Runes were a written alphabet alphabet used by the Vikings, consisting of various symbols that could be efficiently carved into stone or wood, due to the many straight lines and no curved lines.
Runes were used for divination. Known as casting lots, runes would be tossed onto a blanket, and how they landed would be interpreted by a seer. They were also used for protective magic. Runes were...
The poem Havamal, from the Poetic Edda, describes Odin gaining the runes through self sacrifice. Hanging upside down on the ash tree Yggdrasil (the world tree), he finally spots the runes. Stanza...
In the Viking Age, runes were used mainly for two purposes: for writing and for magic. For example, ordinary people would use runes for inscribing names on personal objects, sending messages to each...