The most interesting part about putting some focused attention towards a rune each week, no matter how well I feel I understand it, is that each time they come around there is a slightly different lesson or point of focus that is revealed. As fate would have it, this week I happened to be reading some old folktales in my free time, and a connecting thread emerged between Thurisaz and these tales.
Disclaimer: My runic interpretations are based on the rune poems, word association, context I gather from folklore or sagas, and personal experience. This particular post is not an academic research paper.
To massively oversimplify the rune, Thurisaz is associated with thorns and Thurs (dangerous entities, while used interchangeably for Giant or Jotnar at times it is more specific to a harmful entity). As with any of the runes I spend some intentional study with, the focus or lesson is different each time, with this round bringing forward more of the “thorn” aspects.
In many stories, thorns are a barrier that often represents hardships, trials, darker magic, and a point of no return. In my meditations the thorns of Thurisaz took a more metaphorical form as well, representing all kinds of spiritual boundaries, crossings and warnings. Maybe they weren’t thorns at times, but it would appear in the form of a tree line, hedge, bridge, or other marker in a story that the main characters are warned to stay away from.
To be clear, Thurisaz was not the warning itself but rather the moment the warning manifests into a real consequence or transition. In the day to day, these barriers are truly not meant to be crossed and are best avoided. However, circumstances occasionally puts you in a situation in which you have no other choice but to cross over the thorns. When we do find ourselves amongst the thorns, Thurisaz reminds us that at the very least we should not linger.
In the rune poems, Thurisaz is referenced as a torment or pain that brings little joy. The sharp points of pain that these moments bring do nothing to bring us character or strength if we endure it, it is not that kind of challenge. If one finds themselves covered in thorns, it would be ridiculous to deny the pain inflicted upon them and act as if there is nothing there. The pain should be acknowledged, but it is not a state you wish to stay in. The message I get from this side of Thurisaz is “get up, don’t rest here in this state of being.”
It is in this message that I see the connection between Thurisaz and mental health struggles. During my week of Thurisaz I noticed an increase in my own anxiety and depression, and there were certain patterns I nearly fell into that would have been the equivalent of trying to lay down and camp right on the thorns. Thurisaz helped me see that while I should not pretend all was well, I shouldn’t let myself fall to the patterns that would prevent me from moving to a better place to recover.
I conclude my time with Thurisaz with a deeper understanding of one of the many ways it appears in my life and with a better relationship with that runic energy. No matter how comfortable I am with the runes, there is always another story for them to tell.
