to represent the sound. Old English poetry also
refl ects the usage of runes. BEOWULF, for instance,
contains several instances of the rune ethel (“home-
land”). The RUTHWELL CROSS preserves a large portion
of the DREAM VISION poem The DREAM OF THE ROOD in
runes, lending a glimpse into early graphic systems
and poetic composition.
FURTHER READING
Page, R. I. An Introduction to English Runes. 2nd ed. Wood-
bridge, U.K.: Boydell, 2006.198 FUTHARK ALPHABET