Page — An Introduction to English Runes (1999): the standard reference for Anglo-Saxon runes

Summary

A standard introduction to Anglo-Saxon (English) runes and inscriptions. R. I. Page is an authority on English runology, known for his methodological caution and his skepticism toward the over-interpretation of “runic magic.” It covers the futhorc, the corpus of English runic inscriptions, and the manuscript tradition (including the context of the rune poem).

• historical-fact A foundational academic reference on English runes.
• Page is known for criticizing popular “magical” readings of runes.

Quality of evidence

An academic standard (Boydell, peer-reviewed). Directly relevant to the summary on the rune poems (the Anglo-Saxon futhorc) — see the rune poems (Dickins 1915).