The Elder Futhark

The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used from about the 2nd to the 8th century. Its name comes from its first six runes: F, U, TH, A, R and K. There are 24 runes, and some stand for sounds rather than single English letters, like TH, NG and EI.

Because the runes do not line up exactly with our alphabet, a few letters share a rune: C, K and Q all use Kaunan, and V and W both use Wunjo. Hover over or press and hold a key to see the rune's name.