The Meaning of Old Runic Signs
The meaning of old runic signs is no longer fully understood today
The meaning of old runic signs is no longer fully understood today
In many villages in Graubunden and beyond, house sings were once in lively use.
In former times a house sign was part of every home. The sign was attributed to the house not the family that lived in it. Therefore not like a coat of arms.
They served as a signatures that indicated ownership. They were also used to mark all tools.
According to oral history, the marking was used to help return "lost" tools to their rightful owner. The true purpose for the marking, however, was more likely to prevent theft, as everyone in the village knew how to read a sign, irregardless of whether they could read or write.
At that time the actual meaning of the signs had most likely already been forgotten.
Sadly the current generation no longer knows its own signs and symbols. They could provide us with identity if they meant something to us again.
There may come a day when someone recovers the deeper meaning of those signs; provided we keep passing them on to the next generation-the same way they came to us.
