One theory is that the runic alphabet was developed by the Goths, a Germanic people. Two inscriptions, the Negau and the Maria Saalerberg inscriptions, written in Etruscan script in a Germanic language and dating from the second and first centuries BC, give credence to the theory of Etruscan origins. The earliest Futhark inscriptions don’t have a fixed writing direction, but instead were written left-to-right or right-to-left, which was a feature of very archaic Greek or Etruscan alphabets before the third century BC. ( National Museum of Scotland) Futhark Originsīecause of the resemblance to Mediterranean writing, it is thought that Futhark was adapted from either the Greek or Etruscan alphabet and its origin begins further back than the pre-history of Northern Europe. The amulet containing the word ‘futhark’ was made from the tooth of a brown bear and was found in Orkney in the 1930s. For example, an amulet made from the tooth of a brown bear that was found in Orkney in the 1930s containing this word is said to have been used for protective or fertility magic. The earliest runes consisted almost entirely of straight lines, arranged singly or in combinations of two or more. Later runes took on more complex forms and some even resemble modern day letters of the English alphabet.Įxperts believe the writing of the word ‘futhark’ itself may have been used for ancient Norse magic. Runes could be written in both directions and could also be inverted or upside down. It consisted of 24 letters, 18 consonants and 6 vowels, and was a writing system where each character marked a certain sound. The Runic alphabet is known as Futhark after the first six runes, namely f, u, th, a, r, and k.
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