Protorunic

Protorunic is a hypothetical, unproven script proposed by some fringe researchers as the earliest form of runic writing. The concept suggests that a rudimentary system of inscribed symbols, predating the Elder Futhark, existed in Northern Europe. Proponents of protorunic often point to isolated inscriptions on artifacts such as stones, pottery, and tools as potential evidence. However, these findings are frequently ambiguous and lack clear contextual or chronological data to definitively link them to a distinct script.

The idea of a protorunic script is not widely accepted within mainstream academic circles. Archaeologists and runologists generally consider the Elder Futhark, first appearing in the 2nd century CE, to be the oldest attested runic alphabet. The symbols attributed to protorunic are often interpreted as decorative markings, ownership symbols, or individual pictograms rather than a coherent writing system. Definitive evidence, such as a bilingual inscription or a substantial corpus of clearly identifiable texts, is lacking to support the existence of a protorunic stage of runic development. Further archaeological discoveries and rigorous analysis would be required to lend credence to this hypothesis.