The Elder Futhark runes are a set of 24 symbols that were used for writing in Scandinavia and other parts of Northern Europe from about 200-800 AD. While there are many different types of runes, here I’ll be focusing on Elder Futhark. Writing itself was often seen as magic by other peoples who had no writing systems of their own. The word rune comes from an Old Norse term meaning a secret letter that was used for casting spells.