The Viking Myth

Invoking references to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Dragon Age: Origins, World of Warcraft, and several other titles, the editors at Bits ‘n Bytes examine the history behind the viking civilization and how many such video games don’t portray them as accurately as we might think they do.

Runes were an early form of written language and was the predominant alphabet for Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet. Runes are considered to be symbols of power and although there are vague accounts that runes were used for some magical or divinary purpose, usually to create magical objects, nowhere does it say that the words of power had to be written with runes, it could just as well have been any set of glyphs if those were known by the writer.

Runes were used when crafting runestones, massive stones erected at various locations that were inscribed with a band of runes, usually in the shape of a serpent, that spoke of historical events, legends or poems written as memorials to dead men. There are about 3000 runestones left in Scandinavia, but the stones were erected wherever the vikings had landed and some have been found as far as England and Ireland.

Runes and runestones are often used as magically charged objects which can be attached to weapons and armor to bestow the specific magical property onto the item. Dragon Age: Origins had an enchantment feature where you would embed runes into slots on weapons and armor to power them up. This could only be accomplished if you had found or purchased the runes beforehand and was able to get to an enchanter who could perform the task for you. The runes used in Dragon Age don’t look similar to actual viking runes, but portray the idea that the runes themselves were magical and carving them in stone or onto steel would provide a magical effect. However, if one were to be able to read the runic alphabet the whole premise would perhaps be seen as silly since carving the letter (B) into a gem and then attaching that to a sword doesn’t seem like it would do much to improve the sword’s capacity to kill people.

A unique read, if nothing else.