| The runes have no "single source". As a phonetic alphabet most runic letters come from the North Italic script. This ws the system used by the Etruscans. The link between the Etruscan is known from 26 bronze helmets found around 1812 in the Austrian Empire, dating from the forth century BCE. Also around this time, seers in the Tyrol began to use runic symbols for divination, possibly following Etruscan practice. However amny of the characters that became runestave already existed elsewhere. Pictographic symbols have been preserved in rock carvings and a few survining woden objects. During the late Bronze age early Iron Ages (1300-800BCE) a large number of pictographic rock carvings (Hallristninger) were made in Scandinavia. It is certain that these symbols were used for divination before the creation of the Futhark. But the runes as such came into being when some of these symbols were identified with corresponding letters of the Etruscan alphabet. |