Runes

This article contains several information taken from other sources in addition to information from the series proper. This may include the *published* version of the Shadowhunter's Codex, the family tree, and other extra content or companion books.

## General Information

### **Source**:

* Book of the Covenant
* Gray Book (Shadowhunters)

## Known Possessor(s)

### **Significant user(s)**:

* Angels
* Shadowhunters
* Demons

**Runes**, also known as **Marks**, are symbols that grant beings various supernatural abilities, with both angelic and demonic runes known to exist. For Shadowhunters, runes are a complex runic language given to them by the Angel Raziel, which grants them powers beyond those of mundanes. Runes are burned into Shadowhunters' skin using steles, and are their most common tool in their fight against demons.

## History

Runes are markings given to the first generation of Shadowhunters by the Angel Raziel to assist them in fighting the demons they were tasked to eradicate. Every rune that is accessible to Shadowhunters is recorded in the Book of the Covenant, and have also been copied into the Gray Book, which is a specially crafted book with each rune placed in its pages. Copies of the book are rare because each book must be specially made, due to the fact that steles, made of the holy metal *adamas,* burn normal paper.

The first ever recorded Mark was the biblical Mark of Cain, set upon Cain, which protected him from harm, as any harm against him would result in the same harm rebounded upon the assailant sevenfold.

In 2007, a large number of Shadowhunters were forcibly Turned into demonically-aligned Dark Shadowhunters with the Infernal Cup by Sebastian Morgenstern, which resulted in their angelic runes fading from their skin. After being Turned, the Dark Shadowhunters were only able to apply demonic runes.

## Information

While runes do cause some uneasiness and a slight stinging pain, most runes do not actually cause harm against a Shadowhunter.

When young Shadowhunters are set to begin their formal training, usually around the age of ten or twelve, they receive their first rune. While the Voyance rune is normally the first rune given to young or newly-ascended Shadowhunters, it may be changed in special cases, such as when it was decided that the sickly Adele Starkweather should receive the Strength rune first. The first rune is usually Marked upon them in a formal ceremony done by Silent Brothers.

### Uses

While most runes are meant to be used on Shadowhunters' skin, many runes can also be applied on physical objects, giving a variety of effects and abilities. Many of these runes are placed on their weapons to prevent demons from healing when injured by them; others are used to lock and unlock doors, create fires, and a wide array of other abilities.

Runes are what make the Nephilim different from average humans, as they are the only beings who are able to bear the Angel's marks. When drawn on mundanes, they burn the skin; powerful marks could drive them insane and turn them into Forsaken. The demon disease that
causes lycanthropy in werewolves prevents Marks from taking effect, while other Downworlders who are Marked cannot bear the runes and, like mundanes, may either go mad or die upon contact; the only exception is the Alliance rune, which was specifically designed to be applied to both Shadowhunters and Downworlders. According to Magnus Bane, angel runes can only be applied on the Nephilim because that's what the runes given to them are for, being part-angel themselves.

Runes are an integral part of an individuals' identity as Nephilim. When one violates the Law severely enough to warrant an expulsion from Shadowhunter society, or when one chooses to leave of his/her own accord, the Shadowhunter is stripped of their Marks, a process that is excruciatingly painful. While this will only typically turn a Shadowhunter into a mundane, the Clave has occasionally made it so that the former Shadowhunter will turn Forsaken to serve as torture or a punishment, though the latter has since been forbidden by their Law.

Though most runes have immense power, there are runes used by the Nephilim that are purely symbolic. The love rune, for example, is merely a symbol of two people's love and cannot create the actual feeling. The same can be said for the mourning rune; it cannot diminish the loss that its wearers feel and only honors the dead and symbolizes the pain of their loved ones' deaths. There are also runes of peace, seen in the Silent City and can be used to possibly soothe someone's mind to give them peaceful sleep.

Runes can be drawn as a whole while there are runes, depending on its purpose, that can be drawn partially at first and completed when the wearer wishes to activate it.

### Efficiency

The strength and efficiency of runes is based on and related to the inscribing Shadowhunter's talent for runic magic, specifically the strength and accuracy of the drawn Mark. Poorly drawn Marks would have no effect. Likewise, using the stele to draw random, non-runic symbols or writing will only produce the "icy hot" feeling similar to the one brought about by using it to draw Marks, but there will be no effect.

The placement of runes adds to their effectiveness. The closer a rune is placed to the heart, the more effective it is. Some runes are placed on hands and arms and legs because they target that particular area. The force that the rune is drawn with is also a factor in how long it lasts; the harder someone presses when drawing the rune makes it last longer.

