Runic alphabet: Encyclopedia II - Runic alphabet - Modern use

Runic alphabet - Modern use

Runic alphabet - Third Reich

Runes have been used in Nazi symbolism by National Socialists and neo-Nazi groups that associate themselves with Germanic traditions, mainly the Sigel, Eihwaz, Tyr, Odal (see Odalism) and Algiz runes.

The fascination that runes seem to have exerted on the Nazis can be traced to the occult and völkisch author Guido von List, one of the important figures in Germanic mysticism and runic revivalism in the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1908, List published in Das Geheimnis der Runen ("The Secret of the Runes") a set of 18 so-called "Armanen Runes", based on the Younger Futhark, which were allegedly revealed to him in a state of temporary blindness after a cataract operation on both eyes in 1902.

In Nazi contexts, the s-rune is referred to as "Sig" (after List, probably from Anglo-Saxon Sigel). The "Wolfsangel", while not a rune historically, has the shape of List's "Gibor" rune.

Runic alphabet - Neopaganism

The runes are a major element in Heathenry and Asatru in particular, often used to indicate ancestry, in crafts and for ritual purposes. They are not to be construed with political implications without additional evidence. Neopagans such as Wiccans and some occult groups may often also sometimes use runes under various conditions. Runes are often used aesthetically by neofolk groups.

Runic alphabet - Literature

J. R. R. Tolkien popularized runes by his use of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc in The Hobbit, and he also invented his own fictional runic alphabet, the Cirth (together with scripts). In Tolkien's wake, runes appear frequently in Fantasy literature and was subsequently a large influence on Dungeons And Dragons. Runes are also mentioned several times in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Modern use", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki