In ancient times, it was considered to be a sort of divine practice, a communication with the Gods. However, the art of reading runes still took place. If they were to be used in any sort of “mystical” way, it was often for the crafting of magical amulets and talismans, although they were believed to be just like any other letter, carrying no significant, special meaning of their own. Historically, runes were more commonly utilized as a traditional, normal alphabet, just like Latin or Greek. In general, the following list of symbols and their meanings, divided by the Freyr, Heimdall, and Tyr Aetts’: There are many different possible meanings assigned to the runes since they are such an ancient language and because using them was a practice cloaked in mystery in a time before many people had access to written language. It has runes for things like birth, neighborhood, intuition, and inheritance. The last set of runes, Tyr’s Aett, shows how our spirituality and heritage are evolving. The following collection of runes (Heimdall’s Aett), which includes runes like barriers, fate, and harvest/abundance, speaks of our maturing and growing.

As a result, it contains runes that stand for things like vigor, communication, and cattle-the primary sign of riches in those days. The cycle of life is depicted in these major groups.įinding our way in the material world and acquiring material belongings are symbolized by the first set of runes, or in Freyr’s Aett. Three equal groups of eight runes each make up the Elder Futhark runic alphabet: Freyr’s, Heimdall’s, and Tyr’s (where “aett” stands for “family”). The runic alphabet typically consists of 24 letters, but some sets also include a blank stone known as Odin’s Rune, which is believed to represent things that are still to be known. The Norse and other Northern European societies believed that runes held powerful divinatory abilities and as such were regarded very seriously. Runes help us to access our inner knowledge and intuitive abilities as well as our Spirit Guides and the collective unconscious for unveiling hidden wisdom and guidance. The word “rune” actually means secret, mystery, and whisper. Like hieroglyphics, each rune has a meaning in addition to being a letter.īecause rune stones had a rich and magical past, they were revered and handled with the utmost care. Today, we utilize rune stones as a form of divination, comparable to Tarot cards. They occasionally also imply “miracle.” It can also mean “poetry” in Finnish and “to speak” in Lithuanian. The word “ rune” derives from a Germanic word that means “mystery” or “secret,” and related words can also be found in Welsh, Old English, Old Irish, and Old English dialects.

Similar to our own alphabet used today, runic writings have been discovered on stone blocks, wood, bones, and other artifacts to record business transactions, judicial and political affairs, in divination and magic, on headstones as protection charms and talismans, as public art, and as the handmade glyphs of craftsmen. Before Latin became widely used throughout Europe in approximately the 1st century A.D., a proto-Norse language, known as the runic alphabet, was already in use.

Elder futhark rune set