In addition, Marks made by ones' *parabatai* upon another are stronger than other Marks, and there are Marks that only *parabatai* can use, because they draw on the partners' doubled strength. In another special case, Clary Fray, whose additional angel blood gives her the power to create new runes, can also place Marks on herself and others that are typically more powerful than those placed by regular Shadowhunters, although this ability has been known to sap her of energy.

### Longevity

When drawn on the skin, fresh runes appear black. Some runes on objects are drawn in different colors, such as red, silver, and gold, among others. Many runes are temporary and fade with time. These runes will almost always leave behind a faint white or silver scar as if as a reminder of the rune that was once placed there. These runes would need to be drawn again for their effects to be felt again.

Other runes, like the Voyance rune, the Mnemosyne rune, runes for weddings, *parabatai* rituals, and some for mourning, are permanent. These runes never fade and their effects constantly work on the Shadowhunter on whom they were placed. In the case of wedding runes, though they are permanent, they can be broken in half in a very painful process. As with *parabatai* runes, which fade when the bond is broken or cut (something much harder to do than the ending of a marriage), such as when one is made a Silent Brother or Iron Sister, these wedding runes may also dissolve and fade when the partnership is annulled.

### Resistance

Despite the innate capability of most Shadowhunters to bear runes, some Shadowhunters, though only a few, are resistant to Marks. For others, it may just be a bit more painful compared to the experience of others. However, some may reject the first Mark they receive entirely, which would send them into shock or madness, giving them excruciating pain and agony that would be suffered through a fever so intense that only stripping the Mark or cutting through it would save the life—and, no longer able to bear more Marks after as a part of the conventional treatment, would also end ones' life as a Shadowhunter, as these Nephilim are made to live out the rest of their lives as mundanes.The fever may last for an indeterminable amount of time (weeks, months, possibly longer). While one could die during this time, if the Shadowhunter survives and lives through the ordeal with the Mark intact, which can be made to happen through sheer will, he/she can live and bear runes normally with no risk of future danger.

### Knowledge

While there are other existing runes, the only runes the Shadowhunters are permitted to use are the ones found in the Gray Book. Demonic runes, which are accessible to warlocks and often used in summoning, are forbidden to them by Law and also cannot work alongside the seraphic blood of the Nephilim. There are also other angelic runes that are said to have existed since time immemorial that were not given to the Nephilim for their use. The most well-known of these is the so-called first Mark, Mark of Cain.

Only the most common runes are referred to by their true names, while the others by their informal descriptive names. Their true names are in the language of Heaven; these names being the only words of the language human beings have ever been permitted to know.

There are some very powerful runes only accessible to those who become Silent Brothers and Iron Sisters. These runes are found in the hidden parts of the Gray Book and bestows upon them different magic, which allows them to perform their duties unique to their organization.

While normally, the underlying language of the Marks are incomprehensible to Shadowhunters, making them unable to create new Marks, Clary Fray has the ability to recall old runes that were not documented into the Book of the Covenant/Gray Book. This gift of runes was given to her as a result of the angelic blood of Ithuriel running through her veins, due to her father giving her mother tonics of it while Clary was in her womb. Because of her connection to Ithuriel, the angel is able to give her images or visions in her mind of ancient runes not found in the Gray Book. These runes are assumed to have already existed long before Shadowhunters, and are even possibly runes of Heaven, that date back to the time of angels. These Marks include the Fearless, Alliance, and resurrection runes, as well as the Mark of Cain, among others. These come to her in dreams, or visions, typically when she calls on them by thinking of something, or spontaneously in times of need.

## Known runes

TV version
* TV Runes

While there are literally thousands of marks, below is a list of the runes mentioned throughout *the Shadowhunter Chronicles* or mentioned/illustrated in other official sources.

