The runes are known as the Futhark. This name is taken from the first six runes in the Futhark; Fehu (F), Uruz (U), Thurisaz (TH), Ansuz (A), Raido (R) and Kenaz (K), just as the word “Alphabet” is taken from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and beta.
The runes are a collection of symbols that have been used for writing, and where the ancient sought for much of the early systems of writing among the Indo-Europeans in Europe, including the ancient Celts, German, and the Italic people who eventually became the Romans. But the runes are more than just scribe. They grew out of our Folk’s inner consciousness – the collective group soul. Through our collective group soul, Odin transmitted the knowledge of the runes to us. Early Italic writing that both Latin and Celtic are descended from, is clearly related to runic writing that, in time the runes evolved into several versions of the Futhark that included the Elder Futhark, the Younger Futhark, the Anglo-Saxon Futhark and the Armanen Futhark.
The Elder Futhark, which I have used, and is the most popular and familiar, dates back to about 300 BC. Just when our ancestors were first inspired with the knowledge of the runes, is lost in time and probably dates back thousands of years to the end of the last Ice Age, when our people were first born.
According to the tales of the Gods, it was the giant, Mimir who transmitted the knowledge of the runes to Odin, while he hung on the Yggdrasil, scarifying himself to himself. This act of ritual transmutation that Odin undertook to learn the secrets of the runes is the means by which Odin, (the axis of order throughout the universe) learns of the uncontrolled and undirected forces of the cosmos and gave order to them by forming those energies into the system of symbols that we know as the Futhark. When our Folk was born of the Life-Force of the Gods, the knowledge of the Futhark was transmitted to us gradually, over many generations through the genetic and spiritual link between our race and the Gods. In time, as we matured as a race, the knowledge of the Futhark was organized and used by our ancestors. Many of our ancestors, especially among those who settled in the warmer climate, lost the knowledge and the runes evolved into systems that were used merely for writing.