Runes are an ancient Germanic alphabet, used for writing, divination and magic. They were used throughout northern Europe, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Iceland from about 100 B.C.E. to 1600 C.E. and they are first and foremost seen as the writings of the Vikings. There are more "Futharks" - alphabeths of runes - named after the first 6 letters, and they each contains different numbers of runes. The Elder Futhark described below contains 24 runes. Each rune represents a letter, and it has also a certain meaning and is connected to one of the elements. I will just give a brief description here, as you can find vast information on the subject on the net. Meanings of The Elder Futhark Runes
Symbol	Rune	Letter	Meaning	Element
	Fehu	F	Wealth	Fire
	Uruz	U	Strength	Earth
	Thurisaz	TH	Force, Giant	Fire
	Ansuz	A	God, Ancestor, Divine Breath	Air
	Raido	R	Journey, Wheel	Air
	Kenaz	K, C, or Q	Torch, Fire, Light	Fire
	Gifu	G	Gift, Partnership	Air
	Wunjo	W or V	Glory, Joy, Perfection, Wish	Earth
	Hagalaz	H	Hail, Weapon of War	Ice
	Nauthiz	N	Need, Necessity	Fire
	Isa	I	Ice, Power	Ice
	Jera	Y or J	Year, Harvest	Earth
	Eihwaz	EI, F, AE	Yew Tree, Potential	Air
	Pertho	P	Secrets, Chance	Water
	Algiz	Z or X	Protection	Air
	Sowulo	S	Sun, Salvation	Air
	Teiwaz	T	Creator, Spear, Tyr, Justice	Air
	Berkana	B	Birch Tree, Beloved	Earth
	Ehwaz	E	Horse, Friendship	Earth
	Mannaz	M	Mankind, Knowledge	Air
	Laguz	L	Water, Lake	Water
	Inguz	NG or ing	Fertility, True Love	Earth
	Othila	O	Property, Homeland, Inheritance	Earth
	Dagaz	D	Day, Good Luck	Fire / Air
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