (Sacrifice), Strength (Unity), Is (Life), Wind (Change), Bereginya (Protection), Ud (Passion), Lelya (Water), Rock (Fate), Support (Foundation), Dazhdbog (Blessing), Perun (Power) and Source (Beginning).
