Old English Manuscript Runes

The sporadic appearance of runes in Old English manuscripts has long been a subject of scholarly inquiry. Often regarded as a “learned conceit of a few scribes”, their function is frequently misunderstood. This book moves beyond viewing these characters as simple abbreviations to investigate the impulses that governed their selective use. Through a meticulous analysis of the logographic runes for ‘homeland’ (œ), ‘man’ (m), and ‘day’ (d) in key manuscripts, including Beowulf (Cotton Vitellius A xv), the Lindisfarne Gospels, and the Old English Orosius, this study aims to uncover a consistent, context-driven system. The findings reveal an interesting division: where the œ rune functions as a marker in epic and historical texts to evoke an ancestral past, the m and d runes are prevalent in religious works, and highlight the relationship between the human and the divine. This book sheds new light on the sophisticated role of runic abbreviations as literary devices in Old English manuscripts.