The runes of the Northern European peoples (such as the Germanic peoples, Celts and Vikings) were not only characters with the function of an 'ordinary' alphabet, for example to convey messages and express thoughts, but also had a magical, ritual and predictive function, with which the gods and other higher powers could be invoked. This invocation of the gods and other higher powers was mainly done to answer (specific) questions or to guide life (in general) in broader directions.