Although today most of the Western world writes using the signs of the Latin language (the alphabet inherited from the Roman Empire), other different alphabetic systems were used before the spread of these. One of these is the Viking runes, a sign system that emerged in the regions of Scandinavia during the Viking Age and was later exported to Great Britain and parts of Central Europe.
It is an ancient alphabet, dating from the year 150 of the Christian era that was used both to write and to perform certain magical rites linked to divination. If you want to know a little more about Viking runes: meaning and names, don’t miss the following OneHOWTO article. In the end, you can also discover a selection of Viking rune tattoo designs with photos so you can choose your favorite.
Viking runes: runic alphabets
The first thing to keep in mind when talking about runes is that, although the most famous are the Viking runes, they are not the only ones that exist, which is why we say that there is not a single runic alphabet system.
The fact that the Vikings are the most famous runes is due to the fact that they were the original ones, the first to exist, and, therefore, where all the others came from. This specific alphabet, also called futhark due to the first runes that make up the runic alphabet (F, U, Z, A, R, K), was used in the region controlled by the Viking peoples from the year 150 AD.
From there, these runes became popular and spread to other regions of Europe, which brought adaptation to other languages and to each of the phonemes of each of these languages. Because of this, one can also speak of British runes, as well as Germanic or Icelandic runes. Although all of these runes have many symbols in common, there are others that vary greatly from version to version, while others may disappear or be replaced by entirely new symbols that were incorporated into other variants.
Meaning and name of the Viking runes
Although the Viking runic alphabet system allowed certain texts to be written, each of the runes had a meaning and magical power associated with each symbol, as well as a name that identified each of the characters. In the case of the Viking runes, their alphabet was made up of 24 runes. Next, we discover their names and the meaning of these Viking runes :
- Fehu: Wealth
- Uruz: Water
- Thurisaz: Giant
- Ansuz: Gods
- raid: travel
- Kaunan: Illness
- Gebo: Gift
- Wunjo: Joy
- Haglaz: Hail
- Saudi: Necessity of precariousness
- Isaac: Ice
- Jean: Harvest
- Ihaz: Yew tree
- Pertho: Peartree (meaning uncertain)
- Algiz: Moose
- Sowilo: Sun
- Tiwaz: God Tyr
- Berkman: Birch Tree
- Ehwaz: Horse
- Mannaz: Human being (meaning uncertain)
- Laguz: Waterfall or ocean
- Ingwaz: Hero
- Othalan: Wealth or prosperity
- Dagaz: Day
How divination with runes works
According to Viking tradition, in addition to being useful for writing, the runes were also used for divination. According to the meanings of each one of the runes, a question could be formulated, and, throwing the pieces that contained each one of the drawn runes, it could be known what the future held. This was known depending on the position in which they fell and the relationship between the different pieces.
To give an example, let’s imagine for a moment that we have the Viking runes in each of their corresponding pieces for divination in a bag. One of the possible forms of divination would be to formulate a question in a solemn way, and then put your hand into the bag of runes and extract one of them.
If, for example, we asked about a possible job offer and the rune obtained was Othalan, which means wealth and prosperity, this would make us think that the runes predict a good omen. If, on the other hand, the rune obtained were Naudiz, which means need or precariousness, the omen would be just the opposite.
On the other hand, Viking rune divination methods could take more complex forms. This would be done primarily by combining two or more runes. For example, to do this, instead of taking just one rune from the bag after asking the question, one could take a random handful and place the runes on a smooth surface. Depending on the way in which the runes fell, a more specific and better-defined omen could be concluded.
Due to this use, the Viking runes were associated with a magical and religious profile that went beyond the simple alphabet to represent sounds and phonemes. In fact, even today, many people continue to use them as a method of divination.
Viking rune tattoos
Despite their age, Viking runes are very popular and relevant even today. This is shown by the fact that some of the most demanded tattoos by ink lovers are various Viking rune designs. If you are thinking of getting a tattoo with its own meaning and you consider yourself a lover of the history of cultures, the Viking runes may be an ideal design for your tastes. Here are some of our favorite Viking rune tattoo designs:
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