Demetrius Drystellas A form of divination . The term rune is derived from the Indo-European root ru , which means mystery or secret . Runes were at first ancient Norse and Teutonic alphabets, and symbols that were ascribed with various magical, mystical, and divinatory properties. These various alphabetical signs have been passed down through the centuries and were thought to possess religious and magical meanings.
Personal runes can represent letters, deities, qualities, events, and natural forces.
Odin acquired the forbidden and mystical knowledge of the runes by impaling himself by his own spear to Yggdrasil , the World Tree, for nine days and nights. They numbered 24, divided into three groups called Aettas, which corresponds closely to the phonetic sounds of the Roman alphabet. In Scandinavia it was reduced to sixteen. K. The runes coexisted for centuries along with Christian symbols such as the cross. One of the earliest historical references to them is in the 4th.