Runes are an ancient Norse and Germanic alphabet consisting of twenty-four symbols inscribed on wood, stone, metal or bone and imbued with magical properties which is then used to divine future events and/or gain hidden information on present concerns by casting (throwing) down the inscribed items and divining meaning from the arrangement of symbols. In ancient Germany and Scandinavia, tribal priests cast runes to resolve disputes, call upon the gods or predict the future (1)
- Fiery, A, 1999. The Book of Divination.