Anglo-Saxon Runes

by John Mitchell Kemble, Bill Griffiths (Additional Notes)

This essay on Anglo-Saxon runes first appeared in the journal Archaeologia for 1840; it drew on the work of Wilhelm Grimm, but broke new ground for Anglo-Saxon studies in its survey of the Ruthwell Cross and the Cynewulf poems. This edition includes new notes and translations of the Latin and Old English material quoted in the text.

Genres: Language, Anglo Saxon

Paperback

First published January 1, 1840

About the author

1807-1857

Reviews

[Paul Lavender · Rating 4 out of 5]

More a booklet than a book, but if you want to know about Anglo-Saxon runes (in a non-magical sense) this is the book for you.

[AL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this because it was one of the few available sources I could find that discussed the Anglo-Saxon runes, not knowing it was from the 19th century. A good essay for it’s time that lists other key sources that preceded it, but I was hoping for more details.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a tad apprehensive about a book written in 1840 being a bit inaccessible and dry, I was thankfully very wrong. This chap presents his discussion in a clear way but the icing on the cake is his brilliantly dry & sarcastic ripping apart of others poor attempts at getting the meanings from various pieces with Anglo-Saxon Runes! Without this text I would never had found out about Dr Repp and his Christ-bason!