The spread of Runes through Europe : The history of Runes from 1 – 600 AD

Abstract: The Runic scripture is very unique and complicated and has evolved for over centuries and resulted in unique Runic variants such as Gothic Runes, Anglo-Frisian and more. But where did Runes come from and how did they spread throughout Europe is what this paper will attempt to answer by going over multiple Runic objects as well as different historical literatures and databases in order to establish potential routes for which Runes could have spread through. Such as from Rhine to Northern Europe or from Germany to the rest of Northern Europe or Gaul to Northern Europe. However the people that spread the Runes are partially unknown with some suggesting that it was a group from a Germanic area that spread it, but no clear evidence appears until around 400 AD when a clear migration of people was visible in Frisia and England.