Scrying or divination with oracle and runes stones goes back to at least the second century AD, before the Latin alphabet was widely adopted. It is thought rune stones were used first for communication, as symbols of courage and battle victory, for protection, prayer and ritual and then later for divination purposes. The rune symbols were even used just for decorative purposes - I think we can all agree they look artistic and pleasing to the eye. The Nordic countries are probably most associated with runes. Symbols have been found carved on large stones particularly in Sweden, though there are obvious links to the Celtic Ogham stones and to Olde English and Welsh as well as having wider reaches across the old Lithuania, Finland and the Rhineland.