- any of the characters of certain ancient alphabets, as of a script used for writing the Germanic languages, especially of Scandinavia and Britain, from c200 to c1200, or a script used for inscriptions in a Turkic language of the 6th to 8th centuries from the area near the Orkhon River in Mongolia.
- something written or inscribed in such characters.
- an aphorism, poem, or saying with mystical meaning or for use in casting a spell.
- a poem, song, or verse.
- any of the characters of an ancient Germanic alphabet, derived from the Roman alphabet, in use, esp in Scandinavia, from the 3rd century ad to the end of the Middle Ages. Each character was believed to have a magical significance
- any obscure piece of writing using mysterious symbols
- a kind of Finnish poem or a stanza in such a poem
