Early September, 200X (Since there's currently only one Ancient Runes professor, I'm making this class open to all years 3-7. If your character is older than third-year, you can pretend this is a back-dated scene from when your character was a 3rd-year (or whatever year they were when they first took this elective). [To avoid making this a convoluted time-bending mess, simply avoid referring to other students in different years by name. For example, if you're playing a 4th-year student, and want your character to react to a 3rd-year student, you can refer to them as "the blonde Gryffindor girl" or anything other than their name, treating them as an NPC. Avoid referring to current events, so this thread can be timeless.])
As students were arriving and finding their seats, Professor Scrivener drew twenty-four runes on his blackboard, and beneath them, their common transliterations:
ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚨ ᚱ ᚲ
f u þ a r k(c)
ᚷ ᚹ ᚺ ᚾ ᛁ ᛃ
g w h n i j
ᛇ ᛈ ᛉ ᛋ ᛏ ᛒ
ï(æ) p z s t b
ᛖ ᛗ ᛚ ᛜ ᛞ ᛟ
e m l ŋ d o
He waited a few minutes to give everyone time to settle in before speaking.
"For those who don't know me, I'm Professor Scrivener. I've made it my life's work to preserve ancient knowledge, with a particular emphasis on magical texts. I've also published numerous interviews I've conducted with ghosts and portraits, particularly those found here at Hogwarts, though there are so many, that I may never finish this Sisyphean task. I've spent many years studying ancient runes and various other writing forms, and assisted in the translation and interpretation of many ancient documents and artifacts, including at archeological sites. Your textbook for this class is a treatise on runology that I wrote soon after I finished Hogwarts--versions of it are now in use at other magical schools, and there's even a muggle-safe version in circulation. You'll find my office in Ravenclaw Tower near the other Ravenclaw staff offices. If my door is open, that means I'm available to help you with any relevant questions you may have. If my door is closed, I'm busy and don't want to be disturbed. I'm most likely to be available between my last class of the day and dinner. But enough about me..."
"Today we will begin our exploration of Ancient Runes with Elder Futhark, also known as Older Futhark and Germanic Futhark. This alphabet is named after the initial phonemes, or sounds, of its first six runes. You needn't transcribe this chart into your notes, as you'll find it in chapter two of your textbook, however I would encourage you to practice drawing these runes and familiarize yourself with each one. You'll be expected to draw each one next to its transliteration on your first test."
He pointed to the transliteration beneath the third rune, þ. "For those unfamiliar with Old English, the Anglo Saxons called this character thorn. After the invention of movable type printing presses, however, it was often transcribed as the letter Y, because common type-sets didn't have a dedicated slug for the thorn character, but nowadays we use the digraph TH. This is why in many old books, you'll see the word ye where you would expect to find the. It's the same word, just composited with different letters. The corresponding thorn rune is called Thurs, from the Old Norse, meaning giant."
"Elder Futhark is the oldest of the runic alphabets, used by the Germanic tribes dating back to the first through ninth centuries. You may have noticed that this alphabet is very angular, with each character composed of distinctive straight lines. This is because the users of this alphabet preferred to carve the runes, rather than write them, and it's far easier to carve a straight line than a curved one. Today, rune-carved artifacts can be found all across Scandinavia."
He began walking down an aisle between desks as he talked. "Can any of you think of an example where Elder Futhark is used today? Feel free to speak up, you don't need to raise your hand."
Ancient Runes class - Elder Futhark (open to years 3-7 but see note, pretend to be a 3rd year*)
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Missy Dragonov
- 4th Year | Chaser
- Player: Annalee
Missy listened as the professor spoke, introducing Elder Futhark and other important information, trying to take in his careful words. When he posed the question, Missy hesitated, her quill tapping lightly against the edge of her parchment as she thought. Ancient Runes wasn’t exactly her best subject—actually, she found it pretty difficult. There were just so many symbols, and they all blurred together after a while. But she was trying, and she figured she might as well give it a shot.
She started to raise her hand, then remembered she didn’t have to, so she just blurted out instead, “Um—runes are on some old wizarding family crests, right?” She winced slightly at how uncertain her own voice sounded but pressed on. “I think I’ve seen them on enchanted heirlooms and, uh… tombstones? Maybe?”
She shifted in her seat, glancing at the professor to gauge his reaction. “I mean, if wizards a long time ago used them to write stuff, then it makes sense that they’d put them on things they wanted to last a long time. Like, if you wanted to carve a message in stone or put some kind of magic into an object, runes would be… good for that?”