VF Rune, Abundance.pngAbundanceVF Rune, Acceleration.pngAccelerationVF Rune, Accuracy.pngAccuracyVF Rune, Action.pngActionVF Rune, Agility.pngAgilityVF Rune, Agony.pngAgonyVF Rune, Allied To.pngAlliance (Allied To rune)VF Rune, Angelic 2.pngAngelic Power/EnkeliVF Rune, Antidote (Dosis).jpgAntidote (Dosis)VF Rune, Authority.jpgAuthorityVF Rune, Awareness.pngAwarenessVF Rune, Bind To.pngBind to (Clary's Alliance rune)VF Rune, Sanger.jpgBirth Control (Sanger)VF Rune, Breathing Under Duress.jpgBreathing Under Duress (Air-Smoke-Water)VF Rune, Bridge.pngBridgeVF Rune, Calm Anger.pngCalm AngerVF Rune, Capability.jpgCapabilityVF Rune, Clarity.pngClarityVF Rune, Flora and Fauna.jpgCommune with Nature / Flora and FaunaVF Rune, Communication.pngCommunicationVF Rune, Provide Comfort.jpgConsole / Provide Comfort to the LameVF Rune, Courage in Combat.pngCourage in Combat runeVF Rune, Craft.pngCraftVF Rune, Creation.pngCreationVF Rune, Cure Poison (Ostium).jpgCure Poison (Ostium)VF Rune, Deflect-Block.pngDeflect/Block runeVF Rune, Destined.pngDestinedVF Rune, Eidetic Memory.pngEidetic MemoryVF Rune, Shield of Elements.jpgElemental Shield baseVF Rune, Shield of Elements Air.jpgElemental Shield of AirVF Rune, Shield of Elements Dust.jpgElemental Shield of DustVF Rune, Shield of Elements Earth.jpgElemental Shield of EarthVF Rune, Shield of Elements Fire.jpgElemental Shield of FireVF Rune, Shield of Elements Heart.jpgElemental Shield of HeartVF Rune, Shield of Elements Mind.jpgElemental Shield of MindVF Rune, Shield of Elements Time.jpgElemental Shield of TimeVF Rune, Shield of Elements Water.jpgElemental Shield of WaterVF Rune, Shield of Elements Wind.jpgElemental Shield of WindVF Rune, Endurance.pngEnduranceVF Rune, Caffeine.jpgEnergy (Genki) / Caffeine (Julius)VF Rune, Enlighten.pngEnlightenVF Rune, Equilibrium.pngEquilibriumVF Rune, Return Home.jpgEver Finding / Return HomeVF Rune, Exiled.jpgExiledVF Rune, Expectation.pngExpectationVF Rune, Family Summoning.jpgFamilias (Family Summoning / Summon Family)VF Rune, Fearless.pngFearlessVF Rune, Fire Message.jpgFire Message (Ignis Nuntius)VF Rune, Fireproof.pngFireproof (*pyr*)VF Rune, Flexibility.pngFlexibilityVF Rune, Fortitude.pngFortitudeVF Rune, Fortune.pngFortuneVF Rune, Friendship - Parabatai.pngFriendship/*Parabatai*VF Rune, Gift.pngGiftVF Rune, Good Luck.pngGood LuckVF Rune, Grace.jpgGraceVF Rune, Guidance.pngGuidanceVF Rune, Iratze - Heal.pngHeal/Painless/IratzeVF Rune, Heat.pngHeatVF Rune, Heightened Speed.pngHeightened SpeedVF Rune, Insight.pngInsight/ForesightVF Rune, Joyous.jpgJoyousVF Rune, Knowledge.pngKnowledgeVF Rune, Agape Love.pngLove (Agape)VF Rune, Loyal To.pngLoyal ToVF Rune, Manifest.pngManifestVF Rune, Mark of Cain.jpgMark of CainVF Rune, Mental Excellence.pngMental ExcellenceVF Rune, Mnemosyne.pngMnemosyneVF Rune, Noble.jpgNobleVF Rune, Nourishment.pngNourishmentVF Rune, Opportunity.pngOpportunityVF Rune, Persevere.pngPersevereVF Rune, Persuade.pngPersuadeVF Rune, Philia.pngPhiliaVF Rune, Poetry.jpgPoetry (Prophet; Catullus)VF Rune, Power.pngPowerVF Rune, Precision.pngPrecisionVF Rune, Promise.pngPromiseVF Rune, Prosperity.pngProsperity
VF Rune, Protected.pngProtectedVF Rune, Psychic Connection.jpgPsychic Connection - Projected Speech ("Ipsissima Voice"; Between 2 People)VF Rune, Quietude.pngQuietudeVF Rune, Reanimate.jpgReanimateVF Rune, Recall.pngRecallVF Rune, Remembrance-Mourning.pngRemembrance/MourningVF Rune, Greater Self.jpgSelf-Confidence (Greater Self)VF Rune, Self-Love.jpgSelf-Love (Philautia)VF Rune, Sharing.pngSharingVF Rune, Shelter.jpgShelter (Eco)VF Rune, Shunned.jpgShunnedVF Rune, Silent Brother.jpgSilent BrotherVF Rune, Somno.jpgSleep Now / Knock Out Sleeping (Somno)VF Rune, Soundless.pngSoundlessVF Rune, Speak in Tongues.pngSpeak in TonguesVF Rune, Stamina.pngStaminaVF Rune, Stealth.pngStealthVF Rune, Strength.pngStrengthVF Rune, Study - Scholomance.jpgStudy/ScholomanceVF Rune, Success.pngSuccessVF Rune, Summon Weapon.jpgSummon WeaponVF Rune, Sure-Striking.pngSure-StrikingVF Rune, Surefooted.pngSurefootedVF Rune, Swift.pngSwiftVF Rune, Codex Talent.pngTalentVF Rune, Talent.pngTalentVF Rune, Technique.pngTechniqueVF Rune, Transmission.pngTransmissionVF Rune, True North.pngTrue NorthVF Rune, Trust.pngTrustVF Rune, Understanding.pngUnderstandingVF Rune, Unseen.pngUnseenVF Rune, Visible.pngVisibleVF Rune, Vision.pngVisionVF Rune, Voyance.pngVoyance runeVF Rune, Awaken Vigilance.jpgWakefulness (Awaken / Vigilance)VF Rune, Waterproof.pngWaterproofVF Rune, Wedded Union.pngWedded unionVF Rune, Winged.pngWinged

