Runes were used as a means of protection and guidance by carving them on walls and walking staff. The poetry of the Anglo Saxon times regarded runes as a way to gain wisdom and warriors wore the rune symbols as talisman.

In the years when the tarot reading and fortune telling were prevalent, runes gained popularity. The symbols in rune cover a whole range of ideas and archetypes and the symbols mainly related to agriculture or battle. The oldest rune symbol is the ‘Elder Futherk’. Since the runic alphabets begin with letters F, U Th, A, R and K the entire set of runic alphabets is referred to as ‘Futhark’. The symbols are based on the above mentioned letters but differ slightly in their appearance. The letter U in runic would appear upside down and the letter Th in runic would appear more like the English letter P or a thorn.

Some of the runic letters and symbols and their meaning are:

• F: Fehu signifies success and wealth; associated symbol is cattle.
• U: Uraz signifies wisdom, power and knowledge; symbol associated is the great oxen.
• Th: Thurizas signifies protection; associated symbol is thorns in plants.
• A: Ansuz signifies magic and linked with divinity and god.
• R: Raidho signifies motion and wheels and linked with outer and inner journey.
• K: Kenaz signifies knowledge and associates with transformation.

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