The story of Norse runes begins around the 1st century AD, in the lands occupied by Germanic tribes. These early runes were likely influenced by the Latin alphabet, a testament to the cultural exchanges that occurred through trade and conflict with the Romans. Unlike the more familiar rounded forms of Latin letters, runes possess a distinctly angular design. This characteristic was not merely aesthetic but practical, as these symbols were often carved into hard materials like wood and stone, where straight lines were far easier to incise than curves.
As time progressed, the runes evolved alongside the languages they represented. A significant transition occurred during the 7th and 8th centuries, as Proto-Norse gradually transformed into Old Norse. This linguistic shift gave rise to the Younger Futhark, a streamlined version of the original runic alphabet.
Before discussing this evolution, we should first explore the earliest form of runic writing: the Elder Futhark.