I generally agree with that conclusion, however one should not ignore or discount the layers of meaning afforded to Ur by the Icelandic and Norwegian poems. Most sources and modern interpretations that I have read accept “auroch” as the meaning for Ur, as a rune for “water,” “ice,” and “hail” already exists within the Futhark, making “slag” and “rain” all but unnecessary. It’s possible the Norwegian word for “slag”, which is the stony liquid byproduct of smelting or refining ore, could be derived from “water/ūrą,” so perhaps the Icelandic and Norwegian meanings are distantly related…but slag and rain are completely different concepts.

The Anglo- Saxon poem, written in Old English, refers to this rune as “auroch,” while the Icelandic poem refers to Ur as “rain,” and the Norwegian poem speaks of “dross/slag.”Īll of these are completely different things! Why you do dis, rune poems?! These words don’t even have the same roots! The Old English word for “auroch” and the Icelandic word for “rain” come from two different Proto-Germanic words, “ūruz” and “ūrą“ respectively, and from an etymological sense, these words are not related in a way we can currently trace. Though Ur has a stanza in each rune poem, the poems all contains a different meaning for this rune, making Ur one of the more complicated and nuanced of the runes.

Ur, often Uruz or Ura, is the second rune of the Elder Futhark and represents the u sound within the alphabet. The reindeer often races over the frozen snow.Īnd abomination of the shepherd. It is a very savage beast and fights with its horns Ī great ranger of the moors, it is a creature of mettle. The aurochs is proud and has great horns Meaning: “wild cattle” or “water” Original Text in Poems: One must be able to protect one’s self with all the sharpness of a thorn and the ruthlessness of a giant when it is time to pick up the hammer. When Thurizas appears, it is a warning and an ally, a call to arms. Though he is not mentioned specifically in any of the poems, Thurizas is often called “Thor’s Rune.” One can also not discount the similarity the word Thurizas bears to the son of Odin and wielder of Mjölnir, Thor. The Norwegian poem warns that “misfortune makes few men cheerful.” The J ötunn, the giants of Norse mythology, are proud and fierce and as mighty as the Aesir and Vanir with whom the Jötunn have a very complex relationship. The Icelandic poem specifically seems to be referencing one particular giant, calling Thurizas the “ torture of women and cliff-dweller and husband of a giantess” and “Saturn’s theign” (a theign being Old Norse for an attendant to the king). The Icelandic Poem and the Norwegian Poem both refer to Thurizas as a giant ( Þurs). A thorn is also a visible, if not a somewhat passive form protection: if you cut your hand on a thorn, well then you should’ve heeded the plant’s warning. The Anglo-Saxon Poem names this rune the thorn ( Ðorn), calling it “uncommonly severe” and “sharp.” According to the poem, Thurisaz is an “evil thing for any knight to touch.” Thorns are instruments of protection, grown by plants to ward away animals, and though the poem regards the thorn as evil, what is good for the plant is not always good for the beast. All three of the runic poems mention Thurisaz with warnings of giants and thorns they speak of “exceedingly sharp evil things” and the “anguish of women.” This is a powerful rune, an aggressive ally, and a violent force if not given proper attentions. Thurisaz is the third rune of the Elder Futhark and represents the d sound in the alphabet. Uncommonly severe on all who sit among them. Proto- Germanic Reconstructed Name: THURISAZ

9th rune elder futhark