question about texts written only in elder futhark

[ualarauans]

--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, gerhard sollinger <wothswulf at ...> 
wrote:
>
> The runic inscriptiones on gothic weapeones, necklesses and 
gravestones only
> proofs that the goth tribes new the Runes as magickal "alphabet" 
but not that
> they have used it for writing general texts.

The scanty evidence that we have of the Gothic runes proves exactly 
the opposite: the Goths did use them for writing texts (_gutani j
[er] hailag_ (Pietroasa) is a text, albeit a very short one) while 
there are no traces of the so called "runic magic".

Afaik there are no runic gravestones which can be ascribed to the 
continental Goths. The recently discovered inscription on a stone 
stela found on Opuk mountain in the Crimea may represent one, but 
since its runes (_þpra_)are not easily interpreted as Gothic word(s) 
we don't know for sure what its purpose was, i.e. was it an object 
of religious worship, a cenotaph of a Gothic viking or something 
else.

> Usually Runes were taboo for such
> uses, or does someone know of the existence of texts, written only 
in runic
symbols ?

They were not taboo. In my understanding the runes were primarily 
designed to serve the purpose of writing, not magic. There are a lot 
of short and often formulaic phrases written in Elder Futhark, e.g. 
_ek hlewagastiR holtijaR horna tawido_ (Gallehus). Longer texts are 
also known, see Björketorp and Eggjum inscriptions. 

Ualarauans

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