No surviving monuments from ancient Scandinavia cast a more romantic aura than the runestones, large rocks inscribed with letters from a mysterious alphabet. The runic alphabet is associated with magic, a notion clearly put forth in the Poetic Edda in the poems "Havamal", "Rigsthula" and "Sigrdrifumal". This romantic notion has been perpetuated by the high fantasy of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, which is firmly rooted in Germanic mythology.

Runic inscriptions on wood, bone, stone, and metal date from as early as the first century A.D. About 5000 inscriptions have been found, mostly in Sweden, although the oldest surviving runestone is believed to be the Einangstein above Slidre in Valdres, Oppland, Norway, which dates from the latter half of the third century.

The Elder Futhark presented here is the oldest complete runic alphabet, named "futhark" for the first six letters, "th" being considered a single letter. It is found on the early fifth century runestone on the Swedish island of Gotland and it contains 24 letters.

The individual letters or runes not only served as a functional alphabet, but also as linked to religious and magical practices. In that context, the runes symbolize key concepts. To quote the Havamal:

Runes you will find, readable staves -
Powerful magic, mighty spells -
Made by great powers,
The wisdom of Odin.

Runes are considered to have protective properties. They can also be used to cast spells - altering the circumstances for ourselves or someone else - or to foretell the future by casting runic lots. Typically, the individual runes are carved on small stones or bone chips, which are drawn from a bag and placed in symbolic patterns to be read. When drawn right side up during a divination, they have a positive meaning, when upside down, the meaning is negative.

Click to try your hand at divination, casting the Elder Futhark runes.

