The Rune Thurs

The Rune Thurs

The third rune in the Futhark is a mighty rune. I got a strange feeling of awe when I set about this rune.

The meaning of the rune is somewhat disputed. Some say it is the giants' rune, some say it is Thor's rune. I, for my part, hold that it belongs in both camps. You may feel into this and arrive at what rings true for you.

The giants are mighty creatures; you don't really “mess” with them – and it is best to stay on good terms with them.

Thor is in many ways a little impersonal, but the more I get to know him, the more I appreciate him. Thor belongs in Asgard, where he is in the mightiest world. His mother is said to be Jord, also known as Fjorgyn. She is a jotne, so Thor is one of many gods who have a mixed background. If you look at Asgard, or Vanaheim, there is constantly a jotne factor in the teams of gods. It is more or less the addresses that decide whether they are to be called Vanir, Jotnar or Æsir.

When I began to work with Thurs, I carried the rune with me. Within a few days I had come across episodes that made me think of Thurs.

The first arose when I was visiting a friend who owned an enormous dog named Torra. It was a Thurs with fur and paws. Torra was as gentle as a lamb, but when two poor people came in through the gate, they were met by a Torra with raised hackles and “a hundred teeth”. No one was to get past Torra before the owner had given word that it was all right.

The next day I had yet another Thurs experience. I walked past a small, unkempt house with surveillance cameras. There was a camera on the dilapidated garage, there was a camera by the gate and there was a camera by the front door. Who lived there I have never found out, but had I been a police officer I would surely have snooped around. Perhaps a criminal lived in the house, who had “valuables” to hide? I would also have kept an extra close eye on the house if I were a psychiatrist, for perhaps a strongly paranoid person lived there? I don't know, but I had my thoughts as I wandered on.

Thurs is both a surveillance alarm and a guardian.

It is not easy to wander through life and avoid conflicts. There will always be some troublemakers who love to create conflicts. In such cases it is good to turn to Thurs – it is good to have a defence.

Sometimes we are in a conflict where we are the greatest cause of the conflict, and then we must examine ourselves. Then Thurs is also good to have with us. When we set out to work with the shadows within ourselves, it pays to have Thurs along.

Why do we have thorns? What experiences have we had that have made our thorns grow? Why do we feel offended? Is our ego too large? Too central? Why are we unkind? Why do we say hurtful things? And so on, and so very much further … It is somehow much better to study the splinters in others' eyes than to pick at the beams in our own eyes. There, Jesus is right. But then it happens that we are attacked completely unexpectedly. We can be totally innocent and still be attacked. Then it is time to reach for Thurs.

I'll tell a joke here that says a little about this situation:

The Finn came upon a bear in the forest. He went pale and threw himself down on his knees and prayed: «Dear God, you who rule over all of Norway and all of Sweden and large parts of Finland, if you are not partial now, then by golly you'll get to see a fight!»

The way the Finn related to the bear is how we must relate to Thurs. When it comes to battles, perhaps someone will come to our rescue, perhaps we must fight ourselves. Then we must assess the opponent and the strategy. And remember that sometimes “silence is golden”.

I regard the Thurs rune much in the same way as the zodiac sign Scorpio. Growth through reflection if the energy is used rightly. Scorpio's sign is the sign I feel can grow the most, but also the sign that is most destructive when it is out of balance.

Then I feel that Saturn is the planet. One learns much with Thurs, but one can also sink into the thicket of thorns and get stuck. Saturn is heavy, but it is an instructive planet.

In the world of the Tarot I feel that the card “Eight of Swords” or “The Chariot” are the ones that resonate best in the spirit of Thurs.

Irene Resaland has selected black tourmaline. This crystal is known for protecting the bearer from negativity. I'll throw in tiger's eye, for that crystal is good for building up courage and inner strength.

Then we'll hop over to the world of plants.

Black pepper carries Saturn energy within it and is a Thurs plant, I believe.

This is one of the most widely used spices in the world, and I understand that well. It gives a good flavour to many dishes and the price isn't half bad either.

If you have an unwanted guest in the house, then scatter a little pepper in his shoes before he leaves, and you reduce the risk of him coming back. (Or her.) For extra help in getting rid of this unwanted person, scatter a little salt and pepper outside your door once the guest has gone.

Black pepper is also made as an essential oil, and many in my circle with arthritis say that it eases things to rub a little pepper oil on the joints. You take a little olive oil, warm it up and then add a few drops of pepper oil, and then you can rub this on your aching joints.

An African told me that black pepper helped against dizziness. This is something I have never been troubled with, and I have not tested it either, but I'll pass this advice along here, in case some of you would like to test it out?

Cayenne pepper is a real tough one. It is no wonder at all that this tough one is one of the ingredients in pepper spray.

In the world of witches we blow cayenne and black pepper onto a photo of people we want to be rid of. That is, people we wish out of our “karmic orbit”. The ding-dong-the-meanie-is-gone principle. I haven't tried this either, but it is so popular in my witch circle that it must surely work? Burn the photo and bury the ash some distance from your home.

It is said that cayenne is effective against nerve pain, so if you are troubled by this, give it a try. A little cayenne in the food at least gets the taste buds going.

Devil's claw is perhaps not so well known here in this country, but it is a very potent plant from Africa. I perceive it as a plant that falls under the planet Mars.

Some of us, witches, may take it upon ourselves to recommend that people obtain this root for use as incense when they move into a new home. That way they get rid of unfortunate energies from earlier times. The root can also be used in this way: “bury a little devil's root at the home's four corners for protection against malicious attacks”.

Personally I prefer to hang up a Thurs rune made of twigs by my front door if I suspect an attack, but perhaps I ought to give the devil's claw advice some thought? You never know 🙂

A friend of mine uses devil's claw capsules for his ME, and he swears that he has become much better. Another used the capsules to stimulate the appetite when illness had knocked out her desire to eat.

It is also said that devil's claw balances our blood sugar.

But if one has heart problems, IBS or is on blood thinners, one should not eat devil's claw.

Dill – is an excellent herb to use for both magic and food. A little dried dill on the windowsills can give resistance to those who want to ruin things for you. If you put dill in a small pillow and place this under your pillow, this can prevent nightmares. Or, place a little under the bed.

I have heard that a little dill in a pouch with Fehu and Thurs written on something – a piece of paper, a bay leaf or something else that suits you – can give you success in a task that feels heavy but is necessary.

Dill is also excellent in cooking and for medicinal use.

It boosts milk production when women are breastfeeding. It strengthens our skeleton, which is valuable to know for “us old ones who built the country” and who are threatened by hip fractures and slippery roads … Dill and good ice grips, that's the ticket!

Dill is in a way women's best friend, for if you have problems with menstruation, pains or other complaints, then turn to dill.

Fennel is a herb/vegetable that must not be forgotten.

It tastes good – at least just about everyone who likes liquorice likes to eat fennel. It has a slightly liquorice-like flavour. It can be fried and grilled, it can be served raw. In salads it tastes wonderful. The seeds can be put in baking.

If you choose to brew tea from fennel, you may perhaps notice that it is easier to stir up your intuition. It is said that fennel opens the third eye.

Then the tea is very effective against kidney stones. Fennel cleanses out impurities we have in our bodies, and I believe it clears a few shadows out of our soul.

Find Thurs if you must go into battle.

If Thurs comes up in a rune layout, there may be a battle in store. Reversed, Thurs is, I believe, a warning of the wrong use of energy and resources. It may also be that you are heading for a loss. Sharpen your senses.

May the power of Thurs be with you all!