Runes: a Handbook

by Michael P. Barnes

Runes, often considered magical symbols of mystery and power, are in fact an alphabetic form of writing. Derived from one or more Mediterranean prototypes, they were used by Germanic peoples to write different kinds of Germanic language, principally Anglo-Saxon and the various Scandinavian idioms, and were carved into stone, wood, bone, metal, and other hard surfaces; types of inscription range from memorials to the dead, through Christian prayers and everyday messages to crude graffiti. First reliably attested in the second century AD, runes were in due course supplanted by the roman alphabet, though in Anglo-Saxon England they continued in use until the early eleventh century, in Scandinavia until the fifteenth (and later still in one or two outlying areas).

This book provides an accessible, general account of runes and runic writing from their inception to their final demise. It also covers modern uses of runes, and deals with such topics as encoded texts, rune names, how runic inscriptions were made, runological method, and the history of runic research. A final chapter explains where those keen to see runic inscriptions can most easily find them.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Divination, Paganism, Anthropology

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Since 1964 Michael P. Barnes has taught in the Department of Scandinavian Studies, University College London

Reviews

[Joseph F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several introductory books on runes, but this is the most comprehensive. It can probably be used as a textbook. A well illustrated scholarly work, the author covers many topics: different rune rows (alphabets), their names and many examples of runic inscriptions from Scandinavia, England and other places. The book is chronological, so he moves from the oldest inscriptions, to the early Viking period, late Viking period, the medieval and post reformation. He even has chapters on how runes are carved, interpreted, and a mini history of rune research.
The only thing missing are the rune poems that help us to know the names of the runes and their meanings. He discusses the poems, but does not include any of them. The book is also expensive. But I still cherished every page of this book, so I gave it 5 stars.

[Ashley Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most challenging treatises on runology I’ve ever read. Highly scholastic in approach, with the main focus on how runes were used as a linguistic system.

[Jarom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great introduction to runic alphabets. The author clearly identifies the geographic region and the eras. The are enough photos of artifacts with runic writing for the reader to attempt translation on their own.