Free Rune Tools

Six free tools for working with runes, each on its own page. Pick one by what you are starting from: a word to write in runes, runes to read back, a question for the runes, a date of birth, or a name to bind into one glyph. No sign-up, no cost, instant results.

Rune Converter

Type any name or sentence and see it in six runic alphabets at once, from the 24-rune Elder Futhark to the 28-rune Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. Copy any row as plain text. Open the Rune Converter

Rune Translator

Paste runes, or tap them on the on-screen rune keyboard, and read them back as Latin letters. Reads all six futharks in a fixed priority order. Open the Rune Translator

Birth Rune Calculator

Enter a date of birth and get the Elder Futhark rune that covers it, with a link through to that rune's full page. Find your birth rune

Which Rune Are You

Seven questions, about a minute, and one of the 24 Elder Futhark runes with a card to share. The scoring is visible as you answer. Take the quiz

Bindrune Generator

Type initials for a bindrune or a whole name for a rune stave, built from the Elder Futhark runes in the name. Four PNG downloads, every rune explained. Open the Bindrune Generator

Rune Reading

Draw a single rune of the day, held until midnight, or cast the three Norns for past, present, and future. Every rune drawn links to its full meaning. Cast the runes

Frequently asked questions

Which of these rune tools should I use?

It depends on what you are starting from. Use the Rune Converter if you have text and want it in runes, the Rune Translator if you have runes and want to read them back, the Rune Reading if you have a question for the runes, the Birth Rune Calculator if all you have is a date of birth, the Which Rune Are You quiz if you want a rune to start from, or the Bindrune Generator if you want the runes in a name bound into one glyph. Each tool links across to the others.

Are these rune tools free?

Yes, all six are free with no account, no sign-up, and no payment. There is no usage limit and nothing to install. Each tool runs in your browser, so what you type stays on your own device rather than being sent to a server.

Which runic alphabets do these tools cover?

The Rune Converter and Rune Translator cover six: Elder Futhark, Younger Futhark, Short-Twig, Staveless Hälsinge, the Medieval Runerow, and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. The converter writes your text out in all six at once so you can compare them side by side, and the translator reads all six back into Latin letters. The Birth Rune Calculator and the Which Rune Are You quiz work in Elder Futhark only.

Do I need to know Old Norse to use them?

No. These tools transliterate rather than translate, swapping each letter for its closest historical rune or the reverse, so no knowledge of Old Norse or Old English is required. Writing a genuine Norse inscription is a separate job: you would choose the Norse words first, then run those through the converter.

What is a birth rune?

A birth rune is the Elder Futhark rune tied to the part of the year you were born in. The Birth Rune Calculator takes a date of birth and returns the rune covering it, then links through to that rune's own page for its history and meaning.

Where can I read what each rune means?

Every one of the 24 Elder Futhark runes has its own page on this site covering its name, sound, history, and traditional meaning. The converter links each Elder Futhark rune it produces directly to that rune's page, so you can go from a name in runes to the meaning of each rune in one click.

Can I use these tools on a phone?

Yes. All six run in a mobile browser and the layouts adapt to narrow screens, with the converter's six alphabet rows and the translator's on-screen rune keyboard both usable by touch. There is no app to download, though a companion app exists separately if you want the rune meanings offline.

Duolingo - But for learning runes

Full rune descriptions in your pocket whenever you need them. In one app.