ANCIENT RUNES EXPLAINED (AND HOW THEY INFLUENCED THE LORD OF THE RINGS)

BY STEPHEN J. SCHUYLER/APRIL 1, 2023 8:30 AM EST

Nothing cries out wizardry, witchcraft, dragon-slaying, and magic swords more than ancient runes. These angular characters provide an archaic and mysterious ambience that is more than at home in almost any Advanced Dungeons & Dragons tome worth its ounce of fairy dust. Much of the modern conception of runes can be traced to the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. This author introduced modern readers to his version of ancient runes in "The Hobbit" and then "The Lord of the Rings." In both works, Tolkien uses runes as plot points, setting décor, and challenges to readers. Tolkien did more to spread the word about runes than any medieval academician.

J.R.R. Tolkien was a scholar of Middle and Old English and a master etymologist. He was very keyed-in on how language was transmitted, both in the Latin alphabet and runes. With that said, Tolkien's runes are not real runes but were inspired by the historic versions. This writing system is fascinating in its own right both for its unusual history and its ties to beliefs in magic. Let's look at how ancient runes developed and how they influenced the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

WHAT ARE ANCIENT RUNES?

Runes are simply the letters of a family of alphabets that appeared in northern Europe at least as far back as the second century, according to the World History Encyclopedia. This writing system was used by ancient Germanic and Norse cultures, including the Vikings.

The first thing one notices about runes are their unique, angular appearance. As described by Terje Spurkland in "Norwegian Runes and Runic Inscriptions," runes have a specific structure. Letters consist of a "stave" which is usually a vertical line that runs to the base of the letter.  Then there are smaller "twigs" that complete the letter, often on diagonals. So for example, the ᛉ rune consists of one stave and two twigs. The ᛚ rune consists of one stave and one twig, and the ᚷ, of two staves. Sometimes, runes would be combined in what are called "bind-runes." The characters are angular because they were carved letters, rather than being written onto paper with ink.

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https://www.grunge.com/1241313/ancient-runes-explained-influenced-lord-of-the-rings/