Her voice trailed off toward the end, and she resisted the urge to sink lower in her seat. She wasn’t sure if what she said made sense or if she was completely off, but at least she’d tried. That had to count for something… right?
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OOC: Playing as Missy in her third year.
She started to raise her hand, then remembered she didn’t have to, so she just blurted out instead, “Um—runes are on some old wizarding family crests, right?” She winced slightly at how uncertain her own voice sounded but pressed on. “I think I’ve seen them on enchanted heirlooms and, uh… tombstones? Maybe?”
She shifted in her seat, glancing at the professor to gauge his reaction. “I mean, if wizards a long time ago used them to write stuff, then it makes sense that they’d put them on things they wanted to last a long time. Like, if you wanted to carve a message in stone or put some kind of magic into an object, runes would be… good for that?”
Her voice trailed off toward the end, and she resisted the urge to sink lower in her seat. She wasn’t sure if what she said made sense or if she was completely off, but at least she’d tried. That had to count for something… right?
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OOC: Playing as Missy in her third year.
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Devereaux Gordon
- 4th Year
- Player: CptDonutHole
Devereaux entered the classroom with a few minutes to spare. He was excited for this elective as the study of ancient runes was something that had slowly grown more interesting to him the longer he was a student at Hogwarts. As he waited for class to start, Devereaux opened the book that had been required for the class. He had browsed through the first couple of chapters the night before but it had been so late that he really couldn’t remember any of what he had read.
Glancing up from the text, Devereaux noticed the professor drawing some runes on the board. He thought he remembered seeing them somewhere before and began flipping through the first couple of pages. However, before he could locate the table he was looking for, Professor Scrivener began speaking. Devereaux listened intently as he introduced himself and gave a brief introduction to the course as a whole before pressing on into the subject of the day.
Of course, Elder Futhark, chapter two. Devereaux thought as he flipped his book to the correct chapter and found the table. He thought that the symbols looked familiar, they made him think of the few illustrations he had seen of Norse Vikings. The professor posed a question to the class and quickly after a Slytherin girl in his year began answering. Looking over to her, Devereaux saw that it was Missy Draganov. After two full years at the school Devereaux could recognize just about everyone in his year, even if he hadn’t had conversations with all of them before.
Devereaux listened to her as she answered the question, nodding his head along. He wasn’t positive, but he figured that her answer could be right. Especially for wizard families that traced their heritage far enough back. Devereaux ran his hadn’t through his hair, a poor attempt to dispel his nervousness, then he spoke up. “I think she’s probably right. I don’t know where it is used today, but the symbols make me think of illustrations of the Norsemen and their gods. I think I remember seeing some symbols that looked like that on some extremely old tombstones that my mom showed us once when we visited Denmark.”
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OOC: Playing as Devereaux in his third year.
Glancing up from the text, Devereaux noticed the professor drawing some runes on the board. He thought he remembered seeing them somewhere before and began flipping through the first couple of pages. However, before he could locate the table he was looking for, Professor Scrivener began speaking. Devereaux listened intently as he introduced himself and gave a brief introduction to the course as a whole before pressing on into the subject of the day.
Of course, Elder Futhark, chapter two. Devereaux thought as he flipped his book to the correct chapter and found the table. He thought that the symbols looked familiar, they made him think of the few illustrations he had seen of Norse Vikings. The professor posed a question to the class and quickly after a Slytherin girl in his year began answering. Looking over to her, Devereaux saw that it was Missy Draganov. After two full years at the school Devereaux could recognize just about everyone in his year, even if he hadn’t had conversations with all of them before.
Devereaux listened to her as she answered the question, nodding his head along. He wasn’t positive, but he figured that her answer could be right. Especially for wizard families that traced their heritage far enough back. Devereaux ran his hadn’t through his hair, a poor attempt to dispel his nervousness, then he spoke up. “I think she’s probably right. I don’t know where it is used today, but the symbols make me think of illustrations of the Norsemen and their gods. I think I remember seeing some symbols that looked like that on some extremely old tombstones that my mom showed us once when we visited Denmark.”
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OOC: Playing as Devereaux in his third year.
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Missy Dragonov
- 4th Year | Chaser
- Player: Annalee
Missy blinked in surprise when Devereaux spoke up, backing up her answer. She hadn’t expected anyone to agree with her—especially since she hadn’t been entirely sure she was right. She turned slightly in her seat to glance at him, tilting her head.
