Runes are an alphabet developed and used by the Germanic peoples. The oldest known runes are the 24 Elder Futhark runes which date back to the 1st century CE. Their origin is lost to history, but some believe they might be based on the ancient Italian writing style Old Italic. But, the word “rune” comes from the Proto-German word runo or Old Norse run, meaning “a secret, magic sign, runic character.”
These days, we seem to primarily associate runes with the Norse and the Vikings, but they were used throughout Scandinavia as a way to convey ideas, messages, and perform magic or divination.
The script evolved over the centuries, but from the Elder Futhark to the Medieval Futhark in 13th century, the style remained essentially the same.
Most of the runic letters are made from a vertical line that have other lines or curves attached to them.