0 any of the letters of an ancient alphabet cut into stone or wood in the past by the people of northern Europe, or any similar mark with a secret or magic meaning
Thirdly is the corresponding hypothesis that the rune-like letters are imagined to be carved into the mast.
A quasi-pagan element is introduced that is in keeping with the magical qualities popularly associated with runes.
After all, there is more than one way to mislead a reader, and a deliberately misdrawn rune is one of them.
Most significantly, the characters appear to be runes.
This is but one more error that, like the theory involving the rune, seems to put us back into the nineteenth century.
Certainly the physical presence of the runes, that arcane script, implies that the two lovers share secrets that no one else can or should know.
To follow this line of thought, we are equally free to imagine that the woman could recognize the runes because she has seen them before.
There is no real code to crack here; there are no deep mysteries hidden in the runes.
