Futhark runes

Futhark is the Germanic runic alphabet, named after its first six runes: F, U, Þ (th), A, R, K. It exists in two main variants:

• Elder Futhark (2nd-8th c.) — 24 runes, used on stones, weapons and jewelry of early Germanic Europe.
• Younger Futhark (8th-12th c.) — 16 runes, simplified by the Vikings for quick carving. Several Latin letters share a single rune (C/K, O/A, D/T…).

How does Futhark runes work?

A 1:1 monoalphabetic substitution (or close to it — in Younger Futhark some runes cover two sounds). Each Latin letter maps to a specific rune.

Younger Futhark (16 runes) excerpt:

ᚠ = F            ᚱ = R            ᛏ = T/D
ᚢ = U/V/W/O      ᚴ = C/K/G        ᛒ = B/P
ᚦ = Þ (th)       ᚼ = H            ᛘ = M
ᚬ = A/O/Æ        ᚾ = N            ᛚ = L
                 ᛁ = I/E/J        ᛦ = R (final)
                 ᛅ = Y/Æ          ᛋ = S

Each rune uses straight strokes only — a legacy of carving on wood, bone, stone, where curves were awkward along wood grain.

The 26 glyphs

The runic glyphs CipherChronicle substitutes for each Latin letter. Several letters share the same rune (Younger Futhark, 16 runes for 26 Latin letters) — that’s by design and faithful to the original system.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Historical origin and use

• Scandinavian runestones (Viking Age, 800-1100) — memorial inscriptions, hero signatures, territorial markers.
• Amulets and talismans — runes carved on wood or metal, worn for protection or luck.
• Runic calendars — carved sticks used as agricultural almanacs.
• Weapon inscriptions — owner names, warrior exaltations.

Runes are fundamentally a script, not a cipher. But they have been used as a concealment alphabet since the Renaissance: hiding a Latin message by writing it in runes. They were also revived by Hitler for pan-Germanic propaganda — a usage that should be kept at arm’s length.

What are the variants of Futhark runes?

• Elder Futhark (24 runes) — original, fuller version.
• Anglo-Saxon Futhorc — English extension to 33 runes (until the 7th century).
• Younger Futhark — 16-rune Viking simplification.
• Medieval Dalecarlian — runic survival in Dalarna (Sweden) up to the 19th century.

What are the weaknesses of Futhark runes?

As a cipher:

• Monoalphabetic substitution — yields to frequency analysis.
• Public alphabet: available in any runology or fantasy handbook.
• Linguistic ambiguity in Younger Futhark (one rune = several Latin sounds) can confuse decoding but offers no protection.