
Katja Schulz
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Following the Old Norse sources, writing is used to convey information or to preserve the memory of eminent figures or deeds. More often, however, we get to know about inscriptions with magical purpose. It is remarkable that in these cases a number of examples explicitly mention the process of carving and related practices, sometimes in great detail. Moreover, the materiality of the script-bearing artefact and (mostly) the essential importance of its material presence in order to exert influence is highlighted. The general tendency to associate magical runic usage with heathen customs may partly be due to the fact, that the meta-textual information transmitted in the medieval manuscripts is information about the cultural “other” in regard to script: it is a commentary in Latin script on runic inscriptionality.
Following the Old Norse sources, writing is used to convey information or to preserve the memory of eminent figures or deeds. More often, however, we get to know about inscriptions with magical purpose. It is remarkable that in these cases a number of examples explicitly mention the process of carving and related practices, sometimes in great detail. Moreover, the materiality of the script-bearing artefact and (mostly) the essential importance of its material presence in order to exert influence is highlighted. The general tendency to associate magical runic usage with heathen customs may partly be due to the fact, that the meta-textual information transmitted in the medieval manuscripts is information about the cultural “other” in regard to script: it is a commentary in Latin script on runic inscriptionality.