The Futhark Runes are based on the Elder Futhark alphabetic script that was used by the Norse peoples (Vikings) of Northern Europe and are about 2000 years old. As well as being used as a written alphabet, the rune symbols were used for magic and divination. As the Roman alphabet became the preferred script of most of Europe, Runes as an alphabetic script fell into disuse, but their forms and meanings were preserved in inscriptions and manuscripts.

One major characteristic which distinguishes a runic alphabet from other alphabets is that each letter, or rune, has a meaning. For example "eh", "bee", and "cee" are meaningless sounds denoting the first three letters in our alphabet but the names of the first three runes, "fehu", "uruz", and "þurisaz" are actual words in the Germanic/Norse languages, meaning "cattle", "aurochs", and "giant", respectively.

Runes have long been held to have magical and pagan religious significance as well and they have been used throughout the centuries for divinatory readings and to create magical spells.

Today, runes have gained immense popularity as a means of divination having been rediscovered as a symbolic system. Some believe they are an alternative to Tarot cards for giving insight and foretelling the future. They have much to teach us about a way of life that was more intimately connected to the natural world than our own. Some practitioners use a 25th rune called Wyrd in additional to the original set.

The Elder Futhark Runes are split into three Aetts: