Thurisaz
Encyclopedia
The Germanic
rune is called Thurs (Þurs "giant", see Jötunn) in the Icelandic and Norwegian rune poem
s.
s:
- Finland was known as the land of the giants (Jotland) in Scandinavian/north Germanic mythology.
By extension, it was also associated with the Germanic giant-killer Thor
/Donar and his hammer Mjölnir. To a lesser extent in its aspect of bringing misfortune, it has also been linked to the Lord of Mischief, Loki
. Note, however, that name of the god (Þōrr) has no etymological connection with the word for giant (þurs), being related instead to Þunor (thunder). Nevertheless Loki is said to be a giant, who moved to Asgaard from the land of the giants, Jotunheim.
In Anglo-Saxon England, the same rune was called Thorn or "Þorn" and it survives as the Icelandic
letter Þ (þ)
. Since "thorn" is also not obviously etymologically related to "thurs", an attempt has been made to account for the substitution of names by taking "thorn" to be a kenning
(metaphor
) for "giant".
It is disputed as to whether a distinct system of Gothic runes ever existed, but it is clear that most of the names of the letters of the Gothic alphabet
correspond to those of the Elder Futhark. In modern transliterations of Gothic
texts, the relatively newer thorn character is substituted for the Gothic letter
, although neither the thorn glyph or name were used in Gothic. The glyphs of the Gothic alphabet
do not follow the runes for the most part, the earlier runic being replaced by, called þiuþ "(the) good" in the Codex Vindobonensis 795
.
The lack of agreement between the various glyphs and their names in Gothic, Anglo-Saxon, and Old Norse makes it difficult to reconstruct the Elder Futhark
rune's Proto-Germanic name. Assuming that the Scandinavian name <þurs> is the most plausible reflex of the Elder Futhark name, and comparing that with the Old English
þyrs "giant, ogre" and the Old High German
duris-es "(of the) giant", the Proto-Germanic form *þurisaz has been reconstructed.
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
rune is called Thurs (Þurs "giant", see Jötunn) in the Icelandic and Norwegian rune poem
Rune poem
The Rune Poems are three poems that list the letters of runic alphabets while providing an explanatory poetic stanza for each letter. Three different poems have been preserved: the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem, the Norwegian Rune Poem, and the Icelandic Rune Poem.The Icelandic and Norwegian poems list 16...
s.
Rune poems
The Germanic rune ᚦ is mentioned in three rune poemRune poem
The Rune Poems are three poems that list the letters of runic alphabets while providing an explanatory poetic stanza for each letter. Three different poems have been preserved: the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem, the Norwegian Rune Poem, and the Icelandic Rune Poem.The Icelandic and Norwegian poems list 16...
s:
| Rune Poem: | English Translation: |
Old Norwegian Old Norwegian Old Norwegian refers to a group of Old Norse dialects spoken and written in Norway in the Middle Ages. They bridged the dialect continuum from Old East Norse to Old West Norse.-Old Norwegian vs Common Norse:... Þurs vældr kvinna kvillu, kátr værðr fár af illu. |
Thurs ("Giant") causes anguish to women, misfortune makes few men cheerful. |
Old Icelandic Þurs er kvenna kvöl ok kletta búi ok varðrúnar verr. Saturnus Saturn (mythology) In ancient Roman religion and myth, Saturn was a major god presiding over agriculture and the harvest time. His reign was depicted as a Golden Age of abundance and peace by many Roman authors. In medieval times he was known as the Roman god of agriculture, justice and strength. He held a sickle in... þengill. |
Thurs ("Giant") is torture of women and cliff-dweller and husband of a giantess Saturn's thegn Thegn The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves... . |
Anglo-Saxon Ðorn byþ ðearle scearp; ðegna gehwylcum anfeng ys yfyl, ungemetum reþe manna gehwelcum, ðe him mid resteð. |
The thorn is exceedingly sharp, an evil thing for any knight to touch, uncommonly severe on all who sit among them. |
Usage
Tursas is an ill-defined being in Finnish mythologyFinnish mythology
Finnish mythology is the mythology that went with Finnish paganism which was practised by the Finnish people prior to Christianisation. It has many features shared with fellow Finnic Estonian mythology and its non-Finnic neighbours, the Balts and the Scandinavians...
- Finland was known as the land of the giants (Jotland) in Scandinavian/north Germanic mythology.
By extension, it was also associated with the Germanic giant-killer Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
/Donar and his hammer Mjölnir. To a lesser extent in its aspect of bringing misfortune, it has also been linked to the Lord of Mischief, Loki
Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki or Loke is a god or jötunn . Loki is the son of Fárbauti and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn, Loki is the father of Nari or Narfi...
. Note, however, that name of the god (Þōrr) has no etymological connection with the word for giant (þurs), being related instead to Þunor (thunder). Nevertheless Loki is said to be a giant, who moved to Asgaard from the land of the giants, Jotunheim.
In Anglo-Saxon England, the same rune was called Thorn or "Þorn" and it survives as the Icelandic
Icelandic alphabet
The modern Icelandic alphabet consists of the following 32 letters:It is a Latin alphabet with diacritics, in addition it includes the character eth Ðð and the runic letter thorn Þþ...
letter Þ (þ)
Thorn (letter)
Thorn or þorn , is a letter in the Old English, Old Norse, and Icelandic alphabets, as well as some dialects of Middle English. It was also used in medieval Scandinavia, but was later replaced with the digraph th. The letter originated from the rune in the Elder Fuþark, called thorn in the...
. Since "thorn" is also not obviously etymologically related to "thurs", an attempt has been made to account for the substitution of names by taking "thorn" to be a kenning
Kenning
A kenning is a type of literary trope, specifically circumlocution, in the form of a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse and later Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon poetry...
(metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
) for "giant".
It is disputed as to whether a distinct system of Gothic runes ever existed, but it is clear that most of the names of the letters of the Gothic alphabet
Gothic alphabet
The Gothic alphabet is an alphabet for writing the Gothic language, created in the 4th century by Ulfilas for the purpose of translating the Christian Bible....
correspond to those of the Elder Futhark. In modern transliterations of Gothic
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
texts, the relatively newer thorn character is substituted for the Gothic letter
, although neither the thorn glyph or name were used in Gothic. The glyphs of the Gothic alphabetGothic alphabet
The Gothic alphabet is an alphabet for writing the Gothic language, created in the 4th century by Ulfilas for the purpose of translating the Christian Bible....
do not follow the runes for the most part, the earlier runic being replaced by
, called þiuþ "(the) good" in the Codex Vindobonensis 795Codex Vindobonensis 795
The Codex Vindobonensis 795 is a 9th century manuscript.It contains letters and treatises by Alcuin, including a discussion of the Gothic alphabet.It also contains a description of the Anglo-Saxon futhorc....
.
The lack of agreement between the various glyphs and their names in Gothic, Anglo-Saxon, and Old Norse makes it difficult to reconstruct the Elder Futhark
Elder Futhark
The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used by Germanic tribes for Northwest Germanic and Migration period Germanic dialects of the 2nd to 8th centuries for inscriptions on artifacts such as jewellery, amulets, tools, weapons and runestones...
rune's Proto-Germanic name. Assuming that the Scandinavian name <þurs> is the most plausible reflex of the Elder Futhark name, and comparing that with the Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
þyrs "giant, ogre" and the Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
duris-es "(of the) giant", the Proto-Germanic form *þurisaz has been reconstructed.