TURSAS

The god Tursas is a very ancient and also a very manifold deity.

There are many other varieties from his name: Iki-Turso (Eternal Turso), Turisas, Turras etc.

Some scholars have equated his name with the Scandinavian word thurs meaning giant. The character of Tursas is always malovelent. He has a dualistic function although this can be explained when looking closely at his nature.

First of all Tursas is always connected to water and the beach. He is the Lord of the Sea Shore with often a bearded figure of a walrus. He is the raiser of the water causing misfortune and accidents. In this character he was often seen as the son of the devil.

Tursas has a very prominent role in the Spell of the Projectiles and the Spell of the Nine Diseases and these are the functions by which we can explain his role as the War God. The spell Origin of the Projectiles tells how the first concrete and metaphorical arrows were made through the initial action of Tursas thus connecting him to weapons and war. In the spell Origin of the Nine Diseases Tursas is often the father of the demons. The Lady of the North (i.e. The lady of the Land of the Dead) is made pregnant by him in the sea. This is why Tursas was often regarded as the Demon of Diseases.

In these functions Tursas was connected to arrows and misfortunes like war and this made him the God of the War. As the War God Tursas also had a prominent role of the Demon of the Wound Fever.

The symbol of Tursas was an image of four arrows, The Heart of Tursas (see the picture below). This was used as a powerful symbol on various objects.