(Ancient Runes) Class 1

[Cassidy Gainnes]

Cassidy smiled as she glanced about the classroom. She was excited for her first class.

"Good day everyone," she said smiling. "Now, today I'll run through the course outline and start teaching the basics of Ancient Runes. I pray you keep an open mind throughout this course otherwise you probably won't enjoy it. So through out the year we'll be learning about Ancient Runes and ancient they are. The Runes we will be studying were first used around 150 AD and were continued up until 1100 AD when the christianization of Scandinavia and the British Isles occured. Ancient Runes were considered Pagan and thuse largely frowned upon.

"First we'll start with a vague overview of the Runes and then we'll separate into the three different types: Eldar Futhark, Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, and the Younger Futhark. So let's begin aye?

"Would anyone like to hazrd a guess on which languages these Runes depicted?"

[Sarie Thimble]

sarie walked in to the class room she was surprised to see no one there yet. So she took a seat and took her book quill ink and note book and was ready for class A voice muttered to her theres a frist time for eveything

[charly]

She had sort have been hiding by herself, sitting in a desk most could not see from the door, but easily viewed by the teacher. Her feet swung precariuosly back and forth from her chair, as she was to short to touch the floor in such large chairs.

She could see the excitment etched in the proffesor's face and seeing a cheery teacher always made her feel better. She listened intently and began to ponder what laguage all those she listed could those runes be translated into. It couldn't be any sort of recent language... and it had to be somewhat of a root language. Hadn't her mother said latin was a common root-language, even alot of the spells they used all over the world were in latin words. She shrugged inwardsly and spoke confidently with a grin, completely forgetting to raise her hand. "My mum says almost every language has latin words... Is it latin?"

She truelly had no idea what anglo-saxon, futhark, and all those big words were, but it was worth a shot guessing; Hey, if she was right she might even get some points, and that was always a welcome surprise!

[Cassidy Gainnes]

She smiled as the young witch answered. They were so cute at that age. "Well, your mom is correct in saying that Latin is very old and that almost every language contains latin terms. Unfortunately though that is not the correct answer.

"What I was looking for is the Germanic languages which are some of the eldest languages on this earth."

She noted the obvious confusion on the girl's face. "You needn't worry about being confused now; everything will eventually explain itself as we continue to learn.

"Now out of the three variants of Runes which one do you guys think is the oldest: Eldar Futhark, Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, or the Younger Futhark?"

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie took notes. She listened very closely she wanted to remember every thing. She couldn't to find out new things

[fallonwinters]

"Eldar Futhark." Fallon said as she walked in the room. "Sorry I'm late Professor but I..."

Fallon stopped with her mouth open. She looked around the class room. Two small children were seated before the Professor. "Uh.. Small class today, ehh Professor?" Fallon said, keeping a large grimace off her face. She shrugged and walked further into the room, taking a seat in the back row.

Placing her bag on the floor, she took out a rolled up piece of parchment and placed it onto the scratched wooden desk. Before closing her bag and pushing it under her chair, she pulled out a soft raven quill and black ink. she sighed, and pushed her long hair out of her face. She looked back and forth from the two children. Fallon hated anything under a fourth year. She sighed and tuned into the Professor.

[Cassidy Gainnes]

"Good deducing, 5 points for Slytherin," she said smiling as the student walked in. "Yes, apparently Ancient Runes doesn't fascinate everyone." She said chuckling slightly.

"The Eldar Futhark was used from the years 150 AD to 800 AD; after that it was the younger Futhark that began to garner popularity. The Younger Futhark was used until 1100 AD when the use of Runes was generally stopped.

"The Anglo-Saxon Futhorc was used from 400 AD to 1100 AD."

She said slowly, vaguely wishing she could amke the class somehow more interesting.

"There are both historical and mythological orgins to the Runes. Does anyone know, or would perhaps like to hazard a guess as to what mythological origins these Runes have?"

[Prof Grace Marks]

Grace walked into the Ancient Runes class behind a Slytherin she had some other classes with but she didn't know her. She smiled at the professor and said, "I'm also sorry, Professor." She took a seat in the middle of the class and took out her notebook. She had heard many terms by now and scribbled them all down.

The professor’s question was a thought-provoking one. Grace rubbed her quill under her chin as she thought. "Well," Grace said, raising her hand to get the professor's attention, then she continued while she lowered her hand, "I'd say that, like all mythologies, these came about by their true meanings being lost through the civilisation being concurred or simply the decay of time." Grace stared at the professor hopefully.

