thurs

Thurs is a term with roots in medieval Germanic languages, used in English to refer to a giant or ogre in Norse and related folklore. The word derives from the Old Norse þurs (plural þursar) and from Proto-Germanic roots such as *þursaz. In modern English, the plural form thurs may appear in scholarly or literary contexts, but it is not a common everyday term. The modern weekday name Thursday is etymologically unrelated to this usage, being named after the god Thor.

In Norse myth and folklore, þursar are large, humanoid beings classified among the giants (jötnar). They are frequently depicted as adversaries of the Æsir and Vanir, living in the realm of Jötunheimr and personifying primeval forces of chaos, wilderness, or frost. A subset of giants are described as frost giants, or hrímþurs, a term that emphasizes their association with cold and ice.

The term survives in Icelandic and other Nordic languages in historical and folkloric contexts, and it appears in English-language scholarship and fantasy writings to convey a generic giant or ogre. Usage varies by author, with some treating thurs as a specific type of giant within a broader mythic taxonomy, while others use it more loosely as a literary synonym for giants.

Related concepts include jötnar (the broader category of giants in Norse myth), hrímþurs (frost giants), and the broader Indo-European heritage of giant-figure myths. The word thurs is distinct from the weekday name Thursday and from the name Thor, though both share Norse roots in their cultural milieu.