The History of Runes

In the modern world, 'Runes' are perceived as superstitious symbols which enable those that have read into their powers to engage in witchcraft. This perspective of runes is comparatively new - though runes have always been shrouded in mystery, and have to some extent used for magic, medieval runes are a lot more utilitarian. They are used for their riddle-like properties, but they are also used to simply write notes. Their use in magical formulae is not because they were unique, but because they were the only script which people had at the time.

This video goes over the history of runes - from what we know of their creation, to their change in shape, to their eventual decline in use. Then, it discusses briefly their use in the modern world - by necessity, as a lot of our modern perspective of runes is based in events of only the past 100-150 years.

Some of the inscriptions mentioned in this video:

0:00 Introduction
2:58 That unique runic style, and relationship with runes
6:19 Where did runes come from?
9:55 The Elder Futhark
13:44 Anglo-Frisian Futhorc
18:39 The Younger Futhark
22:48 The Decline of Runes
23:59 Runes in the Modern World

[Arviragus]

Delicious, finally some good rune facts (and not just more modern esoterica)

[MLaserHistory]

Well the whole of the Danube region was very Romanized, Pannonia, even east of the Danube, had extreme Roman influence and Dacia was a Roman province. Also, since the Marcomannic wars there were bunch of German settlements in the Danube area both within and outside of the Roman limes. Basically what I am saying is that the Danube theory and the Northern Italy/Switzerland theory should pretty much be the same with the Latin influence on the development of Elder Futhark. If it was developed around the Danube it would 100% have had as much Latin influence than if it was developed in Northern Italy/Switzerland.

[MythologywithMike]

I've been looking forward to this. Let #RuneJune begin! Someday our alphabet will be looked at as magical like the runes

Also some Norse names sound like someone made up names that they thought were stereotypical for Vikings, "Thorvi" in particular makes me think that

[dirckthedork-knight]

Awesome video

Its indeed very sad how the first thing the modern bloke things when hearing the word Runes is magical crap instead of alphabets

The Germanic Heroic Age and Germanic Poetry would be an interasting topic to cover it legit facinating how interconnected the Germanic peoples were through poetry and the Norse and Anglo saxons had poems about Ermanaric and Theodoric two Kings that lived in what by their own worldview be the other far east south end of the world

[samwill]

Wait so Runes are just a language used by normal people in history and DOESN'T give people magic powers or speak to some kind of ancient conspiracy? Man, who'd've guessed!

[sosrope]

As I'm learning Lithuanian, which the marketing claims is "the oldest European language", I'm finding many parallels with German, interestingly in the opposite sense in which we find French in English. I have the strongest feeling that the nice simple "genetic lineages" model of language (and script) development is an oversimplification. Language exists for exchange so I suppose most constantly cross-pollinated others. There are no strict "parents". We simply see evidence for those which "stuck" at certain times. After all, standardized scripts are a very recent blip in the long historical flow.

[SmoggieManx]

So you're telling me my runic tattoo doesn't give me magical healing powers?

[Svensk]

Love how you used "subscribe" as an example! Ha!
Since the Elder Fuþark collapsed (eight runes basically being abandoned) and þe Younger Fuþark seems to not follow the same grammar conventions (from what I understand/remember) I would say that Runic literacy was minimal.
It seems to me that the literal class collapsed, and the Younger was reconstructed by those who somewhat knew them.

[ake_lindblom]

In Sweden, limited use of runes presisted until the begining of the 20th century! The most prominent example of this is the "Dalecarlian Runes". An interesting fact about them is that they progressivley changed into the latin alphabet, using various mixtures of the two over the centuries.

[SchmulKrieger]

Feoh actually means cattle and is a cognate of fee.

[Tomartyr]

The good historian Youtuber drinking game:
One shot every time they say "we don't know, "
One shot and one pint every time they say "we may never know, "
Also works well with Trey the Explainer
Drink & Teach Responsibly

[beranaliva]

Stands to reason some or many of the Germanic gang returned/escaped from Rome after a stint with the army or for their education, surety or ransom and brought with them a rudimentary knowledge of the Latin scripts and, not necessarily having ready access to pens and paper, adapted it to suit.

[SchmulKrieger]

Runes were used in all Germanic lands, also close to the Alpes. And in the Vistula region by the East Germanics, some runes made it into the Gothic alphabet later.

[jondoealoe]

Runes were used to write prayers on logs that were burned as offerings to God who they called Halogia in holy fires

The word Logos comes from those logs, and the name "Halogen" as in Halogen lights comes from the fire.

Notice the syllables Gia, Ha and Yah are in Halogia; HA and YAH are two syllables that are in YHWH...

Halogia had two daughters. They were named Ash and Ember.

[telotawa]

as someone fairly interested in the occult, the perspective i have is yeah, they're not really uniquely magical, you could do the same with any script
(i take the perspective that it's psychological in nature, placebos of an advanced level, so maybe taking an "exotic" mysterious script may make the placebo more potent. dunno)

[TheSiike_]

13:53 your ᚳ is upside down
14:07 your ac and æsc runes are swapped

[Svensk]

Love even more how you blasted the ss connection to magic through runes. And the scheisters selling "secret knowledge". That, sir, is an educational service to all of Man.
I must put forth that part of the "magic" of runes comes from their use in Middle-earth.

Also, people had the idea of secret knowledge being part of hieroglyphs and hieroglyphics. The same desire might, by default, latch onto runes.
Excellent video, sir! Takk shall du ha!

[TLguy]

"evidence this evidence that" CHANNEL YOUR GENETIC MEMORY AND STOP LETTING THE LOGICAL BRAIN IMPEDE YOU.