The Elder Futhark
	Letter:	F
	Name:	FeHu, Feoh, Fe
	Literal meaning:	Cattle, fee, money, gold, the Goddess Freya
	Positive meaning:	Money, property, fulfillment, good luck, dynamic power, goals reached
	Negative meaning:	A person or offer to be avoided
	Letter:	U, V
	Name:	Uruz, Ur
	Literal meaning:	Aurochs, drizzle, rain
	Positive meaning:	Advancement, good fortune, happiness, basic powers of manifestation
	Negative meaning:	Bad luck, minor illness
	Letter:	TH
	Name:	Thurisaz, Thorn, Thurs
	Literal meaning:	Giant, thorn, the good one, the strong one
	Positive meaning:	Journey over water. Good news from a distance. Inner strength to break resistance or pass a time of waiting. Take great care in making decisions.
	Negative meaning:	Delayed or unpleasant journey
	Letter:	A
	Name:	Ansuz, Oss, Ass
	Literal meaning:	Asa, god, ancestral god, one of the Aesir
	Positive meaning:	Transformation, new goals, information that changes your life
	Negative meaning:	Bad advice
	Letter:	R
	Name:	Raidho, Reidh, Rit, Rad
	Literal meaning:	Long journey on horseback, chariot, riding, wagon
	Positive meaning:	Journey, getting to the truth, seeing past illusions
	Negative meaning:	Travel problems, inconvenience, being blocked
	Letter:	C, K
	Name:	Kenaz, Kaon, Cen, Kaun
	Literal meaning:	Torch, swelling, sore, boil, forge, hearth, pyre
	Positive meaning:	The rune of craftsmen and the crafty or sly. Controlled energy for dissolution. Life-strength, ambition, determination, inspiration.
	Negative meaning:	Bad judgment, confusion
	Letter:	G
	Name:	Gebo, Gifu, Gyfu, Gipt
	Literal meaning:	Blessing, gifts from the gods, hospitality, generosity
	Positive meaning:	The exchange of force or power between the gods and humans. Weddings, legacies, promotions, windfall
	Negative meaning:	Sadness caused by someone close
	Letter:	W
	Name:	Wunjo, Wynn, Wunna, Vend
	Literal meaning:	Bliss, pleasure, joy, delight, hope, pasture
	Positive meaning:	Security, comfort, happiness, good social life
	Negative meaning:	Needless self-sacrifice
	Letter:	H
	Name:	Hagalaz, Haegl, Hagal
	Literal meaning:	Hail, snow
	Positive meaning:	Ability to bring opposites into harmony. Delays waiting for the right time.
	Negative meaning:	Setbacks, delays, situations out of your control
	Letter:	N
	Name:	Naudhiz, Nyd, Naut, Naudhr
	Literal meaning:	Need necessity, distress
	Positive meaning:	Distress that clouds reality, something out of the past that drives you. Caution needed to succeed.
	Negative meaning:	Impatience leads to disaster
	Letter:	I
	Name:	Isa, Iss, Eis
	Literal meaning:	Ice
	Positive meaning:	Period of absolute stillness. Be careful what you say.
	Negative meaning:	Hasty words bring trouble; indifference, uncaring, detached emotions
	Letter:	J
	Name:	Jera, Ger, Yer, Ar, Jer
	Literal meaning:	Good year, harvest, good season
	Positive meaning:	A cycle, time, reaping rewards, no quick results
	Negative meaning:	Wrong time to act
	Letter:	EI, I, Y
	Name:	Eihwaz, Eoh, Yr, Ihwar
	Literal meaning:	Mountain ash, yew tree
	Positive meaning:	End of a matter, situation, or problem. Drastic change. Death of a relationship.
	Negative meaning:	Old conflicts and situations cause trouble
	Letter:	P
	Name:	Perdhro, Perodh, Peorth, Pear
	Literal meaning:	Fate, dice cup
	Positive meaning:	Chance, unexpected material gain, surprise
	Negative meaning:	A secret that can hurt you
	Letter:	Z
	Name:	Elhaz, Eolh, Aquizi, Ihwar
	Literal meaning:	Elk, stone axe, protection, yew bow
	Positive meaning:	Visible movement, blockages removed
	Negative meaning:	People actively trying to stop you
	Letter:	S
	Name:	Sowilo, Sigil, Sig, Sol
	Literal meaning:	Sun, sun-wheel
	Positive meaning:	Change, guidance, time of renewal, drastic changes, complete turnaround, advancement of plans, change of residence
	Negative meaning:	Failure which leads to new opportunities
	Letter:	T
	Name:	Tiwaz, Tyr, Tiu, Tir
	Literal meaning:	Sky god, the God Tyr
	Positive meaning:	Unbiased wisdom, justice, law and order. Justified victory and success.
	Negative meaning:	Intrigue, deception, others working against you
	Letter:	B
	Name:	Berkano, Beorc, Birca
	Literal meaning:	Birch tree, birch goddess
	Positive meaning:	Creativity, new beginnings, birth, marriage
	Negative meaning:	Failure, divorce, miscarriage, stagnant period
	Letter:	E
	Name:	Ehwo, Eoh, Ehwaz, Eh
	Literal meaning:	Horse, steed, stallion, war horse
	Positive meaning:	Trust, self-transformation, new attitude, new home, new goals, steady progress
	Negative meaning:	Progress blocked
	Letter:	M
	Name:	Mannaz, Man, Madhr
	Literal meaning:	Mankind, world, human being
	Positive meaning:	Man, lover, husband, male influence in life. New career opportunities.
	Negative meaning:	Material loss
	Letter:	L
	Name:	Laguz, Lagu, Logr
	Literal meaning:	Lake, water
	Positive meaning:	Hidden movement under the surface, no progress seen but it is happening. Life energy; manifestation coming from other planes
	Negative meaning:	Behind the scenes action blocks progress, usually with a woman involved
	Letter:	NG
	Name:	Ingwaz, Ingvi, Ing
	Literal meaning:	Kin, the God Frey
	Positive meaning:	Creating life force at work. Family, relatives, children, parents, spouse. Benefits from relatives.
	Negative meaning:	Family becomes a burden
	Letter:	D
	Name:	Dagaz, Dag, Daeg
	Literal meaning:	Day
	Positive meaning:	Sudden realization, awakening, mystic light, attraction between two people
	Negative meaning:	Clouded vision, not understanding
	Letter:	O
	Name:	Othalaz, ethel, Odal, Odhal, Othala
	Literal meaning:	Homeland, property, inherited land, sacred enclosure
	Positive meaning:	Inborn qualities, tangible possessions
	Negative meaning:	Illusions, jealousy, greed, wasted efforts