Runes of the Elder Futhark, bronze pendant

Bronze pendant with magical runes

Runes are originally ancient Germanic characters, similar to our alphabet. The Elder Futhark consists of 24 letters and served both for sound representation and writing. Today, runes are primarily used as jewelry pendants. Made of wood, horn, or often bronze, the wearer of runic jewelry may wish to communicate something or hope for guidance from the runes.

Futhark Runes Oracle - Bronze Runes

Runes originally had two distinct origins. Firstly, they were written characters, and secondly, they were also magical symbols used as amulets and for divination. Later, Nordic peoples discovered the characters and adopted them. They were the first to give the symbols names, which related to aspects of their daily lives. The names reflected both the sound of the runes in spoken language and a magical definition. Runes can be found both as signatures on bronze objects and individually on jewelry pendants.
Runes were not only used for writing; their magical significance is far more interesting. As symbols representing events or qualities, they bestow support or power upon the bearer. For example, Fehu, the first rune of the Elder Futhark, not only represents the letter F, but also cattle and thus the bearer's prosperity. Runes are therefore often used for divination.