Deciphering the runes: Difference between revisions

From Puella Magi Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
 
(257 intermediate revisions by 62 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[File:Inkuare-glyph3.gif|thumb|The current translation of the runes (not complete)]]
[[File:Runes_chart_expanded.gif|thumb|A reference sheet displaying runic alphabets.]]


The runes that randomly appears in the Magic World have nearly been solved. This page is meant to show the current works and discoveries in the domain, as well as the latest discussions and hypothesis.
The runes that randomly appear in the Magic World have been solved. This page is meant to show the current works and discoveries in the domain, as well as the latest discussions and hypothesis.


Please note that the conversion is still under work.
==History==
[[File:runes_translated.jpg|thumb|Runes as of Episode 2]]
Initial efforts at codebreaking began by identifying each unique rune and assigning it a random letter for identification. The general (correct) assumption was that each rune corresponded to a letter in German but at the time it was still possible that the text was encrypted, a newly constructed language or even that they were just scattered completely at random. German was chosen as the most likely candidate because it appeared as direct quotes from Goethe's Faust and the Cottonballs/Pringlemen/Anthony's were observed to be chanting in German. Other candidate languages were: Japanese, English and Latin (due to the use of "Puella" in the title).


A number of codebreaking methods were tried unsuccessfully. For example; attempts at identifying the letters through numerical analysis of their frequency failed, implying that the runic script was not really a language (see complications below). A more focused approach, taking a single word or short phrase and attempting to match an appropriate German word to it also failed due to large amount of possible matches.


After some urging to use the Faust quotes as a [[wikipedia:Rosetta Stone|Rosetta Stone]], an anonymous found and [https://archived.moe/a/thread/44782290#44786690 posted] a line of runes which matched one of those quotes. The runes and the German sign they matched are marked in red on the translation chart for episodes one and two.


==Links==
This discovery confirmed that the runic script was a direct substitution for German letters and provided an initial set of translated runes to work with. /a/ quickly got to work using this starting set to translate more lines and fill in the gaps. Within 21 hours of this discovery, the vast majority of runic text appearing in the first two episodes had been translated into German and English, all letters had been identified (except Q and X which are extremely rare in German, though they appeared later on).


[[File:1294978837830.png|thumb|Runes as of latest episode]]
You can find the full discussion (900 posts long!) in threads [https://archived.moe/a/thread/44782290 #21], [https://archived.moe/a/thread/44790618 #22] and [https://archived.moe/a/thread/44797549 #23]
*[http://www.mediafire.com/?7coa85lozn0kk8a Download TTF font]
*[http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/94741 Greasemonkey script] (replace spoilers by SHAFTspeak)
*http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6792608/madoka_tag.user.js (replace spoilers and [madoka] tags)


=== Official Translation ===
* [[Gertrud]], [[Charlotte]] and [[Oktavia von Seckendorff|Oktavia]]'s names typed in Japanese in some products and merchandises.
* In the English dub of [[Magia Record Anime]], Some Witch's name are translated in English. When a Witch's name is displayed in runes, its name is also shown in English-styled runes.
**This was eventually provided for the English dub of the original series as well.
** Witches that were given official translations are:
* In the [[Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story : Magia Record TV Anime Official Guidebook Vol.1|Magia Record Anime Official Guidebook Vol.1]], [[Box Wood]]'s name is translated in English.


{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="border: 1px solid rgb(255, 255, 204); width: 400px;"
===Trivia===
! scope="col" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 204);"|How to install the script
*The runes are an original art by Inu Curry.
*During the [[Aniplex USA Madoka Premiere]], the production staff was very surprised when overseas fans cracked the runes. It was stated that even obsessive Japanese fans had not gone that far.
*Even though punctuation marks rarely appear in runic texts, it is notable that the marks don't receive new arts and will be similar to their actual symbols. As of now, exclamation marks, caret characters, negative symbols and question marks are the only punctuation marks to have been seen in Runes.
*The Latin runes resemble the actual letters they represent more than the normal runes.
*Latin O takes the appearance of a Soul Gem.
 
==Complications==
[[File:Runes_chart.gif|thumb|Rough, work-in-progress reference sheet showing the different rune alphabets as they were being deciphered.]]
Throughout the translation process, efforts were hampered by several complications:
 
;Runic fonts
:There are at least four structurally distinct variants of the runic script. The most common variant is known as archaic and it is presumably the main set from which others are based on. The modern variant is a simplified version of the runes and corresponding letters are generally quite similar with only mild variation in their overall structure but a few letters, such as D, are completely different from each other. The third variant is constructed from elements found in musical scores and many of the runes look different. Latin runes are used in Magia Record exclusively, only used for the two [[Nightmare|Nightmares]] from Rebellion.
;Typos
:Whether by mistake or on purpose (to frustrate codebreakers) approximately half of the lines of script contain one or more typos or misspelt words.
;Spacing
:Many lines of script have no spacing between the words or may be seperated in a deceptive manner. Also, some lines have multiple adjacent letters overlaid on the same space.
 
==Table of runes==
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="100%"
! Roman
! Cyrillic
! style="width:95px;"| Modern
! style="width:95px;"| Archaic
! style="width:95px;"| Musical
! style="width:95px:"|Latin
! Roman
! Cyrillic
! style="width:95px;"| Modern
! style="width:95px;"| Archaic
! style="width:95px;"| Musical
! style="width:95px:"|Latin
|-
! A
! А
| [[File:Modern A.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic A.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical A.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Latin A.png|95x95px]]
! P
! Р
| [[File:Modern P (update).png|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic P.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical P.svg|95x95px]]
|
|-
! B
!
| [[File:Modern B.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic B.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical B.svg|95x95px]]
|
! Q
!
| [[File:Modern Q.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic Q.svg|95x95px]]
|
|
|-
! C
! С
| [[File:Modern C.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic C.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical C.svg|95x95px]]
|
! R
!
| [[File:Modern R.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic R.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical R.svg|95x95px]]
|  
|-
|-
! D
!
| [[File:Modern D.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic D.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical D.svg|95x95px]]
|
! S
!
| [[File:Modern S.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic S.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical S.svg|95x95px]]
|
|
#Download and install the Greasemonkey add-on for Firefox (not necessary if using Chrome)
|-
#Download and install the MadokaRunes font
! E
#Install the script
!
#Restart your browser if necessary
| [[File:Modern E.svg|95x95px]]
#Spoilers and/or [madoka] tags will now be displayed in runic script
| [[File:Archaic E.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical E.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Latin E.png|95x95px]]
! T
!
| [[File:Modern T.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic T.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical T.svg|95x95px]]
|
|-
! F
!
| [[File:Modern F.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic F.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical F.svg|95x95px]]
|
! U
!
| [[File:Modern U.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic U.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical U.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Latin U.png|95x95px]]
|-
! G
!
| [[File:Modern G.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic G.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical G.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Latin G.png|95x95px]]
! V
!
|
| [[File:Archaic V.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical V.svg|95x95px]]
|
|-
! H
!
| [[File:Modern H.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic H.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical H.svg|95x95px]]
|
! W
!
| [[File:Modern W.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic W.svg|95x95px]]
|
|
|-
! I
!
| [[File:Modern I.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic I.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical I.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Latin I.png|95x95px]]
! X
!
|
| [[File:Archaic X.svg|95x95px]]
|
|
|-
! J
!
| [[File:Modern J.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic J.svg|95x95px]]
|
|
! Y
! У
| [[File:Modern Y.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic Y.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical Y.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Latin Y.png|95x95px]]
|-
! K
!
| [[File:Modern K.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic K.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical K.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Latin K.png|95x95px]]
! Z
!
| [[File:Modern Z.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic Z.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical Z.svg|95x95px]]
|
|-
! L
!
| [[File:Modern L.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic L.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical L.svg|95x95px]]
|
! Ä
!
| [[File:Modern Ä.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic Ä.svg|95x95px]]
|
|
|-
! M
! М
| [[File:Modern M.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic M.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical M.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Latin M.png|95x95px]]
! Ö
!
| [[File:Modern Ö.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic Ö.svg|95x95px]]
|
|
|-
! N
!
| [[File:Modern N.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic N.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical N.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Latin N.png|95x95px]]
! Ü
!
| [[File:Modern Ü.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic Ü.svg|95x95px]]
|
|
|-
! O
!
| [[File:Modern O.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic O.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Musical O.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Latin O.png|95x95px]]
! ß(ẞ)
!
| [[File:Modern_SS.svg|95x95px]]
| [[File:Archaic_SS.svg|95x95px]]
|
|
|-
!
! Я
|
| <div style="transform:scale(-1,1)">[[File:Archaic R.svg|95x95px]]</div>
|
|
! Unidentified
!
|
| [[File:Archaic_unidentified.svg|95x95px]]
|
|-
! colspan=2 | Numbers
! style="width:95px;"| Modern
! style="width:95px;"| Archaic
! style="width:95px;"| Musical
! colspan=2 | Numbers
! style="width:95px;"| Modern
! style="width:95px;"| Archaic
! style="width:95px;"| Musical
|-
! colspan=2 | 0
|
| [[File:Runes_0.svg|95x95px]]
|
! colspan=2 | 5
|
| [[File:Runes_5.svg|95x95px]]
|
|-
! colspan=2 | 1
|
| [[File:Runes_1.svg|95x95px]]
|
! colspan=2 | 6
|
| [[File:Runes_6.svg|95x95px]]
|
|-
! colspan=2 | 2
|
| [[File:Runes_2.svg|95x95px]]
|
! colspan=2 | 7
|
| [[File:Runes_7.svg|90x90px]]
|
|-
! colspan=2 | 3
|
| [[File:Runes_3.svg|95x95px]]
|
! colspan=2 | 8
|
| [[File:Runes_8.svg|95x95px]]
|
|-
! colspan=2 | 4
|
| [[File:Runes_4.svg|95x95px]]
|
! colspan=2 | 9
|
| [[File:Runes_9.svg|95x95px]]
|
|-
! colspan=2 | Math Symbols
! style="width:95px;"| Modern
! style="width:95px;"| Archaic
! style="width:95px;"| Musical
! colspan=2 | Math Symbols
! style="width:95px;"| Modern
! style="width:95px;"| Archaic
! style="width:95px;"| Musical
|-
! colspan=2 | ^
|
| [[File:^Rune.svg|95x95px]]
|
! colspan=2 | −
|
| [[File:−_Runes.svg|95x95px]]
|
|-
|}
|}
[[File:Shaftspeak.jpg|thumb|"This is so cool, I can write in Shaftspeak"]]


==Translated runes by appearance==
* TV series
** [[Runes:Opening|Opening]]
** [[Runes:Episode 1|Episode 1]]
** [[Runes:Episode 2|Episode 2]]
** [[Runes:Episode 3|Episode 3]]
** [[Runes:Episode 4|Episode 4]]
** [[Runes:Episode 5|Episode 5]]
** No runes were featured in [[episode 6]].
** [[Runes:Episode 7|Episode 7]]
** [[Runes:Episode 8|Episode 8]]
** [[Runes:Episode 9|Episode 9]]
** [[Runes:Episode 10|Episode 10]]
** [[Runes:Episode 11|Episode 11]]
** [[Runes:Episode 12|Episode 12]]
* Movies
** [[Runes:Beginnings and Eternal|''Beginnings'' and ''Eternal'']]
** ''[[Runes:Rebellion|Rebellion]]''
* Other sources
** [[Runes:Manga|Manga]]
** [[Runes:Novel|Novel]]
** ''[[Runes:Kazumi Magica|Puella Magi Kazumi Magica]]''
** [[Characters#Witches|Cards of witches and familiars]]
** [[Madoka_Magica_Café#Runes|Madoka Café, promotional uses]]
** [[Runes:Tiro Finale Book|Tiro Finale Book]]
** [[Runes:Magia Record Game|Magia Record Game]]
** [[Runes:Magia Record Season 1|Magia Record Anime Season 1]]
** [[Runes:Magia Record Season 2|Magia Record Anime Season 2]]
** [[Runes:Magia Record Season 3|Magia Record Anime Season 3]]


==Extras==
At first, a custom font had been created using the Runic characters and a Greasemonkey script allowed 4channers to communicate on the board in Runespeak. Afterward, lots of other scripts appeared here and there.


=== Fonts ===




==== Archaic and Modern Font ====


*[https://www.dropbox.com/s/n6ys414nviitr9y/MadokaRunes-2.0.ttf MadokaRunes-2.0.ttf] [https://wiki.puella-magi.net/w/resources/assets/fonts/runes.ttf Mirror] md5: a34bd82eaf6250c042b824eb33b38e2e (Last Update: 11/11/11 - Version 2.0 - Redesigned and more accurate runes.)
[This font's 2.0 version still hasn't changed 'v' & 'x', please quickly revise.]
*[http://www.mediafire.com/?kf0frllp2oc005e Single Letters (SVG)] (Updated: 11/11/11) (Dead link March 2014) <!-- Dead link. If anyone has the file, please upload it and replace this link. -->


The archaic version of letters can be accessed by using uppercase letters, the modern variant is on lowercase letters.


==== Musical Font ====


A very rough font made from already vectorized musical runes. <!-- someone with more experience in fontmaking, please make it better -->


*[https://www.mediafire.com/file/muzsvbsg4cu2shu/MadokaMusical.ttf MadokaMusical.ttf] [https://www.mediafire.com/file/njzcrj132i3t27m/MadokaMusical.ttf Mirror 1] [https://www.dropbox.com/s/dpjazdqb9izlvm4/MadokaMusical.ttf Mirror 2] [https://wiki.puella-magi.net/w/resources/assets/fonts/runesmusical.ttf Mirror 3] md5: 743bc26c29f6d495ee534c816cade05a
*[https://www.mediafire.com/file/304q49vv133mb0f/madoka_musical.sfd FontForge source file] [https://www.mediafire.com/file/puyd522p5141spq/MadokaMusical.sfd Mirror 1] [https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjlxwuor0ehcyo4/madoka_musical.sfd Mirror 2] md5: 2a3ee602bbea9594ffb1719666fa6c00


==== Other Fonts ====


[[File:Final_V1.0_rune_chart.png|thumb|Last chart to appear before the code was cracked.]]
These fonts have been found on external sites and have not been created by contributors of this wiki.


==History==
*[http://www.jarchive.org/akami/aka063.zip Madoka Font] [https://www.mediafire.com/file/u9xpuf1kbg9kbh3/aka063.zip Mirror 1] [https://www.dropbox.com/s/co9908hqrlehup9/aka063.zip Mirror 2] (Used for the logo and other material.)
*[http://hwm3.gyao.ne.jp/shiroi-niwatori/nkf10_magicum_comicum_crassum.zip Magicum Comicum Crassum] [https://www.mediafire.com/file/0zqwkkj60rqttdm/nkf10_magicum_comicum_crassum.zip Mirror 1] [https://www.dropbox.com/s/307o830f0mlq3st/nkf10_magicum_comicum_crassum.zip Mirror 2] (A fan-made "comic" runic font.) [https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=18599749 More information (Japanese)]
*[http://hwm3.gyao.ne.jp/shiroi-niwatori/nkf11_magicum_texturae.zip Magicum Texturae] [https://www.mediafire.com/file/gusxg6b3q8ivs14/nkf11_magicum_texturae.zip Mirror 1] [https://www.dropbox.com/s/lvu3tj2r8068xfm/nkf11_magicum_texturae.zip Mirror 2] (A fan-made "gothic" version of the archaic runes.) [https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=18854083 More information (Japanese)]
*[https://www.mediafire.com/file/891iu9c9e2j1tig/MadokaLetters.ttf Madoka Letters]  (A fan-made font based on MadokaRunes, with rune-style Latin and Cyrilic letters made by -v- using MadokaRunes.) [http://imgur.com/a/gMfkm Example]
 
==== Special Characters ====
 
[[File:Anja A.svg|thumb|right|95x95px|Stylized A, used by [[Anja]]]]
 
Aside from the basic alphabet, runic numerals and diacritical marks are included in the font, as well as a number of special characters which can be viewed using ?, ~, ®, @, #, *, ^ and &. Archaic ß can be accessed using this character: <span style="font-size:large">ẞ</span> (uppercase ß(U+1E9E), not included in all browsers; copypasting the character should do the trick though).
 
=== Scripts ===


Initial efforts at codebreaking began by identifying each unique rune and assigning it a random letter for identification. The general (correct) assumption was that each rune corresponded to a letter in German but at the time it was still possible that the text was encrypted, a newly constructed language or even that they were just scattered completely at random. German was chosen as the most likely candidate because it appeared as direct quotes from Goeth's Faust and the Cottonballs/Pringlemen/Anthony's were observed to be chanting in German. Other candidate languages were; Japanese, English and Latin (due to the use of "Puella" in the title)
[[File:Shaftspeak.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"This is so cool, I can write in Runespeak!"]]
A number of codebreaking methods were tried unsuccessfully. For example; attempts at identifying the letters thorugh numerical analysis of their frequency failed, (see complications below) implying that the runic script was not really a language. A more focused approach, taking a single word or short phrase and attempting to match an appropriate german word to it also failed.


After some urging to use the Faust quotes as a rosetta stone, an anon found and [http://green-oval.net/cgi-board.pl/a/thread/44782290#p44786690 posted] a line of runes which matched one of those quotes. The runes and the german sign they matched are marked in red on the translation chart for episodes one and two.
==== GreaseMonkey ====
*[https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/41070-witch-spoilers Replace spoilers on /a/ with runes]


This discovery confirmed that the runic script was a direct substitution for german letters and provided an initial set of translated runes to work with. /a/ quickly got to work using this starting set to translate more lines and fill in the gaps. Within 21 hours of this discovery, the vast majority of runic text appearing in the first two episodes had been translated into German and English, all letters had been identified, (except Q and X which are extremely rare in German) a custom font had been created using the Runic characters and a greasemonkey script allowed 4channers to communicate on the board in runespeak.
To use GreaseMonkey scripts:


#Download and install the Greasemonkey add-on:
#*[http://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/748 Greasemonkey add-on for Firefox]
#*[http://d.hatena.ne.jp/os0x/20100612/1276330696 NinjaKit extension for Safari]
#*Chrome natively supports userscripts
#Download and install the MadokaRunes font
#Install the script
#Restart your browser if necessary
#Spoilers will now be displayed in runic script


==== Runes translators ====
<!--
Dead links ;(
*[http://p.mcfog.com/madoka-runes/ Online Converter] (just type and get runic text immediately)
*[http://starlet.s145.xrea.com/madoka-rune-converter/ Madoka Rune Converter] (type and get runic text)-->
*[http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/ MADOKA RUNE TRANSLATION] (type runic characters and get normal text)


==Complications==
=== Using runes on this wiki ===
You can use runes on this wiki with the <nowiki>{{Runes}}</nowiki> template, e.g. <nowiki>{{Runes|HOMULILLY}}</nowiki> becomes {{Runes|HOMULILLY}} (use uppercase for archaic variant and lowercase for modern variant).


To use musical runes, add <tt><nowiki>|variant=musical</nowiki></tt> to the template, eg. <nowiki>{{Runes|OKTAVIA VON SECKENDORFF|variant=musical}}</nowiki> becomes {{Runes|OKTAVIA VON SECKENDORFF|variant=musical}}. The font does not distinguish uppercase and lowercase letters, so either will produce the same results.


The runic fonts are embedded on this wiki via CSS. This should make the fonts visible without installing them in the operating system, and is confirmed to work with recent versions of [http://www.mozilla.com Firefox], [http://www.opera.com Opera], [http://www.google.com/chrome Chrome] and [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/products/ie/home Internet Explorer]. If you have trouble seeing the runes, update your browser or install the font files ([[#Archaic and Modern Font|MadokaRunes-2.0.ttf]] and [[#Musical Font|MadokaMusical.ttf]]) on your system.


Throughout the translation process, efforts were/are hampered by several complications:
[[Category:Community Content]]
*Runic fonts: There are at least three (or more) structurally distinct variants of the runic script. The two most common variants are generally quite similar with only mild differences in the structure of the corresponding letters however a few letters, such as T, are completely different from each other. The third and least common variant is constructed from elements found in musical scores, and many of the runes are completely unrecognizable.
[[Category:Runes]]
*Typos: Whether by mistake or on purpose (to frustrate codebreakers) approximately half of the lines of script contain one or more typos or misspelt words.
*Spacing: Many lines of script have no spacing between the words or may be seperated in a deceptive manner. Also, some lines have multiple adjacent letters overlaid on the same space.

Latest revision as of 20:04, 12 February 2024

A reference sheet displaying runic alphabets.

The runes that randomly appear in the Magic World have been solved. This page is meant to show the current works and discoveries in the domain, as well as the latest discussions and hypothesis.

History

Runes as of Episode 2

Initial efforts at codebreaking began by identifying each unique rune and assigning it a random letter for identification. The general (correct) assumption was that each rune corresponded to a letter in German but at the time it was still possible that the text was encrypted, a newly constructed language or even that they were just scattered completely at random. German was chosen as the most likely candidate because it appeared as direct quotes from Goethe's Faust and the Cottonballs/Pringlemen/Anthony's were observed to be chanting in German. Other candidate languages were: Japanese, English and Latin (due to the use of "Puella" in the title).

A number of codebreaking methods were tried unsuccessfully. For example; attempts at identifying the letters through numerical analysis of their frequency failed, implying that the runic script was not really a language (see complications below). A more focused approach, taking a single word or short phrase and attempting to match an appropriate German word to it also failed due to large amount of possible matches.

After some urging to use the Faust quotes as a Rosetta Stone, an anonymous found and posted a line of runes which matched one of those quotes. The runes and the German sign they matched are marked in red on the translation chart for episodes one and two.

This discovery confirmed that the runic script was a direct substitution for German letters and provided an initial set of translated runes to work with. /a/ quickly got to work using this starting set to translate more lines and fill in the gaps. Within 21 hours of this discovery, the vast majority of runic text appearing in the first two episodes had been translated into German and English, all letters had been identified (except Q and X which are extremely rare in German, though they appeared later on).

You can find the full discussion (900 posts long!) in threads #21, #22 and #23

Official Translation

  • Gertrud, Charlotte and Oktavia's names typed in Japanese in some products and merchandises.
  • In the English dub of Magia Record Anime, Some Witch's name are translated in English. When a Witch's name is displayed in runes, its name is also shown in English-styled runes.
    • This was eventually provided for the English dub of the original series as well.
    • Witches that were given official translations are:
  • In the Magia Record Anime Official Guidebook Vol.1, Box Wood's name is translated in English.

Trivia

  • The runes are an original art by Inu Curry.
  • During the Aniplex USA Madoka Premiere, the production staff was very surprised when overseas fans cracked the runes. It was stated that even obsessive Japanese fans had not gone that far.
  • Even though punctuation marks rarely appear in runic texts, it is notable that the marks don't receive new arts and will be similar to their actual symbols. As of now, exclamation marks, caret characters, negative symbols and question marks are the only punctuation marks to have been seen in Runes.
  • The Latin runes resemble the actual letters they represent more than the normal runes.
  • Latin O takes the appearance of a Soul Gem.

Complications

Rough, work-in-progress reference sheet showing the different rune alphabets as they were being deciphered.

Throughout the translation process, efforts were hampered by several complications:

Runic fonts
There are at least four structurally distinct variants of the runic script. The most common variant is known as archaic and it is presumably the main set from which others are based on. The modern variant is a simplified version of the runes and corresponding letters are generally quite similar with only mild variation in their overall structure but a few letters, such as D, are completely different from each other. The third variant is constructed from elements found in musical scores and many of the runes look different. Latin runes are used in Magia Record exclusively, only used for the two Nightmares from Rebellion.
Typos
Whether by mistake or on purpose (to frustrate codebreakers) approximately half of the lines of script contain one or more typos or misspelt words.
Spacing
Many lines of script have no spacing between the words or may be seperated in a deceptive manner. Also, some lines have multiple adjacent letters overlaid on the same space.

Table of runes

Roman Cyrillic Modern Archaic Musical Latin Roman Cyrillic Modern Archaic Musical Latin
A А Modern A.svg Archaic A.svg Musical A.svg Latin A.png P Р Modern P (update).png Archaic P.svg Musical P.svg
B Modern B.svg Archaic B.svg Musical B.svg Q Modern Q.svg Archaic Q.svg
C С Modern C.svg Archaic C.svg Musical C.svg R Modern R.svg Archaic R.svg Musical R.svg
D Modern D.svg Archaic D.svg Musical D.svg S Modern S.svg Archaic S.svg Musical S.svg
E Modern E.svg Archaic E.svg Musical E.svg Latin E.png T Modern T.svg Archaic T.svg Musical T.svg
F Modern F.svg Archaic F.svg Musical F.svg U Modern U.svg Archaic U.svg Musical U.svg Latin U.png
G Modern G.svg Archaic G.svg Musical G.svg Latin G.png V Archaic V.svg Musical V.svg
H Modern H.svg Archaic H.svg Musical H.svg W Modern W.svg Archaic W.svg
I Modern I.svg Archaic I.svg Musical I.svg Latin I.png X Archaic X.svg
J Modern J.svg Archaic J.svg Y У Modern Y.svg Archaic Y.svg Musical Y.svg Latin Y.png
K Modern K.svg Archaic K.svg Musical K.svg Latin K.png Z Modern Z.svg Archaic Z.svg Musical Z.svg
L Modern L.svg Archaic L.svg Musical L.svg Ä Modern Ä.svg Archaic Ä.svg
M М Modern M.svg Archaic M.svg Musical M.svg Latin M.png Ö Modern Ö.svg Archaic Ö.svg
N Modern N.svg Archaic N.svg Musical N.svg Latin N.png Ü Modern Ü.svg Archaic Ü.svg
O Modern O.svg Archaic O.svg Musical O.svg Latin O.png ß(ẞ) Modern SS.svg Archaic SS.svg
Я
Archaic R.svg
 Unidentified Archaic unidentified.svg
Numbers Modern Archaic Musical Numbers Modern Archaic Musical
0 Runes 0.svg 5 Runes 5.svg
1 Runes 1.svg 6 Runes 6.svg
2 Runes 2.svg 7 Runes 7.svg
3 Runes 3.svg 8 Runes 8.svg
4 Runes 4.svg 9 Runes 9.svg
Math Symbols Modern Archaic Musical Math Symbols Modern Archaic Musical
^ ^Rune.svg − − Runes.svg

Translated runes by appearance

Extras

At first, a custom font had been created using the Runic characters and a Greasemonkey script allowed 4channers to communicate on the board in Runespeak. Afterward, lots of other scripts appeared here and there.

Fonts

Archaic and Modern Font

  • MadokaRunes-2.0.ttf Mirror md5: a34bd82eaf6250c042b824eb33b38e2e (Last Update: 11/11/11 - Version 2.0 - Redesigned and more accurate runes.)

[This font's 2.0 version still hasn't changed 'v' & 'x', please quickly revise.]

The archaic version of letters can be accessed by using uppercase letters, the modern variant is on lowercase letters.

Musical Font

A very rough font made from already vectorized musical runes.

Other Fonts

These fonts have been found on external sites and have not been created by contributors of this wiki.

Special Characters

Stylized A, used by Anja

Aside from the basic alphabet, runic numerals and diacritical marks are included in the font, as well as a number of special characters which can be viewed using ?, ~, ®, @, #, *, ^ and &. Archaic ß can be accessed using this character: ẞ (uppercase ß(U+1E9E), not included in all browsers; copypasting the character should do the trick though).

Scripts

"This is so cool, I can write in Runespeak!"

GreaseMonkey

To use GreaseMonkey scripts:

  1. Download and install the Greasemonkey add-on:
  2. Download and install the MadokaRunes font
  3. Install the script
  4. Restart your browser if necessary
  5. Spoilers will now be displayed in runic script

Runes translators

Using runes on this wiki

You can use runes on this wiki with the {{Runes}} template, e.g. {{Runes|HOMULILLY}} becomes HOMULILLY (use uppercase for archaic variant and lowercase for modern variant).

To use musical runes, add |variant=musical to the template, eg. {{Runes|OKTAVIA VON SECKENDORFF|variant=musical}} becomes OKTAVIA VON SECKENDORFF. The font does not distinguish uppercase and lowercase letters, so either will produce the same results.

The runic fonts are embedded on this wiki via CSS. This should make the fonts visible without installing them in the operating system, and is confirmed to work with recent versions of Firefox, Opera, Chrome and Internet Explorer. If you have trouble seeing the runes, update your browser or install the font files (MadokaRunes-2.0.ttf and MadokaMusical.ttf) on your system.

Retrieved from "https://wiki.puella-magi.net/w/index.php?title=Deciphering_the_runes&oldid=151265"