The origins of runic traditions were unknown to humans for a long time. Among English-speaking magicians, rune knowledge had been steadily deteriorating since the time of King Canute or Cnut, but their lore never entirely perished away. Especially in Scandinavia, runic incantations were practiced until relatively recent periods. Runes illustrate the tremendous mysteries of nature, and they offer clues to those secrets because they are mysteries themselves.

The system of runes or the runic system was applied by the Nordic and Germanic tribes of Northern Europe. They employed this system for secular and religious objectives. Rune lore exemplifies a crucial part of the oldest tradition of wisdom - magic known to the Germanic world. There is an endless debate among some intellectuals, but the first instances of runes to fanatically depict language appear to date from around the second century BCE.