Other runes briefly mentioned in the series include:

* Audio
* Balance
* Bravery runes
* Commitment
* Drying
* Faith
* Fire
* Flash
* Grace
* Lightness of touch
* Locking
* Love
* Sorrow
* Thought
* Triumph
* Understanding and remembrance
* Victory and rejoicing
* Wakefulness

There are runes unique to Silent Brothers and Iron Sisters. One known type of rune often used on Silent Brothers are runes of silence, one being the Quietude rune.

Unnamed runes that Clary invented and/or conjured in her mind:

 File:VF Rune, Heavenly Fire.jpg
* A rune (pictured on the right) that looks like a winged sword which Clary used to siphon Jace's heavenly fire onto Heosphoros, which she had dreamt of several times prior to using it. It was also the first rune—one that wasn't in the Gray Book—that she ever saw in a vision. The rune signifies intensified, directed angelic power.
* A rune that seemed to scare demons away from Clary when she was Marked with it. The rune was drawn on her in her dream by her mother, and the message that came with it was that the rune would protect her.
* A rune Clary drew on herself that briefly made her appear as whomever the person looking at her loved most. She used this to demonstrate her power to a roomful of people.
* A rune that showed Clary, in words that appeared shortly after the rune was applied, where a piece of fabric had come from.
* A rune Clary used to destroy Sebastian's apartment. It looked like an unfinished Opening Rune.
* Clary has since created several new runes that has been added to the Gray Book, including a rune that aids in long distance running.
* Runes that can knock someone out.

**Compilations of the runes**:

*Disclaimer: Some of the runes in these compilations are not canon or have different names now. Consider them, as they are, original drafts.*
VF Runes Set 1, TMI.jpgCompilations posted by Val FreireVF Runes Set 1, TMI2.jpgVF Runes Set 2, TID.jpgVF Runes Set 4.jpgVF Runes Set 5.jpgVF Runes Set 6.jpgVF Runes Set 7.jpgVF Runes Set 8.jpgVF Runes Set 9, TDA.jpgVF Runes Set 10, TDA.jpgVF Runes Set 11, TDA.jpgVF Runes Set 12, TDA.jpgVF Runes Set 13, Elemental Shields.jpgShields of ElementsVF Runes Set 3, Love.jpgLove runesVFCodex Runes 01.pngRunes included in the CodexVFCodex Runes 02.pngVFCodex Runes 03.pngVFCodex Runes 04.pngVFCodex Runes 05.pngVFCodex Runes 06.pngTMI Movie Runes.jpgRunes included in the film
## Trivia

 File:VF Rune, Faith.jpg
* The runes were designed by Valerie Freire for the series.
	+ Some of the runes changed names or were switched with other designs since they were first created.
	+ Some of the runes were shown in the *Agent Carter* episode *Time and Tide*.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 *City of Lost Souls*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Clockwork Princess*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 *City of Fallen Angels*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 *City of Glass*
5. ↑ *Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale*
6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 *The Shadowhunter's Codex*
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *Clockwork Angel*
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 *City of Heavenly Fire* (chapter 7)
9. ↑ Permanent runes — Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
10. ↑ Permanent runes — Cassandra Clare on Twitter
11. ↑ Divorce — Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
12. ↑ *The Evil We Love*
13. ↑ *The Mortal Instruments (book series)*
14. ↑ *Clockwork Prince*
15. ↑ 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 *Queen of Air and Darkness*
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 *City of Bones*
17. ↑ *Lord of Shadows* NYCC chapter sampler
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 *Lord of Shadows*
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 *City of Ashes*
20. ↑ BookTube Interview with Cassandra Clare
21. ↑ *Lady Midnight*

es:Runas
pt-br:Runas
ru:Руны