Runestones set, blue onyx

Runes are, in fact, an ancient Germanic alphabet that was used by the people for this purpose until approx. the 13th century, in some places even longer. They were mainly used in the Scandinavian countries. The rune is derived from the Proto-Germanic word runo, which means a spell, secret, whisper. Although runes were originally used as an alphabet, they have always been given strong power and have therefore always been used in divination, cryptography, and magic. The order of the runes also reflects the mythology of the people. You can see the meanings and use of runes here.