A set of symbols referred to as runes served a number of functions all through historical past, performing as an alphabet, a software for divination, and a system imbued with magical significance. These symbols, etched onto objects like stones, wooden, and metallic, had been employed by Germanic peoples, primarily in the course of the Migration Interval and the Viking Age. Runic inscriptions provide insights into the beliefs, practices, and every day lives of those cultures. As an example, an inscription on a comb would possibly provide a easy dedication, whereas one on a rune stone would possibly commemorate a big occasion or individual.
As a writing system, runes offered a way of communication and record-keeping. Their symbolic nature additionally lent them to divinatory practices, the place castings of marked stones had been interpreted to supply steering or predict the long run. This apply intertwined with the broader cultural context, linking the runes to Norse mythology and its pantheon of gods and goddesses. The examine of those symbols affords useful historic information, shedding mild on historical Germanic language, tradition, and perception techniques.
