Computer Resources

Mobile & Desktop Keyboard

American Futharch Keyboard 2.3.2 Beta
by Justin Macauley and Eirik Westcoat

Type with the American Futharch on your mobile device or desktop computer phone, whether Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, or Mac, as long as it can run the Keyman program.

1. Install the Keyman app from your device’s app store or the Keyman website.
2. Download this keyboard file, americanfutharch.kmp to your device. (Current version is 2.3.2)
3. Install it in Keyman. It’s the “Install From File: Browse for .kmp files” option.
4. Then configure Keyman and use the keyboard. Further support or guidance for Keyman can be found within the app or at the website.
5. Linux installation for the keyman program and keyboard may vary from these directions depending on operating system (e.g.: Ubuntu vs. Arch), distro, and version. Please refer to the keyman website for more information.)
6. Many thanks to Justin Macauley for creating this mobile keyboard and getting it nicely adjusted to the specs. Here’s a video tutorial by him on the installation process and some tips on using these runes.
7. A note of commentary on the tutorial. The video is for Android; the exact procedure for other operating systems may vary. Also, various dictionaries do vary a bit in how they represent the sounds using IPA notation. The mentioned dictionary in the video, dictionary.cambridge.org, does have slight differences. But it also has a sound-by-sound breakdown of words, and I think that’s great. Ultimately, you’re meant to learn the American Futharch by ear (just like the ancient rune-masters!), and dictionary tools like that site can be super-effective in helping you get there.
8. Only the basic American Futharch and some limited punctuation have been implemented so far. Future versions of this keyboard would allow typing other runes (via “extended press” or similar), eventually covering the rest of the unicode runic range.
9. Currently, this is a beta release. It should work on all phones and other mobile devices. However, windows tablets using a onscreen touch keyboard are not supported. In a future release, support will be added.

Here’s a picture of the mobile keyboard. The runic font on your device may be different.

And here’s a picture of the desktop keyboard:

Mac-Specific Keyboard

American Futharch for Mac 1.0
by Eirik Westcoat

Type with the American Futharch on your Mac notebook or desktop computer.

1. Download this zip file: American-Futharch-Mac-Keyboard.zip. It contains two files. The pdf is a guide to what the layout looks like. The other is the actual keyboard file.
2. Take the file “American Futharch Runes.keylayout” and put it in the folder /Library/Keyboard Layouts on your Mac.
3. Then the key layout must be activated. This page is a decent guide, but note that in step #6, you should instead scroll to the bottom of the language list and click on “Others.”
4. You’ll probably want to configure the “input menu” to show in the menu bar so that you can switch between keyboards easily. For that, please consult Apple support resources.
5. With no modifiers pressed, you get the American Futharch, plus certain punctuations. By pressing shift or capslock, it lets you type the rest of the unicode runic range (not counting the recent Tolkien & Franks’ Casket additions).
6. Eirik made this keyboard layout himself on a Mac, using the Ukelele app. You don’t need to install or use Ukelele in order to enjoy the keyboard file.

Here’s a picture of the layout:

Desktop Font

Currently, no known font of has all 33 of the American Futharch Runes in the ideal shapes (as seen near the top of the main page of this site). Junicode comes closest, and it’s what Eirik uses for most things.

But, a specially-modified version of Junicode with the ideal shapes is planned. It will be posted here when available. This document details the changes I would like to see made. If you’ve got the skills to help make it, please get in touch through the contact page.

Unicode Technical Notes

The American Futharch Runes exist quite independently of computers. Nonetheless, to facilitate ease of use on computers, a standard for representing them exists.

1. The Unicode font standard has long included a runic range, running from U+16A0 to U+16F0, for a total of 81 runes and related characters. (This does not include the recent extension for Tolkien & Franks’ Casket characters.)
2. These are all historical characters in one way or another. A wide variety of fonts implement these 81 characters, often with slightly varying shapes (since the ancient runes always had at least some accepted variations in their shapes).
3. For typing on a computer, 33 specific characters from this Unicode rune range were chosen to represent the American Futharch Runes. Those characters have their historical origins and uses, but were suitable for repurposing for the American Futharch—many American Futharch Runes are direct descendants of the older runes, after all.
4. This pdf file is the official list of those unicode character correspondences. All of the keyboard files on this page are based on it. If you want to try making your own authentic American Futharch key layouts, that’s the guide to use.

Bug Reports

Running into any issues with these downloads?

If so, please send a bug report through the contact page. If it’s with the Keyman keyboard, please try to ascertain whether it may be a fault in the Keyman app (and such should be reported to Keyman), as opposed to a problem with the rune layout itself.

Volunteers?

Is there some American Futharch computer resource you’d like to see on this page? Do you have the skills to help make it?

If so, please get in touch through the contact page.