Bind rune

Two runes sharing a stroke.

Also known as: Bindrune, Ligature rune

CulturalHistorical & archaeologicalStandard profile

Meanings

The runic device joining two or more letters onto a single shared stave.

Historically documentedVerified fact
Joins two or more runes onto one shared vertical stroke.
Contexts: Language and transcription, History
Historically documentedVerified fact
Saves space on a hard surface, which is the practical origin; the interpretations attaching magical significance to particular combinations are modern and are not supported by the inscriptions.
Magical readings of bind runes are modern rather than attested.
Contexts: Language and transcription, History

Visual description

Two or more runes drawn sharing one vertical stave, their branches projecting from it at different heights and angles.

Symmetry: none
Orientation: upright

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

The world's writing systems and their notation
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and comparable scholarly editions · retrieved 2026-08-27
Scholarly treatment of scripts not covered by a regional source already registered. Cited for the identity, structure and documented use of a script or a mark. Undeciphered and partly deciphered scripts are recorded as such, and a reading that is contested is stated as contested rather than adopted.

Last reviewed 2026-08-27

Help improve this page

Meanings

The runic device joining two or more letters onto a single shared stave.

Historically documentedVerified fact

Joins two or more runes onto one shared vertical stroke.

Contexts: Language and transcription, History

Historically documentedVerified fact

Saves space on a hard surface, which is the practical origin; the interpretations attaching magical significance to particular combinations are modern and are not supported by the inscriptions.

Magical readings of bind runes are modern rather than attested.

Contexts: Language and transcription, History

Confidence

IdentityModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.
Visual matchModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but only a single source has been found so far.

Sources

The world's writing systems and their notation
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and comparable scholarly editions · retrieved 2026-08-27
Scholarly treatment of scripts not covered by a regional source already registered. Cited for the identity, structure and documented use of a script or a mark. Undeciphered and partly deciphered scripts are recorded as such, and a reading that is contested is stated as contested rather than adopted.

Last reviewed 2026-08-27