The fact that Runes were generally considered to have been the invention of a pagan deity, that they were used by pages' priests and prophetesses for purposes of augury and divination, and that these priests and prophetesses were regarded by the people with religious veneration and awe, accounts for the proscription of Runes by the primitive Christian priesthood throughout Europe. Hence the Christian missionaries laboured everywhere to introduce Greek or Latin characters, and endeavoured with the utmost zeal to suppress Runes. Notwith standing this, however, Runic characters were used in England at the very earliest period after the introduction of Christianity, for Christian inscriptions-a circumstance that is incontrovertibly proved by those discovered at Beweastle in Cumberland, aud Hartlepool in North umberland, and elsewhere. This has been accounted for by the supposition that the earliest converts to Christianity were the pagan priests themselves, and that they, knowing the really worthless character of Runic letters, had not the slightest objection to using them, either by themselves, or in combination with Roman or other letters, either in manuscript or for inscriptions. It is said, however, that by the year 1001 the Runic characters were quite laid aside in Sweden, and were officially coudanned in Spain at the council of Toledo in 1115.
The Norse Runic alphabet consisted of sixteen letters, called re spectively, fe, ur, there, cc, reid, kaun, hagl, nand, ar, eel, tyr, bigrk, tinge, made, ye, and answering in sound to our letters f, u, th, o, r, k, n, i, a, s, t, b, 1, nr, y ; from which it will be seen that there were no letters corresponding to our d, e, g, p, y, v, te, x, z. Hence the sign of k acted also for y, cl for t, b for p, u and yfor v. 0 was expressed by and e by i, a, itt, or a i. 11 was sometimes used as a substitute for ger yh, and se for o or y. and or or ur were used as the final r. When the insufficiency of the Runio alphabet became apparent, the letters e, g, p, v were added, but they received so special names as the old letters did, nor were they expressed by any new signs, but were mere modifications of the old characters i, k, b, f. This alteration was effected by means of one or more dots added to the original letter, and the new characters were called etun:mar runir, or " dotted Runes." And lastly, when the Roman alphabet became general throughout the North, new characters were formed for expressing the sounds of ae, oe, us, and the letters c, q, r, and z; but these cannot be regarded as genuine Runes, and the same remark will apply to the three double Runes, al, nue and U.
The Runic alphabet was also used to ex press numerals, the old lettere being employed as far as sixteen ; the double letters, al, mm, and et, for seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen; twenty, and over that, being expressed by two letters : for example, there, thurs.:=30, there, thurs, os= 34. The Hunk characters were most commonly written from left to right, and are seldom found running from right to left. Sometimes
they are written from the top to the bottom, and then turn up again ; sometimes from left to right, and so back to the left again ; and numerous examples of them, written in various ways, may be seen engraved in the Archmologia; especially in vol. 28, pp. 338-9.
IZuuie inscriptions or writing were divided into different classes, from the subjects of which they treated. Thus, Runes imprecating wrath or vengeance upon enemies were called noxious or bitter Runes ; Memo which were used for deprecating misfortune or disgrace were styled propitious Runes ; those which invoked victory were known as victorious Runes, and those which applied to the healing art were medicinal Runes. All these Runes were considered powerful in pro ducing the effect eought by them ; and they were consequently employed, not only for the purposes mentioned, but also as antidotes against poison, as love charms, as efficacious io preventing accidents by land or sea, as diepellere of unhappy thoughts and gloomy forebodings, as foretellers of future events, as guards against the evil eye and the jealousies and snares of enemies-in a word, for whatever end might be desired for the person who inscribed them. In order, however, to render them suited to their respective purposes, various ceremonies were observed in writing them, each kind of Rune having its proper material and place for inscription; the shapes of their arrangement -- being those of serpent+, circles, triangles, and similar mystic figures, according to the event which they were intended and expected to bring to use Below is the Norse Runic alphabet. The reader is referred to col pp. 338, 350, 352, 366, of the Archaeologist,' for examples of various forms of Runic letters and inscriptions, which are Inserted In an able may of the late John 31. Kemble upon Anglo-Saxon Runes.
Runic Inscriptions exist upon rings, medals, coins, monumental stones, craves, and sides of rocks, and a curious one may be seen upon a sword-blade in the Department of Antiquities in the British Museum. They have been discovered in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, in parts of the British Isles, Germany, France, and Spain, in fact wherever the Teutonic race settled itself during the early period of its migrations in the 4th and 5th centuries after Christ.
The most useful information with regard to Runes and Runic inscrip tions will be found fully given in Planta's Essay on the Runic or Scandinavian Language ;' Olaus Wortnius, Lexicon Runicum ;' W. C.
Grimm's work, ' Uber Deutsche Rumen ; ' 31ffilete ' Northern Anti quitiea ;' Hicke's 'Thesaurus Lingute Septentrionalie ;' articles in the Areharologia; the Journal of Philosophical Transactions,' and several other philological journals, in which the references required will be found by consulting their respective indexes. RUPTURE. [HenNia.] RURAL DEAN. [Dees.]