"New" Runes

I am versed in the Elder Futhark. To me, the idea of losing "letters" has kept me from looking at the Younger Futhark much, though were I more a translator than a caster, that would not be the case. Of late I have felt called to the Futhork, or Anglo-Saxon Runes. There are 24 Elder, and about (about?) 30 Anglo-Saxon, depending who and how they are counting/counted. I am somewhat familiar with them as an English Major (BA creative writing, with a heavy emphasis on literature, including early English).

I love transitional alphabets, and the medieval manuscripts show some interesting choices being made as things settle (har) out.

The next few posts will be about the "new" runes - those being the ones in the Futhork which are not in the Futhark. There will be some compare and contrast, some discovery and discarding, some exploration and explanation.

I'll also see how my understanding of the Elder Futhark runes is affected by the introduction of these comparative newcomers. I have learned (and forgotten) several languages over the years. Currently I am learning Welsh, and seeing how my understanding of the figures in our shared alphabet has shifted along the way has been interesting. Though I do not use them for divinitory purposes, I do write poetry, and the patterns brought out by the different cadences that have combined in my mind are definitely different to what had gone before. Oddly, I did not find this with Spanish nor German. I did with what little bit of Mandarin I was able to study a very long time ago. Being a very tone-reliant language, I don't suppose that's too surprising.

What will the shapes of these new runes bring to my divination? Poetry? Observations? I already have a few favorites which I now realize I've always been seeing and reacting to in the wild without knowing them as runes. I'll write about one of those first.

Next Time.