futhark-tech.

In the Warhammer 40K Horus Heresy short story of The Harrowing, author Rob Sanders uses two neologisms, runebanks & runescreens, to describe devices of the technologically oriented Adeptus Mechanicus. We felt these two words alone were NorsePlay-evocative enough in terms of the implied uninterrupted use of runes, and wondered how we could runepunk that into our hardware/software interfaces, so as to simultaneously NorsePlay the past, present, & future.

Seeking manifestations of this, a few years ago designer MiTo made a limited-run of customizable keycaps called Canvas XDA. The alpha keys in the pictures below are the Dieter Rams rune kit based on the Elder Futhark alphabet. (Rams was a German functionalist designer of the late 1950s to 1960s CE, whom MiTo named this modern runic product variation after.)


[ergo-split futhark keyboard assembled by Xah Lee.]


[wood-base version assembled by reddit user LukeNukem6.]

With these in hand, code-skalds, it is time to re-programme the time-skeins of the world into the Midgard you know it be. Run & Excute that runeware, NorsePlayers.

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Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants at age seven. Since then he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the Map of Midgard project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay. If you have employment/opportunities in investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer, do contact him.


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