Study › Runes & Norse › Tolkien's Runes
The dwarf writing on Thror's Map in The Hobbit is in real runes, the Anglo-Saxon futhorc. For The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien invented runes of his own, the Cirth.
Tolkien's runes
The dwarf writing on Thror's Map in The Hobbit is written in real runes: the Anglo-Saxon futhorc, used in place of true Dwarvish letters. For The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien went further and invented a runic script of his own, the Cirth. Many Cirth look like historical runes but stand for different sounds.
Read about the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc and the Norse in modern culture.
Questions
What runes are in The Hobbit?
The Anglo-Saxon futhorc, on Thror's Map.
What are the Cirth?
The runic script Tolkien invented for The Lord of the Rings.