Each rune not only represents a phonetic sound but also has its own distinct meaning often connected with Norse mythology (see clickable alphabet at left). Scholars believe that early peoples used ...

The Viking belief that the runes could be used to work magic seems to be an old one. Tacitus observed rune divination among ...

Sweden, renowned for its wealth of Viking rune stones and rock carvings, boasts the world’s largest collection of these historic artifacts. These standing stones, dating back to between the 9th ...

The mysterious Rök stone, one of the world’s most famous runestones, was raised in the ninth Century in Sweden and contains the longest runic inscription ... alludes to a Viking fear very ...

it also has that rarest of things - the name of the person who was responsible. Down one side, written in ancient Norse runes, is the inscription 'Thorwald raised this cross'.