Runology

Runology is the scholarly study of runic writing systems, their historical development, linguistic content, and the cultural contexts in which runes appeared. It covers the alphabets, inscriptions, and the languages encoded in runic text, as well as material culture and archaeology associated with runic use.

The field addresses the major runic alphabets used by Germanic peoples, including the Elder Futhark (2nd–8th centuries), the Younger Futhark (c. 800–1100), and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc (ca. 5th–11th centuries). It analyzes inscriptions on stones, weapons, jewelry, manuscripts, and everyday objects from Scandinavia, the British Isles, and parts of mainland Europe. Key sources include runestones such as those in Sweden and Norway, overviews of Old Norse, Old English, and related Germanic languages, and medieval Scandinavian manuscripts that preserve runic memorial and magical texts.

Methodology combines epigraphy, palaeography, linguistics, and archaeology. Researchers reconstruct phonology and grammar from runic inscriptions, date artifacts, and interpret cultural and religious contexts. Debates often concern dating, meaning of ambiguous inscriptions, and the extent of runic literacy in various regions and periods.

In modern scholarship, runology interacts with archaeology, history, and literary studies. While primarily a historical discipline, it also informs contemporary occult and neopagan practices to varying degrees. The field continues to refine dating, contact with Latin script, and the interpretation of short, formulaic inscriptions.