Why were you inspired to write this particular book?

A.
During Covid isolation we were unable to come together to sing and dance Komme Alle and make other runes with the body that require two people to make. The Younger Futhark are all single stav rune and can be made with a single body so I began working with them at this time. I did an on-line course to study them along with the poems from Iceland and Norway and my students were keen to have me write this book make sense of the moment. 

Grounded in scholarship but not bound by it is my motto - so in the book you will compare the three rune poems we have left to us. You will get references to Edda and Saga stories along with the stories of the saga we are in now. These are times of change and uncertainty. The Younger Futhark helped me lean into the difficulty and find the missing runes “joy” and “reciprocity.

How many runes does the Younger Futhark have, and what are they?

A.
There are 16 Younger Futhark runes that relate to those of the Elder but with different phonemes and meanings attached. 8 runes disappeared from the set all together.

When and why were the Younger Futhark developed, and how did it replace the Elder Futhark in Scandinavia?

A.
The language changed over time but it was accelerated during the late Iron Age.

Are there regional variants (long-branch vs. short-twig), and what do they tell us about Viking Age culture?

A.
There are many regional variants. Literacy and communication increased with the travels of vikings. Ideas and other letter systems were likely influencing runes (Arabic, Latin, Greek etc.)

What phonological changes in Old Norse led to the reduction from 24 to 16 runes?

A.
Different vowel sounds were represented by single runes rather than having their own runic representation. The D shifted to T in sound and symbol and other consonants shifted and doubled up. We don’t know why these shifts or reductions in runic symbols occurred. Some posit that it was a natural shift over time, some that it was a “top-down” decision by those in power.

How did the transition from Elder to Younger Futhark affect literacy and runestone inscriptions?

A.
There are inscriptions from 600 AC with transitional runes that mark the shift to Younger Futhark. There are many more inscriptions in Younger Futhark as the middle ages began. This would indicate that more people were using them. Sometimes they were used for very mundane messages such as love notes or other graffiti.

What role did Christianization play in the decline of Younger Futhark use?

A.
Latin became the official alphabet and the language of the learned. Though runes were used to write some of our most important manuscripts such as the Codex Runicus, the Latin alphabet eventually replaced the runes.

How does the Younger Futhark differ from the Elder Futhark in terms of sound representation?

A.
With fewer runes to represent phonemes, local dialects had more opportunity to change. The proto-Germanic language roots became obscured - such as the z sound. Hagalaz became Hagl, for example.

What materials were most commonly used for inscriptions in the Younger Futhark?

A.
Memorial stones were still being created. We also find runes on jewelry, sword hilts. and other artifacts. Additionally, vellum (paper made of sheep skin) was available to the wealthy so we have some books written in runic, such as the Codex Runicus and many manuscripts from Icelandic legal documents and other writing.

What types of messages or inscriptions were most common on runestones and other artifacts?

A.
Memorial stones were similarly dedicated to loved ones. The Tyr rune occurs frequently on swords and jewelry.

How was the Younger Futhark used in Viking Age settlements abroad?

A.
Just as the Elder was used, for inscriptions, as farm markers, in legal documents.

What are the most common pitfalls when reading Younger Futhark inscriptions?

A.
One sometimes has to guess which vowel or consonant is meant since so many of them were doubled up. Getting meaning from the context is one way to help. But you will find vastly different interpretations for the same inscription by scholars because so much of it is guess work.

How do you distinguish between similar-looking runes in different styles?

A.
You have to compare and again, read into the context. I personally do not spend a lot of time with the archeological material trying to interpret inscriptions. There are great linguists in Scandinavia whose work I trust. And, my interest and the point of the new book, is to lean into the Younger Futhark in the here and now, finding sustenance in them for the chaotic times we are in.

What do the runes symbolize in Viking Age belief systems?

A.
They were a writing system and writing has power. The symbols had meanings beyond the phoneme and that adds to the power. They were not “common” or taught to children in “school” so they had mystery in this way also.

And remember, a rune can also be a poem. Poetry and word magic were part of Fjölkynngi or mystical knowlege. This word magic was used to manipulate emotions such as love, vengeance, joy, or depression, to cause it or to heal it.

How did the Younger Futhark function as both a practical writing system and a cultural marker?

A.
The changes in language are changes in culture. As culture changes, language changes to describe it. This is as true today as it was in early medieval Scandinavia!

Are there any modern uses or interpretations of the Younger Futhark beyond historical study?

A.
Sure. There are modern interpretations of both Younder and Elder Futhark. In my book I go into the Hafskjold Family Stav system. There gods, animals, and postures are assigned to the Younger Futhark runes. There are some folks who ignore historical and linguistic study all together and “intuit” the meanings of these symbols for themselves. I’m not a fan of that approach. It is important to ground ourselves in historical realities as we create meaning for ourselves today. Rooting in the past lets us know why we are here in the moment. The past gives us context for the now so we can create meaning for the future!