The Rune Series: THURISAZ (Giants)
The Runes of this series belong to the Elder Futhark, one of the oldest alphabets in recorded history. Each Rune has endless interpretations and deep meanings; while their origin and/or intent is lost to history, most interpretations come from the ‘Rune Poems’, possibly written around the 8th century. This series will explore the Runes through a personal journey and interpretation of them, alongside knowledge collected from written works, such as ‘The Book of Runes’ (R.Blum, 1982), and the intricately crafted website ‘Runesecrets.com’ by Tyrael, to whom I give thanks. Another useful source is ‘RuneLore’ (Edred Thorsson, 1988)
Greetings Dear Reader,
Welcome back to the Rune Series where we explore the ancient Runes through a psychological, practical, spiritual and philosophical lens.
You can check out the rest of this series below:
The third Rune continues the cycle. We have explored Fehu and Uruz, both containing fascinating references to animal symbolism. Thurisaz begins to move into the space of the Gods or Æsir, as they’re commonly named in Norse myth. This Rune is especially associated to the God of Thunder himself, Thor. You might have heard of him — Thor and Odin are among the Gods that have managed to survive and thrive across the centuries by making their way into pop culture, such as comics, movies and videogames.
To be entirely honest, I think my first ever meeting with Thor had been through the Marvel comics iteration of the character and, despite my vested interest in the actual mythology, every time someone mentions the guy, the first image that pops to mind is either the Chris Hemsworth version or the badass Thor from God of War (2022).
It is really extraordinary to observe the lifespan of Gods and realise the meaning of immortality. I’m sure Neil Gaiman would agree that, even in our modern world, the Gods are very much alive because they adapt and evolve alongside us.
THURISAZ
Rune Series 3/24
First Row (Aett): Thurisaz
Meaning: ‘Giants’, ‘Resistance’
Associated English letter: Th
Thor is known as the slayer of Giants, and it is said that Thurisaz takes the shape of his hammer, Mjolnir. This Rune points to aspects of the Aesir himself, such as strength, power and determination to succeed and/or destroy.
Note that Thor’s weapon of choice is a hammer, traditionally a tool. One can use a hammer to push nails into a plank, forge a sword or, as Thor does, kill giants.
Thurisaz reminds as that the use of technology can help us grow and expand, but powerful forces can easily break from our control and bring chaos and destruction. Remember that Thurisaz follows Uruz, the Rune of unconscious forces — it may be that Thurisaz is the evolution of these forces into a tool that can be used for either creation or destruction. Thor is, after all, an anthropomorphic representation of a natural element — thunder; so we can see how the evolution of the Runes points to the evolution of consciousness itself. In other words, raw powers are tamed and shaped into tools by the conscious mind in order to build the foundations for our physical world and future.
The Thurs
Also known as ‘jötunn’, these are the ‘Giants’ that Thor fights and that may point to the name of this Rune. In Norse myth, the Thurs are commonly known as enemies of the Gods, though many of them either mate or give birth to some of the Gods. There is a fascinating parallel here with the Titans of Greek myth, who are also enemies of the Olympian Gods and, at the same time, their creators. The Titans are also commonly depicted as being ‘giant’.
While the Norse jötnar being translated into the English language as ‘Giant’ may not be entirely accurate (it doesn’t mean the size), I find it still relies an interesting message. These beings, like the Titans, point to elemental forces. Take for example the mother of Thor, known as Jörð (‘land’ or ‘earth’), similar in nature to the Titan Gaia. What better way to represent a vast concept such as ‘the land’, than making it giant?
Giant are the primal elements and forces of the world. The Gods, therefore, tame and shape them into something that is purposeful. Essentially, they bring order to chaos and create safety.
How to use THURISAZ
Thor uses his hammer to defend Asgard against the forces of the Giants, or the forces of resistance to the expansion of orderly consciousness. The war between the Aesir and jötnar is a representation of the endless ‘war’ for the expansion of consciousness across the universe, struggling against the chaos of the unconscious.
Carl Jung points to this war as the struggle inherent in every psyche between its seeking the comfort of the unconscious return to the womb, and the courageous, necessary but uncomfortable growth to adulthood.
Thurisaz tells you it’s important to accept that, in your evolution and growth as a human being, there will be struggle. And the struggle will often be within you, even in those times when it will appear projected outside of you. You will be called to battle. You will be called to fight alongside the Gods even before your crossing into Asgard. And the Giants will always wait somewhere around the corner.
But you are not alone. Thor and the Aesir will lend you their strength if you ask for it. How? I believe the next Rune may provide the answer.
Until the next one.
Blessings,
