Although today most of the western world writes using the signs of the Latin language (the alphabet inherited from the Roman Empire), before the extension of these other different alphabetic systems were used. One of them are viking runes, a system of signs that arose in the regions of Scandinavia during the Viking Age and that, later, was exported to Great Britain and some 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. At the end, you will also be able to discover a selection of designs from Viking rune tattoos with pictures for you to 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 no single system runic alphabet.
The fact that the Vikings are the most famous runes is due to the fact that they were the original ones, the first that existed and, therefore, from where all the others arose. This concrete alphabet, also called futhark Due to the first runes that make up the runic alphabet (F, U, Z, A, R, K), it was used in the region controlled by the Viking peoples from 150 AD
From there, these runes became popular and spread to other regions of Europe, which brought with it the 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 these runes have many symbols in common, there are others that vary greatly from one version to another, 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 runic alphabet system of the Vikings allowed to write certain texts, each of the runes had a meaning and a 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 consisted of 24 runes. Next, we discover their names and the meaning of these Viking runes:
- Fehu: Wealth
- Uruz: Water
- Thurisaz: Giant
- Ansuz: Gods
- Raido: Travel
- Kaunan: Disease
- Gebo: Gift
- Wunjo: Joy
- Haglaz: Hail
- Naudiz: Necessity or precariousness
- Isaz: Ice
- Jeran: Harvest
- Ihaz: Yew tree
- Pertho: Pear tree (meaning uncertain)
- Algiz: Moose
- Sowilo: Sun
- Tiwaz: God Tyr
- Berkanan: Birch tree
- Ehwaz: Horse
- Mannaz: Being human (meaning uncertain)
- Laguz: Waterfall or ocean
- Ingwaz: Hero
- Othalan: Wealth or prosperity
- Dagaz: Day
How Rune Divination 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 of the runes, a question could be formulated and, by throwing the pieces that contained each of the drawn runes, it was possible to know what did the future hold. 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 ask a question in a solemn way and then put your hand in 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 good omen. If, on the contrary, the rune obtained were Naudiz, which means necessity or precariousness, the omen would be just the opposite.
On the other hand, Viking rune divination methods could take more complex shapes. This would be done mainly by combining two or more runes. For example, instead of taking just one rune from the bag after asking the question, you could take a random handful and place the runes on a smooth surface. Depending on the way in which the runes fell, a more concrete 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 demonstrated by the fact that some of the tattoos most in demand by ink lovers are diverse. 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, Viking runes may be an ideal design for your tastes. Here are some of our favorite Viking rune tattoo designs:
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