Younger Futhark facts for kids

The Younger Futhark is a special writing system called a runic script. It grew out of an older system known as the Elder Futhark. People mainly used Younger Futhark in Scandinavia, which includes countries like Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

This runic script became popular around the year 800 AD. A big difference from the Elder Futhark is that it used only 16 symbols, while the older one had 24. At the same time, the language spoken by people in Scandinavia was changing. It went from an older language called Proto-Norse to a newer one, Old Norse. Old Norse actually had more than 16 sounds, which meant some Younger Futhark runes had to stand for more than one sound!

What Are Runes?

Runes are letters from ancient alphabets that were used by Germanic people, especially in Scandinavia. They were often carved into stone, wood, or metal. People used runes for writing messages, marking ownership, and sometimes for magic or religious purposes. Each rune had a name and a special meaning, not just a sound.

Why Did the Futhark Change?

The change from Elder Futhark to Younger Futhark happened over several centuries. One reason was that the spoken language, Old Norse, was becoming simpler in some ways. This meant fewer distinct sounds needed to be written down. So, the writing system also became simpler, using fewer runes.

Even though there were fewer runes, the Old Norse language had more sounds than the 16 runes could easily represent. This made the Younger Futhark a bit tricky. Sometimes, one rune had to stand for several different sounds. For example, the 'u' rune might also be used for 'o', 'y', or 'w'. You had to guess the right sound from the words around it!

Where and When Was Younger Futhark Used?

Younger Futhark was the main writing system during the Viking Age (about 800 to 1050 AD). It was used all over Scandinavia and in places where Vikings traveled and settled. This includes parts of the British Isles, Greenland, and even North America.

Many of the Younger Futhark writings we find today are on runestones. These stones were often set up to remember important people or events. But runes were also carved on everyday items like combs, tools, weapons, and jewelry. They were even used on wooden sticks for messages or labels.

Different Kinds of Younger Futhark

There were a few different styles of Younger Futhark, but the two main ones were:

• Long-branch runes: These runes had long, straight lines and were often used for important public inscriptions, like on runestones. They were easier to read from a distance.
• Short-twig runes: These were simpler and had shorter, more compact lines. They were often used for everyday messages or personal notes, like on small wooden sticks. They were quicker to carve.

There was also a very simplified version called staveless runes, which had almost no vertical lines, making them even faster to write.

The End of the Runic Age

As Christianity spread through Scandinavia, the Latin alphabet started to replace runes. By the end of the Middle Ages, the Latin alphabet became the main writing system. However, runes didn't disappear completely. They were still used for special purposes, like marking property or in folk traditions, for many centuries after.

See also

In Spanish: Futhark joven para niños