Jan
Strength and Power
In the modern English language, Strength and Power are words with a curious relationship. On rare occasion, they are used interchangeably. More often than not, they have different applications. There is a nuance of difference in their definition. For instance, you never hear of “powerful” armor or “strong” cannon. Armor is described as strong, and cannons are powerful. Likewise, a strong message differs from a powerful one.
If you think of it, Strength is the ability to hold, lift and withstand. Strength uses force where it stands. Power is the ability to project force outward. Here these terms correlate to Runic potencies. The nature of the Urus Rune can be defined as strength,. The Thurs Rune is raw power. If they could be described as having a motion and speed, Urus would stand in place and move up or down slowly. Thurs would project outward in a straight line with great speed and power. In man-to-man combat, