RUNES [FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS]. The first edition's article on "Runes" has held up well, although some updates are necessary. First, the Noleby stone is now believed to be from c. 600 CE. Second, the word alu, found frequently in runic inscriptions from the third to the eighth centuries, is no longer interpreted as "amulet" (cf. Gothic alhs, "temple"). Instead, a connection with Hethitic alwanzahh (to charm) and Greek alúein (to be beside oneself) suggests a meaning of "ecstasy" or "magic." Third, the continued use in the Christian era of serpentine patterns to contain a series of runes is now considered to be due to tradition rather than as signalling pagan defiance. Finally, it should be pointed out that the Ruthwell Cross inscription (now dated c. 627–725 CE) quotes an Old English poem that in the mid-ninth century was reworked into another Old English poem called The...