**********Runes************
****************************************************************************************
Rune: n. 1. any of the letters of the earliest Germanic alphabet used by Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons from about the 3rd c. and fromed by modifying Roiman or Greek characters to suit carving 2. a similar mark of myertious or magic significant (1)
*****************************************************************************************
One would think that the Old English verb 'writan' would translate into the modern English verb 'to write'. However, it means 'to inscribe or engrave' instead. Runes were inscribed on wood [although other objects have been known to contain runes such as stones and various metals] and therefore the letters were designed to work with the grain of the wood. Vertical strokes cut at right angles to the grain and slanting strokes make up all of the runes since curves were not conducive to carving. (3) Notice these strokes in the image below:
The Old English Runes: (4)
"Each rune has its own name.. probably they are as old as the runes themselves.. From the very beginning every letter had to be called something. The Germanic people abandoned the alphabetical order.. and they gave their letters, the runes, new names.
"Attempts to explain these names - as elements in a sacred of cultic system, for example - have been doomed to... failure. We may safely relegate them to a world of fantasy." (2)
It is significant that
are all named after trees of mythological
significance, meaning yew, birch, oak and ash, respectively. Also, feoh means
cattle or wealth which would also be important to the people of the day since
cattle and land would equal wealth. (2)
Each rune also represents a letter or dipthong which is the first letter or dipthong of the Old English name of the rune. Example, feoh is an F, mann is an m.
Here is a list of what each rune name is theorized to mean. These are taken from the OE Rune Poem.
(4)****************************************************************************************
What were runes used for? Runes were used as memorial inscriptions, receipts, casual graffiti, and occasionally more. There are few examples of runes used as almost a telegram or message from kings. Also the Ruthwell Cross in England is a magnificant example of runology. Runes are used to recite pieces of the Old English Poem "The Dream of the Rood". (3)
Where did runes come from? "Where and when the runes were invented we do not know. The obvious similarities with the Roman alphabet brought early scholars to the belief that the script appeared first among Germanic peoples within or close to the Roman empire, with the implication that runes were an adapatation of the more prestigious alphabet for barbarian purposes." (3)
***************************************************************************************
Bibliography:
(1) The Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus. American Edition, Oxford University Press, New York, 1996 pg. 1323
(2) Bammesberger, Alfred, (editor) Old English Runes and their Continental Background, Heidelberg:Winter, 1991
Polome, E. "The Names of the Runes" :quote taken from Erik Moltke "Runes and their Origins: Denmark and Elsewhere" translated by Peter Foote.
(3) Page, R.I. Runes, University of California Press, California, 1987
(4) These runic names and the runes have been recreated from a worksheet written by Craig Davis prepared for ENG 214 Old English at Smith College.
**************************************************************************************
Page created by Nicole 2001
get a website at www.geocities.com