The Secret Code of the Vikings

The Secret Code of the Vikings

From Vikingology Podcast by The Art and Science of the Viking Age

April 10, 2026 · 1h 10m

About this episode

The episode explores the significance of runes in the Viking and Anglo-Saxon worlds with runologist Dr. Jasmin Higgs.

This is not your eye doctor’s vision test chart. These are runes — the secret code for unlocking the mysteries of the Anglo-Saxon and Viking worlds. And this time we are thrilled to have on the show Dr. Jasmin Higgs , a runologist from the UK who told us all about them. Jasmin specializes in the runic alphabet and inscriptions from the pre-Old English period but also has training in Old Norse inscriptions as well. As many of you will know, Old Norse was the language spoken and developed during the Viking Age in northern Europe, but runic alphabets — known as FUÞARK (futhark) from the first 6 letters — were used more widely by Germanic peoples in Europe and the UK from roughly 200 AD onward. Their origin is mysterious, contested, and essentially unknown. We learned about some interesting inscriptions — both real and fraudulent — and just how fun it is to try and decipher these alphabetical puzzles from the past. People didn’t write great works of literature in runes, but they left interesting and sometimes mundane traces of themselves in the form of inscribing objects with phrases such as ‘Bjarne made this’ and ‘Halfdan was here’. And these surviving runic inscriptions remind us…

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. Jasmin Higgs

Topics covered

  • runes
  • Viking Age
  • Old Norse
  • runology
  • inscriptions
  • Germanic peoples

Keywords

  • runes
  • Vikings
  • Old Norse
  • runic alphabet
  • inscriptions
  • Germanic history
  • deciphering runes

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Vikingology Podcast

Books & works: FUÞARK

Places: UK

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