Why we should go back to writing in runes

Before the Roman alphabet, #English was written out using runes ᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱᚳ. And I think... they were better.

Allow me to explain why as we explore how #runes were used in the distant past, how they've been abused by groups like the Nazis, and how they could be used in the future.

If it's good enough for #Tolkein and his dwarves, it's good enough for us!

🔍RESOURCES🔎
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==CHAPTERS==
0:00 Introduction
0:15 What are runes?
0:56 Runes in 'The Hobbit'
2:08 The origin of runes
3:01 The Elder Futhark
4:30 How they were used
5:58 Rune magic?
6:52 Ground News
8:34 Anglo-Saxon Futhorc
9:45 Why are runes better?
11:40 Rune names
12:55 Viking use of runes
15:45 Nazi abuse of runes
19:04 Modern rune usage
20:05 Resources

[kathymarshall]

The fact that there’s a runic message telling someone to get home from the pub and that it has a corresponding gibberish response has absolutely made my day!

The more things change, the more they stay the same 😂😂

[DutchLabrat]

Going back to runes would only make sense if the current English orthography was an utter unsalvageable mess beyond yeah, you have a point.

[Merione]

As a foreigner who struggled for years to learn English spelling, I'm conflicted: on one hand, YES, consistent phonetic spelling would be a gift from God; on the other, I have suffered enough, let me enjoy the fruits of my labor 😂

[jamieblanche]

Viking Runes? It's Norse Code! :D

[paulkinzer]

I had fun with runes when I first read Th Lord of the Rings. It was great that Tolkien included a Runic alphabet in the appendices. I would leave Runic notes on the desks I sat in in different classes (on pieces of paper; not carved into the desk). One day, I found a response! When I figured out who it was from (from hints in his note), I was not surprised to learn that it was a nerdy friend who had seen me leave a note. He knew what the symbols were, having read LOTR, but he head not gone to the trouble of learning to read and write them. So he went home, got out his copy of the trilogy (like mine, the hardcover edition), and translated my note so he could write a response.

I have no memory of just what either of us wrote, probably because they were lame and unimportant. But he was also a gifted artist/illustrator, and I do remember his playing with Runic 'fonts', a word I did not know at the time. I don't think he ever added flames around the edges of the letters, but he might have!

[seanmcdaniel]

I loved this! I teach Spanish here in the U.S., and part of what I do is compare how Spanish and English use the alphabet. The conclusion, of course, is that our alphabet is entirely unsuited for representing the sounds present in our language, which is not the case for Spanish. This will be a great video to share with my students, as a way to have them reflect on this idea. Thanks!

[KAZVorpal]

In India there is an effort among young people to reclaim the swastika as a positive symbol of goodness ("be good" is what svastika means, in Sanskrit). You will find it as a random graffito, around there.
It's called the manji, in Japan, and Wan, in China, where it can mean infinity, or life.

[lionspawfilmandphoto]

Your nerding out is so joyful. Please don't stop.

[UK_Canuck]

There was all too much self-satisfaction wrapped up in that Gollum moment. 🤣

[Matt-klpg]

6:00 Carving symbols on sticks, picking them at random and interpreting their meaning sounds very much like the ancient Chinese i ching divination.

Coincidence?

...Yes, yes it is

[atklm]

My handwriting is the same it was in elementary school over 30 years ago. My teacher, God bless that old gasbag, called them with the term that would translate directly to English ”Magpie’s foot prints”. Now I know that it’s not bad handwriting, I’m just writing with runes. It’s in my Nordic blood 😄

[NelielSugiura]

I have been taking personal notes in Anglo-Saxon Futhark Runic since around year twelve. I will never stop doing this. I do need to learn the proper phonetic way to use them, though, rather than just the rough estimation I have been from the PNG taken from Wikipedia all those moons ago.

[steveaustin]

3:27 The Sauron whisper after you named the sounds made me laugh.

[MotoHikes]

3:57 Furthermore, for E all you need to do is rotate it 90 degrees anti-clockwise, L and U all you need to do is flip horizontally, K looks alot like C, A you add another stave to the right, and D you split in half.

[VictoriaKimball]

I love runes. In junior high (early '70s), my friends and I used runes to write secret "coded" messages to each other. (We were highly influenced by the LotR.)

[katlouwen]

As a kid we read the Hobbit for school and I learned the runic alphabet for fun. I remember it being really easy to learn and fun to use. Now I know why! Thanks Rob

[EALoArt]

Tolkein's version of the old norse runes is how I wrote anything in my journal/sketchbook I didn't want anyone glancing over and reading.

[Richard_Nickerson]

I taught myself Tolkien's Dwarvish runes & I use those to journal/keep things secret for myself.
I'd love if more people knew them & could communicate with me.
I adore that diphthongs tend to have a single character.

[michaeltrueblood]

Imagine completing a carved poem only to discover something misspelled.

[mumenrider]

I like the idea of using a runic alphabet! I'll make two suggestions to help it become popular: we need a cursive form that is easier to write, and we need stories written in runic letters for people to read. That last idea is from Tolkien. He created his world for his languages. People won't learn a language of there are no stories in it to read.