Runes are the 
letters in a set of related 
alphabets known as 
runic alphabets, which were used to write various 
Germanic languages before the adoption of the 
Latin alphabet and for specialised purposes thereafter. The Scandinavian variants are also known as 
futhark or 
fuþark (derived from their first six letters of the alphabet: 
F, 
U, 
Þ, 
A, 
R, and 
K); the 
Anglo-Saxon variant is 
futhorc or 
fuþorc (due to sound-changes undergone in 
Old English by the names of those six letters).
Runology is the study of the runic alphabets, 
runic inscriptions, 
runestones, and their history. Runology forms a specialised branch of 
Germanic linguistics.
The earliest runic inscriptions date from around 150 AD. The characters were generally replaced by the 
Latin alphabet as the cultures that had used runes underwent 
Christianisation, by approximately 700 AD in central Europe and 1100 AD in 
northern Europe. However, the use of runes persisted for specialized purposes in northern Europe. Until the early 20th century, runes were used in rural 
Sweden for decorative purposes in 
Dalarna and on 
Runic calendars.