Runescript as Program: A Compositional and Traceability Framework for Contemporary Rune-Stave Construction

Background. The modern runic revival has produced a rich repertoire of runescripts and bind-runes — composite rune-figures made for operative ends — yet the field lacks an explicit account of how such figures are constructed rather than merely interpreted. A recurrent mode in modern practical literature selects runes thematically and arranges them for visual balance: an aesthetic emphasis rather than a generative one.

Contribution. We present a compositional design framework in which a runescript is modeled as a program rather than a static charm. A structured statement of intention — the Wish–Outcome–Obstacle–Plan (WOOP) model from goal-pursuit psychology — is compiled into a directed graph of runes treated as typed operators, composed by a small grammar (sequence, binding, conditional handling, bounded iteration, guarding, reusable sub-routines). Construction is checked at two levels: structural well-formedness (reachability, defined triggers, bounded loops, no unused elements, an observable target and recorded completion) and interpretive adequacy (each transition carries an articulated, non-thematic rationale).

Epistemic framing. The framework sits within an explicit layered epistemology separating historically attested practice, twentieth–twenty-first-century revival construction, documented psychological mechanism, and unverified metaphysical claims, under an "as-if" stance toward efficacy.

Evaluation and limits. The framework is evaluated conceptually, through worked examples and explicit well-formedness checks (including negative examples); no empirical efficacy claim is made, and the psychological literature is cited for the method's components, not for the rune-stave form. The contribution is the method — a reusable, inspectable construction framework, conceptually reproducible — while the specific implemented rune-to-operator mapping is withheld and not reproducible from this paper alone.

This paper formalizes the construction method used at https://runoscript.com. Competing-interest, AI-use, and data statements are in the paper's Declarations section.