Rune stones. Computer artwork of pebbles marked with runes. It is claimed that these runes can be used in fortune telling by studying the order in which a person draws them from a bag. The runes allegedly help a person reach a decision by making them aware of things they know subconsciously. The word rune" comes from a Viking word meaning "magic sign". Runes were devised about 1800 years ago by Germanic tribes who adapted Roman and Greek letters for carving. Runes have been found in arc- haeological sites across northern Europe. The rune alphabet, the futhark, has 16-33 letters depending upon the time and place that they were carved."