Runes, also known as the futhark, were a system of writing used by the germanic peoples. This latter name came from the first six letters of their alphabet, f, u, th, a, r, and k. The runes seemed to have been used for the purposes of mysticism as well as their role in orthography. Their name appears to come from the Old Norse word for mystery. The oldest inscriptions come from the 2nd century A.D.
The above image was taken from the Encyclopédie historique, archéologique… by Demmin, Auguste.