Staves & Stones: The Truth of Runic Tradition

The research problem and task for this thesis was in the analysis of the Old Norse Futhark, or written runic language and how it has been represented through history. In order to educate the reader with a greater understanding and put the runes in context, the runes are analyzed thoroughly before being compared and contrasted to other runic systems that have been represented in modern media. The objective being to identify these similarities and differences in each language and maintain a consistent criteria to measure each language, via original use, design and form, and in-mythos development. Using this criteria and context, further conclusions and familiarity are gained and perhaps new hypotheses drawn about the Futhark and how it acts both as a written system, and a vehicle for human imagination. Additional conclusions include runes as memory and artifacts of cultural significance