Runes are an ancient alphabet used by Nordic and Germanic tribes in Northern Europe . Each rune had a specific meaning and symbolic connection to important aspects of life, from cattle to weather, healing and harvesting.

The formation of each runic symbol became an ancient form of writing, almost like hieroglyphs with each sign resembling its meaning, throughout time these then became abstract, composed of lines and bearing no resemblance to their related meaning. However the cast of the lines are steeped in nature, making them seem familiar and it is this familiarity that gave them their longevity and making them easy to learn.

Runes had magical, religious and communication powers, and were seen as the forces of nature. Early on they became a system of divination and it is in this form that we are familiar with them today.

A rune, just like any ideograph is simply a frozen form of an idea or concept of an actual state. Each rune has a very specific meaning, relating to every significant experience one would expect to have in life and are very blunt and to the point in their representation of meaning.

Of course, just as with the tarot, any interpretation of runes should be given bearing in mind that the meaning is considered to be what is likely to happen, or be in play with the given energies in place at the time of divination. A runecast is a map of what may happen depending on variables and are never set in stone. However their bluntness makes for incredibly insightful information that if listened to and acted upon can help to shape your journey and take charge of your life.

There are several variations of rune alphabets, each named a “Futhark” – taking the first letters of the first few runes in the system. The Elder Futhark is the system that is explored here in innermoo, but there are other systems such as the younger Furthark which consists of only 16 runes.

In the Elder Futhark, 24 runes are divided into 3 aettirs (or eights) named Freya's, Hagal's & Tyrs Aets. The 25 th rune, Wyrd is a modern addition that many runecasters leave out, however it does add an extra dimension that is very valuable in a runecast.

A runecast is the method of reading the runes in divination, more information about how this works is explored in uses of runes.

One other fascinating element of runes is the deep connection to Nordic Mythology which is steeped in the symbolism and meanings of the runes and forms the basis of the history of runes.

In modern history runes took on almost cult status as the basis of the dwarfish writing within The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings. This has added to their magical, mystical and mythological status, but can never diminish the usefulness of these wonderful talismans in magic and esoteric practices.