Runes are sort of a combination between phonetic alphabet and hieroglyphs.  They remind me of Phoenician writings; the source of our modern English alphabet.

Runes were not only used as a means of recording events and communication, but also as a way of foretelling the future and a means of seeking out advise.  The runes are used by many not unlike the use of tarot cards.  A question is brought up, and then a rune is drawn from a pile, the meaning of the rune is supposed to be used to form an answer to the question that was put before it.