Shadowbane: The Runes

Shadowbane: The runes

The runes are meant to be taken for their symbolic meanings - they're not meant to spell anything out. They're also taken pretty directly from Norse myth From hilt to blade, I read them:
1) Sigel, the Sun (referring not only to the Volliandra hair as being a 'relic' of the pre-sun, but also to the light the hilt emits)
2) Daeg, or Day (a rune my sources also link to good magic in general, or magic that dispels evil spirits)
3) Eolh (defense, or protection from evil influences)
4) Peorth (refers specifically to the severing of bonds - here, it refers to Shadowbane's powers to dispel magic, as when it broke the spell binding on the Minotaurs)
5) Tyr (the rune of the Norse sword god, and for swords in general - again, its inclusion here is obvious.
The Norse also used it to increase bravery and ward against injury)
6) Thorn (the Norse use it to refer to giants trolls, and monsters - we're taking that to include all mega-evil bad things, like demons and the Dragon itself)
7) Eoh (to the Norse this was the Yew tree, a symbol or death and the underworld. Here we're using it to mean darkness and pur evil) So, my source for these meaning may not be the best, but it is pretty well researched.
Taken together, the runes are symbolic of the blade itself - light and good at the hilr, bound to evil and drakness at the blade. The names of evil (runes 6 and 7) give it power over evil, the dragon carved at the crosspiece does also - the fact that it was forged of the only weapon to ever draw the dragon's blood, and the fact that it was quenched in Dragon blood, really aspect the blade toward killing the terror of terrors - if it can't slay the Dragon, nothing can. The sequence of the runes signifies the balnce built into Shadowbane itself (good and light holds the hilt, evil tastes the blade), and the tensions between its opposing elements are what give it so much power: think of the sword as matter bound to anti-matter, with Thurins artistry and enchantments holding the annihilation in check. Said annihilation is channeled into the balde itself, and released on whatever it hits. So no, the runes aren't giobberish. As to why they're upside down and reversed, I think its the way the blade is oriented in the picture. There ya have it.