Summary:
This essay is about the ancient runic alphabet brought to England during the anglo-saxon invasions. It describes its use in the "elgiac" poems of old English literature and provides us with an understanding of the etymology of our language.
Runes: Clues to Uncovering the Past
The runic alphabet is an ancient Germanic alphabet that was used throughout Northern Europe, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Iceland from the first century C.E. well into the Middle Ages. This alphabet, used by the Anglo-Saxons and shared with other Germanic peoples, was brought to England at the time of the Anglo-Saxon invasions . While runes enjoyed widespread usage among the peoples of the area, there is no concrete agreement as to the origin of this writing system. Runes fell into disuse as the Roman alphabets became the preferred script of most of Europe, but their forms and meanings were preserved in inscriptions and manuscripts. The alphabet is referred to as the (Old English) futhorc or (Germanic) futhark, after the first six letters . Runic letters consisted mostly.....
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