The fervent production of runic inscriptions in the Viking Age allowed scholars and enthusiasts to learn about and study the meaning of the Futhark alphabet. The last runic series is the medieval one, used in Scandinavia until the 15th century and marked by characters much more similar to those of the Latin alphabet, partly because of the gradual spread of Christianity in northern European countries, which led to the introduction of the first documents written in Latin. This series was common to all Germanic peoples, at least until the so-called Viking period between 7, which saw a simplification of the signs, now reduced to 16, and the elimination of characters corresponding to vowels. The earliest runic series, a 24-character alphabet known as Elder Futhark, dates back to the 6th and 7th century AD, which runologists call the pre-migratory era. Indeed, it is possible to determine a runic script from the continental, northern, or insular area based on the number of signs they use. The Futhark runic alphabet has undergone several mutations over the centuries, resulting in three main versions, distinguished according to area of use and historical period. The three versions of the Futhark alphabet That is why, even today, these particular characters are associated with esoteric and mysterious meanings. Scandinavian tradition attributes the invention of runes to Odin, a source of power, wisdom, and magic in Norse mythology. If, on the other hand, one wants to trace back to the earliest runic engravings on stone, one must travel to Sweden and Norway, where artifacts dating from around 300-400 AD have been found. Michael the Archangel in Monte Sant’Angelo, in the province of Foggia, and inside the Catacombs of Saints Marcellinus and Peter in Rome, most likely connected to the first pilgrimages from northern Europe. The only authentic runic inscriptions in Italy today can be seen at the Sanctuary of St. When these two cultures came into contact, they gave rise to the runic alphabet, later introduced in northern Europe by Germanic tribes. According to this theory, runes are a product of the Greek colonization of southern Italy, more specifically from the city of Cumae, a crossroads between Hellenic and Etruscan civilizations. Runes are thought to derive from the characters of the Italic alphabet, which in turn developed from the Etruscan one. It is not easy to determine with certainty how this particular alphabet originated. After exploring the history of the Western alphabet and its evolution to the present day, it is now time to go even further back in time to the origins of the Futhark alphabet.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |