Runes: A Handbook

A comprehensive guide to runes and runology, covering all aspects of the subject. It begins by discussing the origin of runes, their development in Europe (especially Scandinavia) and in Anglo-Saxon England, and the demise of traditional runic writing at the end of the Middle Ages. It then moves on to look at the different types of runic inscription and their context; cryptic runes; rune names; the use of runes in the post-Reformation era; the practicalities of how runic inscriptions were made and where they are to be found; and how runologists read and interpret inscriptions, together with a history of runology. A glossary of technical terms and essential information on speech sounds are also provided, while the numerous illustrations shed further light on the subject.

Michael P. Barnes

Introduction The origin of the runes The older futhark Inscriptions in the older futhark The development of runes in Anglo-Saxon England and Frisia The English and Frisian inscriptions The development of runes in Scandinavia Scandinavian inscriptions of the Viking Age The late Viking-Age and medieval runes Scandinavian inscriptions of the Middle Ages Runic writing in the post-Reformation era Cryptic inscriptions and cryptic runes Runica manuscripta and rune names The making of runic inscriptions The reading and interpretation of runic inscriptions Runes and the imagination: literature and politics A brief history of runology Where to find runic inscriptions Glossary Phonetic and phonemic symbols The articulation of speech sounds Transliteration conventions The spelling of edited texts Index of inscriptions