LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Runes: Divination
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The origins of the Runes lays buried in distant past, predating the oldest religions. During that time those who practice this ancient system of magic and divination have been persecuted almost to the point of extinction.
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The runes were never the basis of a spoken language, but in addition to their written use they were believed to be sacred and very powerful magical symbols, each linked to a god and a specific meaning. They were a means of divination. Rune casters, whom were often women, used runes to cast lots and tell fortunes. Modern versions include a blank rune, which symbolizes the Unknowable.
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The unique order of the futhark and their traditional division into three "aetts" (a word meaning "families" or "groups") may be of some significance in decyphering the complex interrelationships between the runes. The meaning of the "aetts" pattern is still a mystery. As with most oracles of divination - Runes mean different things if held 'straight up' and mean the opposite if held in the "reverse."
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[I]t has proven difficult to find unambiguous traces of runic "oracles": Although Norse literature is full of references to runes, it nowhere contains specific instructions on divination. There are at least three sources on divination with rather vague descriptions that may or may not refer to runes, Tacitus's Germania, Snorri Sturluson's Ynglinga saga and Rimbert's Vita Ansgari.
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The runes are strongly connected with the Viking gods and Norse mythology. In Viking times, the runes were used as an essential tool of everyday life, their spiritual properties meant they became part of the many different aspects of existence at that time, from healing and divination to ceremonial and religious.
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Divination