Free Viking Fonts: Norse Rune-Inspired Font + Real Rune Fonts
Free Viking and Norse fonts with samples: an original rune-inspired font, two related fantasy fonts, free Google Fonts for commercial use, and a real runic font if you need actual Elder Futhark runes.
"Viking font" and "rune font" are two different requests. Some people want Latin letters that look like runes, for a game title or a tattoo. Others want actual runes (Elder Futhark) that someone could read. This guide covers both: an original rune-inspired font we made, two related fantasy fonts, free Google Fonts for commercial use, and a free font with real runes.
Quick Pick: Which Viking Font for What?
| You need | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Viking game title, saga, logo | Skaldrift | Latin letters with carved, rune-like strokes |
| Dwarven or Celtic Norse look | Cairnhold | Sturdy uncial shapes |
| Heavy war title in capitals | Thornfall | Spiked, carved medieval |
| Celtic or Norse, commercial | Uncial Antiqua | Classic uncial on Google Fonts |
| Real runes (Elder Futhark) | Noto Sans Runic | Actual Unicode runes |
Skaldrift: Original Norse Rune-Inspired Font (Free for Personal Use)
Skaldrift is our own RuneType font with Latin letters built from straight, carved strokes, the way runes were cut into wood and stone. O and D are diamond-shaped, and the lowercase keys give small capitals, so you can write "Raid at Dawn" with tall and short capitals instead of a modern lowercase. Use it for Viking game titles, saga chapter headings, mead hall signs and tabletop campaigns.
Related: Cairnhold and Thornfall
All three are free for personal use. For a commercial release, write to us for a license.
Free Norse Fonts for Commercial Use (Google Fonts)
Google Fonts has no true "Viking" display font, but these are the closest options. All are under the SIL Open Font License, which allows commercial use.
- Uncial Antiqua: uncial letters, the style of early medieval manuscripts in Ireland and Northern Europe.
- Metamorphous: a fantasy serif with a mythological feel.
- MedievalSharp: classic medieval lettering, readable at small sizes.
- Noto Sans Runic: real runes from the Unicode Runic block, see below.
Real Runes: How to Type Elder Futhark
If you need actual runes, you need a font that covers the Runic Unicode block (U+16A0 to U+16FF), such as Noto Sans Runic. The runes are real characters, so you type them with a character map, by copying them, or with a transliteration tool, not by typing Latin letters.
- Elder Futhark (24 runes) is the oldest runic alphabet and the one most people mean by "Viking runes", even though the Viking Age mostly used the shorter Younger Futhark.
- Runes do not map one-to-one to English letters. There is no rune for every Latin letter, and sounds like "th" have their own rune (ᚦ). For a tattoo or an inscription, check the spelling with someone who knows the language; a letter-by-letter swap is usually wrong.
- Rune-inspired fonts like Skaldrift are not runes. They are Latin letters styled like runes, so anyone can read them. That is usually what a game logo needs.
FAQ
What font did the Vikings use?
They did not use fonts; they carved runes, mostly from the Younger Futhark alphabet, into wood, bone and stone. Modern "Viking fonts" are Latin letters designed to look carved.
Where can I download a free Viking font?
Skaldrift is free for personal use from our fonts library. For real runes, Noto Sans Runic is free under the Open Font License.
Is there a rune font in Google Docs?
Google Docs can show runic characters with a font that supports them. Typing them still requires copying the runes or using a character map.
More Fantasy Fonts
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