“Oh, yeah?” she said, her curiosity piqued. “That makes sense. I mean, if runes were used way back then, they probably showed up on all sorts of things. Like, I bet the Vikings used them to mark their weapons or something, right? That seems like something they’d do.”
She tapped her quill against her parchment absently, considering. “I guess it’s not really that different from wizards using enchantments today—just, you know, carved into stuff instead of written on parchment.” She let out a small, sheepish huff. “Not that I’d know. I can barely remember half of them, and we’ve only just started.”
She shot Devereaux a half-smile, glad that at least someone else seemed to think they were on the right track. “What were the tombstones like? Did they have anything written out, or was it just the runes?”
“Oh, yeah?” she said, her curiosity piqued. “That makes sense. I mean, if runes were used way back then, they probably showed up on all sorts of things. Like, I bet the Vikings used them to mark their weapons or something, right? That seems like something they’d do.”
She tapped her quill against her parchment absently, considering. “I guess it’s not really that different from wizards using enchantments today—just, you know, carved into stuff instead of written on parchment.” She let out a small, sheepish huff. “Not that I’d know. I can barely remember half of them, and we’ve only just started.”
She shot Devereaux a half-smile, glad that at least someone else seemed to think they were on the right track. “What were the tombstones like? Did they have anything written out, or was it just the runes?”
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Bertrand Scrivener
- Ancient Runes
- Player: Fox
Prof. Scrivener nodded.
"Yes, Miss... Dragonov, and Mr. Gordon is it?, you'll find runes engraved on many things of cultural or historical significance, anything that was intended to last. Tombstones and heirlooms often contain runes because of the ease of carving and engraving them, and family crests often incorporate runes to inspire a sense of timelessness.
"You've hit upon a key point with magical artifacts. Runes both help us to convey magical intent when incorporated into an artifact, and also act as a focal point for our magic to bind to the artifact, not only allowing it to function in more precise and nuanced ways, but also making it last considerably longer than it otherwise would have. The Sorting Hat is a good example of this--if you were to carefully examine the underside of its brim, you'd find a very long series of runes sewn into it in a spiral pattern with magical thread, which gives us an inkling as to how it functions, though some of the magic involved is unfortunately lost to us. Its magic persists 800 years after its creation, and it may yet last 800 more.
"Runes are still used to this day, even outside of artificing, though both applications I'm thinking of are a bit obscure. What if I were to tell you that most of you have been using runes since your first year, without even realizing it?
"Yes, Miss... Dragonov, and Mr. Gordon is it?, you'll find runes engraved on many things of cultural or historical significance, anything that was intended to last. Tombstones and heirlooms often contain runes because of the ease of carving and engraving them, and family crests often incorporate runes to inspire a sense of timelessness.
"You've hit upon a key point with magical artifacts. Runes both help us to convey magical intent when incorporated into an artifact, and also act as a focal point for our magic to bind to the artifact, not only allowing it to function in more precise and nuanced ways, but also making it last considerably longer than it otherwise would have. The Sorting Hat is a good example of this--if you were to carefully examine the underside of its brim, you'd find a very long series of runes sewn into it in a spiral pattern with magical thread, which gives us an inkling as to how it functions, though some of the magic involved is unfortunately lost to us. Its magic persists 800 years after its creation, and it may yet last 800 more.
"Runes are still used to this day, even outside of artificing, though both applications I'm thinking of are a bit obscure. What if I were to tell you that most of you have been using runes since your first year, without even realizing it?
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Devereaux Gordon
- 4th Year
- Player: CptDonutHole
Devereaux nodded his head as Missy spoke. As far as he knew, she was right. Enchantments might look a little different today, but at the core they hand’t really changed. The principles seem to be be consistent.
His head tilted slightly as his eyes darted across the ceiling in thought. “Honestly,” He chuckled, “they were just all grey rectangles. They all had just the name, birth and death year, and a few runes. What was really interesting to me, or well, my 10 year old brain, was that there were other small worn down stones that looked more like rocks that someone had smashed with a hammer. I never knew why some of them looked only a few decades old, while there were some that had been weathered to nothing. But now I suppose those were probably stones that didn’t have runes inscribed?”
Devereaux quickly stopped talking and turned his attention back to the Professor as the lecture continued. His quill scratched across his parchment as he listened.
Used on items of cultural or Hist. Sig.
-Tombstones & Heirlooms: b/c ease of carving and engraving.
-Fam Crest: sense of timelessness
Magical Artifact key point:
Runes - 1. convey mag intent 2. Binding point between magic & artifact.
Result - More precision / More nuance / Much Longer Lasting
Example: Sorting Hat - Spiral pattern runes w/ magic thread. Lasted 800 years so far.
