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Loading... Runes (edition 2014)by Martin Findell (Author)
Work InformationRunes by Martin Findell
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Interesting and well-illustrated introduction to runes, published by the British Museum, covering both the writing system as it developed over time across northern Europe, and the puzzling modern enthusiasm for runes as mysterious, in contrast to their original use to provide information.Some of the words written in runic inscriptions are still recognisable to us, words like oak, ash, bone, fish, &c., and the runic caption carved into an 8th century relief of three bearded figures is clearly 'Magi'. Professor Findell stresses that little runic material has survived, but it is clear the tradition of recording that "Kilroy was here" goes back into the mists of time. Transcriptions of text would have helped me - the book misses these out and just gives phonetic transliteration. ( ) no reviews | add a review
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From late antiquity through to the early middle ages, people across north-western Europe were inscribing runes on a range of different objects. Once identified and interpreted by experts, runes provide us with invaluable evidence for the early 'Germanic' languages - including English, Dutch, German and the Scandinavian languages - and reveal a wealth of information about our early civilisations. Runes employ many techniques from informal scratchings to sophisticated inlaid designs on weapons, or the exquisite relief carvings of the Franks Casket. The task of reading and understanding them involves a good deal of detective-work, calling on expertise from a number of academic disciplines: archaeology, art history, linguistics, and even forensic science. This book tells the story of runes from their mysterious origins, their development as a script, to their use and meaning in the modern world. Illustrated with a range of beautiful objects from jewellery to tools and weapons, Runes will reveal memorials for the dead, business messages, charms and curses, insults and prayers, giving us a glimpse into the languages and cultures of Europeans over a thousand years ago. No library descriptions found. |
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