Early Germanic Runes

The Elder Fuþark

The Elder Fuþark, also known as the Germanic Fuþark, is the oldest form of the runic alphabets. Just as “Alphabet” takes it name from alpha and beta, so “Futhark” takes its name from the first six letters of the runic system of writing.

The exact origins of the Elder Fuþark are still debated, although it is generally accepted that it was inspired by Roman script. As Terje Spurkland writes:

”The origin of runic script is a constantly recurring theme among runologists and others interested in runes and runic inscriptions. The view of the matter that seems to have the strongest support is “the Latin theory” in some variant or other: a conviction that the invention of the older fuþark was to a large extent inspired by roman script. The main evidence for this is the fact that several of the runic characters seem to be direct copies of Latin letters. The genesis of runic script is therefore assumed to be the result of close encounters between a non-literate Northern Europe and a literate Roman Empire.”

(Spurkland, T., “The Older Fuþark and Roman Script Literacy“, Futhark: International Journal of Runic Studies vol 1, 2010, p.65)

A number of changes took place during the seventh century. In Scandinavia new fuþarks with fewer letters and simpler letter-forms emerged, while in England the number of characters was expanded to twenty-eight in the Anglo-Saxon Fuþorc.

See also:

Anglo-Saxon Runes
Viking Age Runes

The Svingerud Rune Stone (Svingerudsteinen)

The Svingerud Stone is the oldest known rune stone (as of 2023). It was discovered during excavation of several Norwegian burial mounds near Tyrifjord, west of Oslo. The rune stone was found within a cremation burial which was C14 dated from between the year 1 and the year 250 AD.

The clearest runic inscription transliterates into ‘idiberug’, which may be a woman’s name ‘Idibergu’ or the kin name ‘Idiberung’.

Further information: The Svingerud Rune Stone (Svingerudsteinen)

The Einang Runic Stone (Einangsteinen)

The Einang stone located east of the Einang Sound near Fagernes, in Oppland, Norway, and is situated on a grave mound overlooking the Valdres valley.

The runic inscription in Proto-Norse has been dated to the 4th century. Until the discovery of the Svingerud Rune Stone it was seen as the earliest known rune stone.

The Einang stone may be the earliest rune stone to use the word runo ‘rune’.

Further information: The Einang Runic Stone (Einangsteinen)

The Runic Stone from Kylver (Kylverstenen)

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Further information: The Runic Stone from Kylver (Kylverstenen)