runes, n.All

Runes (n.) began ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not as magic but as ornament — signatures and short war or love messages on brooches, a half-aborted writing that became writing only when the State needed monuments.