Was there some sort of education involved, or did families pass down their knowledge of it just like the sagas? Were nobles required to learn it or was it more of a common thing amongst the peasantry. I know that most runestones just speak of a fallen warrior, so it wasn't anyone in particular.
I can't find them right now, but I know I've been involved in a couple of conversations on here about rune inscriptions found on slips of wood (runesticks) in what appears to have been a tavern in Bergen, Norway. They include notes like, "Gytha says come home."
I first read about them in RI Page's book on runes, but there were people here who knew more about the excavations.
This implies that runes were commonly used, at least at this point in history.
hi! not discouraging anyone from providing additional information on this topic, but thought you would be interested in the responses in these related posts:
How literate were the vikings? - if the last comment is collapsed, be sure to expand it: the most relevant discussion is in that thread
Why did rune writing in Scandinavia stop?
Is there a reason the Vikings didn't use paper?
AMA: Vikings - there are 3 threads that discuss knowledge of runes: 1, 2, 3