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Your runes will appear here...
The Elder Futhark is one of humanity's oldest writing systems, created by Germanic peoples around the 2nd century CE. Each of its 24 runes carries phonetic value, symbolic meaning, and cultural significance spanning 1,800 years — from Viking-age runestones to modern fantasy literature. Yet most people who encounter runes only see the symbols without understanding the rich linguistic and cultural system behind them.
Rune Workshop is an interactive reference and exploration tool for the Elder Futhark runic alphabet. It has three modes:
The encoder uses a comprehensive mapping table that accounts for digraphs (th, ae, oe, etc.) and phonetic equivalents — not just letter-by-letter substitution. For example, "th" maps to Thurisaz (ᚦ), "sh" maps to Sowilo (ᛋ), and "j" maps to Jera (ᛃ). The rune caster uses the Web Crypto API's secure random number generator to draw without replacement, just like pulling physical runes from a pouch.