Runes used today in & out of artificing…
How?
-
Devereaux quill finally stood still as he pondered the question. For some reason he had never really considered that The Sorting Hat was a product of artifice. Perhaps it was because his first impression of the object, when he was eleven years old, was that it was something beyond magic….something alive, and that had shade his thoughts away from considering the idea. Obviously the hope was that enchantments now were far superior than ones used in the past, but the sorting hat certainly stood tall as an example that perhaps there was a great deal of knowledge lost somewhere in history.
Giving his head a small shake, Devereaux returned to the question at hand. “Maybe…most of the lighting in the school?” He said aloud, his voice displaying his uncertainty in his answer.
His head tilted slightly as his eyes darted across the ceiling in thought. “Honestly,” He chuckled, “they were just all grey rectangles. They all had just the name, birth and death year, and a few runes. What was really interesting to me, or well, my 10 year old brain, was that there were other small worn down stones that looked more like rocks that someone had smashed with a hammer. I never knew why some of them looked only a few decades old, while there were some that had been weathered to nothing. But now I suppose those were probably stones that didn’t have runes inscribed?”
Devereaux quickly stopped talking and turned his attention back to the Professor as the lecture continued. His quill scratched across his parchment as he listened.
Used on items of cultural or Hist. Sig.
-Tombstones & Heirlooms: b/c ease of carving and engraving.
-Fam Crest: sense of timelessness
Magical Artifact key point:
Runes - 1. convey mag intent 2. Binding point between magic & artifact.
Result - More precision / More nuance / Much Longer Lasting
Example: Sorting Hat - Spiral pattern runes w/ magic thread. Lasted 800 years so far.
Runes used today in & out of artificing…
How?
-
Devereaux quill finally stood still as he pondered the question. For some reason he had never really considered that The Sorting Hat was a product of artifice. Perhaps it was because his first impression of the object, when he was eleven years old, was that it was something beyond magic….something alive, and that had shade his thoughts away from considering the idea. Obviously the hope was that enchantments now were far superior than ones used in the past, but the sorting hat certainly stood tall as an example that perhaps there was a great deal of knowledge lost somewhere in history.
Giving his head a small shake, Devereaux returned to the question at hand. “Maybe…most of the lighting in the school?” He said aloud, his voice displaying his uncertainty in his answer.
-
Missy Dragonov
- 4th Year | Chaser
- Player: Annalee
Missy tapped her quill idly against the edge of her parchment as she listened, only half-paying attention at first. Runes on heirlooms, tombstones, family crests—none of that was particularly surprising. But as Scrivener continued, her interest piqued slightly. The Sorting Hat? That was unexpected. She didn't know why she hadn't considered the Hat in the first place, but it made sense. She jotted down a few notes, though her handwriting turned a bit lazy halfway through.
- Runes = magic anchors → longer-lasting spells
- Sorting Hat: spiral pattern, magic thread → 800+ yrs?
Her quill hovered over the parchment as she glanced up, tilting her head slightly at Scrivener’s question. First-years have been using runes since day one? She frowned, thinking it over. What on earth was he talking about?
Missy’s eyes flicked to Devereaux as he spoke, and she smirked at his hesitation. “Not bad,” she murmured, tapping her quill against the parchment. “Though I dunno if all the lighting would need runes. That’s a lot of fiddly carving for a school that just lets Peeves run wild.” She gave a half-shrug before adding, “Maybe the castle wards? Protection spells need something to bind to, don’t they? Hogwarts has been standing forever, and it’s basically a fortress.”
She twirled her quill between her fingers, watching Scrivener curiously to see if either of them had hit the mark.
- Runes = magic anchors → longer-lasting spells
- Sorting Hat: spiral pattern, magic thread → 800+ yrs?
Her quill hovered over the parchment as she glanced up, tilting her head slightly at Scrivener’s question. First-years have been using runes since day one? She frowned, thinking it over. What on earth was he talking about?
Missy’s eyes flicked to Devereaux as he spoke, and she smirked at his hesitation. “Not bad,” she murmured, tapping her quill against the parchment. “Though I dunno if all the lighting would need runes. That’s a lot of fiddly carving for a school that just lets Peeves run wild.” She gave a half-shrug before adding, “Maybe the castle wards? Protection spells need something to bind to, don’t they? Hogwarts has been standing forever, and it’s basically a fortress.”
She twirled her quill between her fingers, watching Scrivener curiously to see if either of them had hit the mark.
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