ᛋᛖᚲᚱᛖᛏᛋ ᛟᚠ ᛏᚺᛖ ᚱᚢᚾᛖᛋ

Discover the meaning behind the Elder Futhark Runes in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, including hidden messages and phonetic connections.

The Runes Senua finds throughout Senua's Saga: Hellblade II are Elder Futhark Runes, the earliest known Runic alphabet used by Celtic and Norse people from the 3rd to 9th century. The word "Rune" literally means secret, and this alphabet was used to convey messages, often carved on wood due to the absence of horizontal lines which would split the wood or blend in with the grain.

In Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, each Rune has a phonetic connection to English letters, though some Runes can represent multiple letters. The Elder Futhark alphabet consists of 24 Runes. Letters like C, Q, and X are absent as their phonetic values can be achieved by combining other letters (e.g., KW for Q). These Runes are mainstream enough to have Unicode characters.

Elder Futhark Runes and their phonetic connections:

• ᚨ (A)
• ᛒ (B)
• ᛞ (D)
• ᛖ (E)
• ᚠ (F)
• ᚷ (G)
• ᚺ (H)
• ᛁ (I)
• ᛃ (J/Y)
• ᚲ (K)
• ᛚ (L)
• ᛗ (M)
• ᚾ (N)
• ᛟ (O)
• ᛈ (P)
• ᚱ (R)
• ᛋ (S)
• ᛏ (T)
• ᚢ (U)
• ᚹ (V/W)
• ᛉ (Z)
• ᚦ (TH)
• ᛇ (EI)
• ᛜ (NG)

Hidden Messages:

Yes, there are hidden messages. The Runes associated with the Lorestones around each Lorestone form a hidden message: SEEK HELAS TRUTH IN MIRROR GODS BETRAY US UNMASK FEAR.

Other Runes in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II have less clear meanings. For example, Runes etched around a specific stone translate to ORWZ TIDZ HELWEG(N?) ENITHZOKNGRTHZ. The Runes on Rune Doors, such as those in the Surt level spelling HZ DR NWTH, also do not appear to have specific meanings.

Beyond their phonetic values, Runes can have additional meanings; for instance, ᚠ phonetically represents F but also means "Wealth" or "Cattle". It is possible other meanings are not yet recognized.