[Cassidy Gainnes]

"True, but not quite the answer I was looking for." She said with a small smile.

"I do hope, Ladies, that being late will not become a custom in this class." She said smirking slightly. She remembered her years at Hogwarts; she had been late for first class in the morning everyday for seven years. It was ironinc that she was preaching about it now.

"Perhaps I should word the question better. What type of ancient mythology do you think the people followed when they began writing these Runes? Norse? Roman? Greek? Indian?"

[Sarie Thimble]

Sarie rasied her hand. "This might be wrong but, dont mthyogoly hane thier own runes? Because they lived in different areas of the world?" She was a little confused. Its better to ask questions then just sit there.

[Prof Grace Marks]

Grace looked at the Gryffindor and shook her head. She faced the professor and raised her hand. "Professor," she said, "I'd say it was Roman. They had concored most of the world so I guess that it would be theirs." Grace thought for another moment then added, "and after that, Greek. We know many of their mythologies and theirs are even known to muggles. Mother always loved Greek myths."

[fallonwinters]

"No Professor it won't." Fallon said, hoping to be put in the good graces of the Professor. Lord knows she didn't get off on the right foot with her Transfiguration Professor and now she was paying for it in pain, mainly in her bottom.

Fallon listened to the question. It was rather broad, and was glad she narrowed it down. Listening to the other students, Fallon raise her hand. "On the contrary I would think from the Norse or Anglo-Saxon mythologies." Fallon was Norse herself on her mother side. After hearing the mythology her mother told her as bedtime stories, Fallon believed the conclusion was a good one.

[Alexis Heart]

As class began there was one thing Alexis could say right off the back and that was she so far wasn't getting it. Her mother who was amazing at Runes told her to take the course practically demanded that she took it and wanting to please her she did it and now she was wondering why she let her mom guilt her into doing it. The first question the teacher asked caused Alexis to give her a quizzical look. Eldar Futhark souned like some kind of sickness to Alexis but apparently it was some kind of Rune. Opening her notebook to a clean page and pulling out her quill to take notes she wondered how in the world she was going to keep up at all.

[Cassidy Gainnes]

She listened to Sarie's question and pondered it for a moment. "You would be right to an extent that there would slightly different belief systems for the Eldar and younger futhark as oposed to the Anglo-Saxon futhork. However as the Norse, who were Vikings essentially, had a small empire that spread from Sweden to Iceland to Great Britain at the time many of the mythological beliefs would be the same.

"Which brings me to give Fallon and SLytherin five points for the correct answer. Norse or Anglo-Saxon would be correct. Romans would've use something more akin to the Greek Alphabet I'm thinking at that time; either that or latin.

"Now the Norse believed that the Runes were given as a gift from Odin, one of there gods, through his own self-sacrifice. There's an old song that tells an odd version of the tale. I won't embarass myself however and I'll write the translation on the board.

I know that I hung on a windy tree
nights all nine,
wounded with a spear and given to Odin,
myself to myself,
on that tree of which no man knows from where its roots run

No bread did they give me nor a drink from a horn,
downwards I peered,
I took up the runes,
screaming I took them,
then I fell back from there

"There are two accounts of how runes became known to mortal men. It is told in Rigsþula how Rig, identified as Heimdall in the introduction, sired three sons, Thrall (slave), Churl (freeman) and Jarl (noble), on human women. These sons became the ancestors of the three classes of men indicated by their names. When Jarl reached an age when he began to handle weapons and show other signs of nobility, Rig returned and having claimed him as a son, taught him the runes. In 1555, the exiled Swedish archbishop Olaus Magnus recorded a tradition that a man named Kettil Runske had stolen three rune staffs from Odin and learned the runes and their magic.

"Did everyone catch that? Is there any questions?"

[Alexis Heart]

At this point all Alexis could do was just copy the notes from the board honestly she was a bit lost but she was a Ravenclaw and admitting that she didn't understand was too embarrassing at least to her. When the teacher asked if anyone got that Alexis just nodded her assent not wanting to appear dense. This probably was a bad idea but sometimes Alexis let her pride get in the way of what was right. Looking down at her desk she tried to chance a glance at her watch wondering when class would be over she wanted to run to the library and look up books on ancient runes maybe some background in the subject would help her to understand on her own.