Two rare artifacts inscribed with ancient letters, or runes, could be the key to a mysterious era of Viking history when they suddenly abandoned their old alphabet and transitioned to a new one.

Side view of the blade of an 1,800-year-old iron knife with Danish runes that seem to spell out the word "hirila.". Archaeologists in Denmark have discovered runic letters inscribed on a knife blade ...

PRAGUE (AFP) — An inscribed cow bone dating back to the seventh century proves that Germanic runes were the oldest script ever used by the ancient Slavs, Czech scientists said Thursday. Up to now, it ...

Runic inscriptions from the Viking Age still turn up in Sweden 1,000 years after they were written – revealing fascinating ...

The ancient runic alphabet, used by Germanic peoples centuries ago prior to the adoption of the Latin alphabet, remains one of the most enigmatic early writing systems. Chief among its mysteries is ...

DENVER -- I've always been impressed by the ability of Hermione Granger, close friend of fictional wizard Harry Potter, to read ancient runes. She would be much in demand at "Vikings: Beyond the ...

Melissa D'costa finds out more about the stones, which have been carved with an ancient and sacred Germanic alphabet, for divination Melissa D'costa finds out more about the stones, which have been ...

Both the Celtic Ogham and the Germanic Futhark have unique sequences for which no interpretation has yet been found. The composition of the Ogham and the Futhark is mostly explained by complicated ...

Experts cannot make up their minds for certain if it is a modern expletive or a carving over 1,300 years old that has by chance formed the brusque swear word. The runic inscription was found on a ...

Traveling through Norway was so much more wonderful than I ever imagined it would be, and it’s difficult to articulate exactly why. It was certainly great to bond with my older daughter as we ...