Comparative Perspectives on the Study of Script Transfer, and the Origin of the Runic Script Corinna Salomon Abstract. The paper discusses a series of cases of script transfer with regard to the role played by script inventors in an effort to determine whether a premise held by certain scholars in runology, viz. that scripts are always created by indi- viduals, is warrantable. 1. Preliminary Remarks When setting out to research the derivation of the Runic script, the scholar soon finds that—even considering the appeal that is particular to questions about first beginnings and origins—the amount of litera- ture dedicated to this problem exceeds expectations. Making this ob- servation is in fact a commonplace of runology, serving as introduction to numerous studies concerned with the issue. Die frage nach dem alter und dem ursprung der runen ist so oft aufgewor- fen und auf so viele verschiedene weisen beantwortet worden, daſs man fast versucht sein könnte zu sagen, daſs alle möglichen, denkbaren und undenk- baren ansichten zu worte gekommen sind. […] Es ist eine sehr groſse literatur, die hier vorliegt; aber die qualität steht leider im umgekehrten verhältnis zur quantität.1 This paper represents a slightly reworked section of my doctoral thesis Raetic and runes. On the North Italic theory of the origin of the Runic script (University of Vienna 2018). Corinna Salomon 0000-0001-7257-6496 Institut für Sprachwissenschaft, Universität Wien, Sensengasse 3a, 1090 Wien, Austria E-mail:
[email protected] 1. “The question of the age and the origin of the runes has been asked so often and answered in so many different ways that one might almost be tempted to say that all possible, plausible and absurd views have been heard.