Runes...and Minniatures

I first came across Runes back in the late 70's when I read "The Hobbit" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
At first, I thought it was just the fantastic imagination of JRR Tolkien who simply wanted his own alphabet. Many years later when I got my computer and learned how to do a Google search, I looked up the word Runes and clicked on images. There are dozen of different Runes  Then I went to Wikipedia. Here is what I found.

f	u	þ	a	r	k	g	w
h	n	i	j	ï	p	z	s
t	b	e	m	l	ŋ	d	o

According to Wikipedia, this is the Elder Futhark Runic alphabet.  Here is the website I went to
                                 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elder_Futhark

So, what does this have to do with miniatures?  Well, you might have to be in a Wizard/Witch/Warlock mode like I am, but I wanted to show you how I'm using Runes in my Wizard's Tower
This ia a Coat of Arms that I received a few months ago in a swap.

And this is what I've done with it.  Using this alphabet, I added the letter "D"  This stands for "Daniel", the name of the Wizard's apprentice.  It is the perfect size to hang on the door of the hut I am making as a companion piece to the Tower

This is yet another item from the same swap.  A Wizard's table. Words cannot describe how fabulous this is. True artisan quality.

What makes this so special is that Peggy Fowler, the creator, used the Futhark alphabet to inscribe words along the inside circumference on the top.  With Peggy's help, I was able to translate them and the words are Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Spirit

Truly a beautiful piece of artistry.

Thank you Peggy!

Hey! You want to have a little fun with Runes?  You don't have to be in W/W/W mode either. This is just for fun.
Go to this Nova/PBS website, spell out your name and see what it looks like in Futhark Runes
                             http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/write-your-name-in-runes.html

Very interesting

I wish I had more to show you but we've also been packing for vacation.  A few weeks with the kids and then it's....
                NORTH TO ALASKA!
We're talking Whale watching, glacier climbing, zip lining and Denali National Park!  This is a trip of a life time and I am so excited!  I'm not sure what day I will be back but I'll be sure to give you a report!

Til next time

Diane