[Sca-cooks] runic script

Stefan li Rous stefanlirous at austin.rr.com
Fri Jan 29 23:39:32 PST 2010


Aelina the Saami said:
<<< Since it was laborious to write in runic form many educated  
"Vikings" wrote in Latin or had the monks scribe for them......>>>

I'd be interested in knowing what you base this on.  Scripts tend to  
be optimized for the material and tools being used to write with. If  
they aren't optimum, they tend to get modified. Writing in soft clay  
results in different scripts than writing on paper. Paper usually ends  
up with different scripts than that used to scribe rock or mark on  
wood. Stamping in wood different from pyrography (burning characters  
into wood).

 From what I've glanced at in runes, I would say they are optimized  
for chipping into stone. Runes are faster and more clearly written in  
stone than Latin script. Latin script may be faster on paper or  
parchment when using a pen. Runes are not inherently more laborious  
than other scripts.

Also in period the definition of "literacy" was being able to write,  
specifically, in Latin. So "educated" and "literate" may vary  
depending upon who definitions you use.

Info on literacy:

literacy-msg      (18K)  2/ 4/08  Literacy levels in the Middle Ages.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/EDUCATION/literacy-msg.html
per-literacy-art   (8K)  7/26/94    Would your persona have been  
literate?
http://www.florilegium.org/files/NICOLAA/per-literacy-art.html

Info on scripts:
Paleo-Scribes-art (25K)  9/ 5/97    "An Introduction to Palaeography  
for Scribes"
http://www.florilegium.org/files/SCRIBAL-ARTS/Paleo-Scribes-art.html
scrpt-develop-art (57K)  6/20/00    "Societal Influences on Script  
Development"
                                        by Mistress Aquilanne Grace.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/SCRIBAL-ARTS/scrpt-develop-art.html

I'm glad you put "Vikings" in quotations. Viking is more of a job  
description than an ethnic group or culture.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****




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