What are runes and did Tolkien invent them??
Runes are actually any alphabet which is angular in shape and Tolkien did not invent them. Runes are suitable for scratching roughly into a hard surface, especially wood. The Germanic runes were invented by Germanic-speaking people in about 100 AD (as a phonetic alphabet) and were used by them for simple inscriptions. These types of runes include the Old Futhark used in western Europe from about 100 AD to about 700 AD; the Anglo-Saxon runes, used by people in England from about 500 AD to around 1200; Anglo-Saxon Runes and the Younger Futhork used by Scandinavian people (Vikings) from around 800 AD through the 1500’s. There are also Kok Turki runes, used by an Indo-European speaking people in central Asia, back in the dark of time. Kok Turki Runes These types of runes were not invented by Tolkien, but he studied them and knew them very well. Tolkien used the Anglo-Saxon runes in the book The Hobbit. However, Tolkien invented a new type of runes for the Lord of the Rings which we usually
