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Rune 3 of 16

þurs – The Thurs rune

Sound
th
Meaning
giant, ogre

The Norwegian rune poem

Þurs vældr kvinna kvillu; kátr værðr fár af illu.

The giant causes women anguish; few are made glad by misfortune.

The Norwegian rune poem is from the 1200s and has one verse per rune. The original is in the public domain; the translations are our own.

Commentary

Thurses are the forces of chaos beyond the fence. The rune turns up in charms against illness, where it seems to be used both to strike and to protect.

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