The original creation of the runic futhark occurred before the 1st. century c.e., when the Northern Italic scripts were absorbed and replaced by the Latin alphabet. The name "futhark" for the list of letters, like the word "alphabet", is derived from the first few letters in the runic sequence. The order of the letters  differs from the order of the Latin alphabet and is unique amongst alphabetic scripts. The futhark originally consisted of 24 letters, beginning with F and ending with O, and was used by the northern Germanic tribes of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Northern Germany. This form of the runes is known as the Elder, or Germanic Futhark. Later versions are the Anglo-Saxon futhorc and the Younger Futhark.

     The Rök rune stone from Östergötland, Sweden was composed in the ninth century by Varin Sibbi in a distinctive Swedish-Norwegian runic alphabet of 16 characters. Nine lines were carved in the older 24 character Elder Futhark. It contains a total of 735 runes.

     The text reads: For Vaermod stand these runes. And Varin wrote them, the father for his dead son. I tell the ancient tale which the two war-booties were, twelve times taken as war-booty, both together from man to man. This I tell second who nine generations ago...with the Reidgoths; and he died with them, because of his guilt.

     This I tell in the twelfth instance where the horse of the Vakyrie sees food on the battle-field, where twenty kings lie. This I tell in the thirteenth instance, which twenty kings sat on Sjaelland for four years, with four names, sons of four brothers, five called Valke, sons of Radulu, five Reidlulus, sons of Rugulu, five Haisls, sons of Harud, five Gunnmunds, sons of Björn... I tell the tale which of the Ingvaldings was revenged through a wife's sacrifice. I tell the ancient tale to what young warrior a kinsman is born. Vilin it is. He could slay a giant...I tell the ancient tale; Thor Sibbi, guardian of the sanctuary, ninety years of age, begot a descendant.

Sven B. B. Jansson, The Runes of Sweden,
The Redminister Press, 1962, p. 12-13.

     The Jelling stone was erected by King Harald Bluetooth about 980 at Jelling in Jylland, the royal residence.

     Ole Worm, a Danish academic active in many fields found many runic artifacts. Among them is the Tullstorp stone from Skåne, Sweden from the 11th century, on which is a lion-like animal. The horn is also engraved with runic ornaments.

     Åland stone, 11th century.

    The Alstad rune-stone was raised by Jorun in memory of Ol-Arnir. It shows a horseman with runic inscriptions below and on the left side. The horseman is interpreted by L. Jacobsen, Evje-Stenen og Alstat-Stenen, Oslo, 1933, p. 30, as Högne, the murderer of Sigurd. A later inscription was added by a certain Igle to commemorate his son, Thorald.

        Three rune stones have been discovered in the Faroe Islands. Shortly after the church in Sandavágur on the island of Vágur in the Faroe Islands was consecrated in 1917, a rune stone was discovered nearby. The stone was moved inside the church and now stands near the altar. The inscription dates from the 13th century. It reads "Torkjell Onundarson, an easterner from Rogaland, built first in this place." This is the stone in the foreground of the stamp. The runes in the background are from the stone unearthed at the site of the cathedral at Kirkjubour in 1832. It dates to about 1100, is only partially decipherable, and is preserved in the National Museum in Copenhagen.

     In 1362 Swedish nobles who had left fiefs in Finland took part in the election of a Swedish king, Haakon VI, Haakon Magnusson. Haakon was also king of Norway at this time. After his election he was hoisted up on the Mora stone so the electors could pay homage. The stone disappeared in the 15th century. The stone on the stamp is the artist's re-creation of the stone with the two words, MAUNU HAAK N, Magnus and Haakon.

Contemporary Runes

     On a stamp commemorating the thousandth anniversary of the founding of the Althing or parliament of Iceland issued in 1930 a runic inscription over the picture of the parliament building reads MED LOGUM SKAL LAND BIGGA, "With the law shall the land be built."

     The inscription on the emblem of the  Frontier Guardsmen, a unit of Norwegian Nazi volunteers, in runic-like characters is "Front Kjemper." The stamp was issued by the Quisling puppet government with a surcharge to aid the Guardsmen.

     The booklet pane shows the Scandinavian gods: Fröja or Freja, the wife of Odin; Heimdall, the rainbow god; Thor the god of  thunder, Frö or Fre, the goddess of peace,  fertility, and weather; and Odin, the "all  father." Their names appear on he stamps in runic letters.

     The booklet cover has a set of runic letters  and their latin equivalents and a medallion  inscribed with runic letters on the front. On  the inside and back of the booklet the  various gods are identified.

     The inscription on the stamp below above the picture is LOGSOGUMATHAR A ALTHING, "Law Speaker at the Althing."