These distinctive letters were used for writing, carved into stone, and cast in metal. One of the most significant aspects of this period was the introduction of the Elder Futhark, the earliest form of the Germanic runes. It also eventually led to the spread of Christianity and the development of new languages and cultures. The migration period marked the end of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Middle Ages. This mass movement of people had a profound impact on the history of Europe. Beginning in the 4th century, groups of people from the Germanic tribes began to migrate westward in search of new lands. The Germanic migration period was a time of great upheaval in Europe. The various simple rune scripts used by proto Germanic tribes eventually mixed and became more codified as Germanic people began migrating to western and northern Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Many churches and other buildings from this period feature intricate rune carvings, which add to our understanding of this fascinating form of writing. In addition to being used for communication, runes were also used for decorative purposes. This system of writing was used throughout Scandinavia, Germany, and Iceland during the medieval period. The Elder Futhark consists of 24 runes, each with its own meaning and sound. It wasn’t until the Elder Futhark appeared that runes began to be used more widely for writing.

These early inscriptions suggest that runes were primarily used for magical or religious purposes, rather than for communication.

The earliest known examples come from the 1st century AD, and include the so-called Zwinger III rune stone from Sweden and the Vimose inscriptions from Denmark. Writing before the Elder Futhark was largely confined to the Latin alphabet, but there are a few notable examples of Germanic runes being used for inscriptions. The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the Germanic runic alphabet, dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century AD. The tablets and books used by scholars at the time to translate between all 4 alphabets are why we know as much about them as we do now! The elder futhark, futhorc and younger futhark all existed at the same time until they were replaced by the latin alphabet as most of Europe became Christianized from the 10th to the 12 centuries. The elder futhark continued in use particularly in Scandinavia, but was eventually replaced by the simplified Younger Futhark, with only 16 runes instead of 24, and simpler line structure. As Saxons invaded the British Isles the Futhorc became the main written language in much of Europe. In addition, the futhorc was better suited to writing on parchment, as it made use of straight lines and easy-to-write letters. The extra letters in the futhorc were used to represent sounds that did not exist in Old English, such as th and ng. The elder futhark consists of 24 letters, while the futhorc has 26. The elder futhark developed alongside another, younger runic alphabet used by the Saxons in the 5th century, the Futhorc alphabet. Today, the elder futhark is still used by some people for a variety of purposes, including writing inscriptions, creating artwork, and casting spells.

The elder futhark fell out of use around the 8th century AD, but it was later reintroduced and adapted by various groups, including the Vikings. The elder futhark was used primarily for writing inscriptions on stone and wood, but it was also sometimes used for magical or divinatory purposes. The elder futhark consists of 24 runes, which represent the sound values of the Proto-Germanic languages that were spoken at the time. The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the European runic alphabet, dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century AD.

Fehu elder futhark runes