The early development of Runes was likely influenced by north Etruscan script, which was adapted by Germanic tribes living north of the Alps no earlier than the third century C.E. From Germany the use of Runes spread to Scandinavia, and was later brought to the British Isles by Angle, Saxon and, later, Viking conquerors.

The runic alphabet thrived between the fourth and twelfth centuries C.E., and was used as a system of writing most extensively in Scandinavia and the British Isles. However, like all other ancient peoples, the Germans and the Norse assigned to their written alphabet mystical significance that transcended its mere use as a system of writing. The word "rune" itself comes from an old Germanic word meaning "mystery." The Roman historian Tacitus, one of the earliest chroniclers of life among the ancient Germanic tribes, described the common practice of casting Runes for divination. The Runes were believed to have originated with the gods and to possess magical power which could be harnessed by those who knew how to use them.

The runic writing system evolved differently in Germany, Britain and Scandinavia. It has a long and diverse history, and changed over time in different countries. But below is a simplified chart mapping some of the key differences between early Germanic, Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian runic systems, and showing their phonetic correspondences.

Germanic		Anglo-Saxon		Viking		phonetic corr.	meaning
	FEHU		FEOH		FE	F	cattle, livestock, riches, landed property, movable property
	URUZ		UR		UR	U	primitive ox, wild ox
	THURISAZ		THORN		THURS	TH	thorn, giant, troll
	ANSUZ		OS		OSS	A	God, Asa god, divinity
	RAIDO		RAD		REIDR	R	riding, travel
	KANO		CEN		KAUN	K	boil, carbuncle
	GEBO		GYFU			G	gift
	WUNJO		WYN			W	good fortune, delight
	HAGALAZ		HAEGL		HAGALL	H	hail
	NAUTHIZ		NYD		NAUDR	N	suffer want, crowd, bondage, slavery
	ISA		IS		ISS	I	ice
	JERA		GER			J	year, harvest, produce, crop, good year
	EIHWAZ		EOH (14)			E (EI)	tree, yew
	PERTH		PEORD (13)			P	stone, rock
	ALGIZ		EOLH-SECG		ELGR (16)	Z	elk
	SOWELU		SIGEL		SOL	S	sun, power of the sun
	TEIWAZ		TIR		TYR	T	warrior, the god Tyr
	BERKANA		BEORC		BJARKAN	B	birch, twigs of birch
	EHWAZ		E(O)H			E	horse
	MANNAZ		MAN		MADR (15)	M	man, husband, human being
	LAGUZ		LAGU		LOGR (14)	L	water
	INGUZ		ING			NG	phallus, name of a god
	OTHILA		ETHEL			O	allodium, land-holding, inheritance
	DAGAZ		DAEG			D	day
			AC		(10)	A (long)
			ASEC			A (short)
			YR			Y
			IOR			IO
			EAR			EA
			CWEORP			QU
			CALK			K
			STAN			ST
			GAR			G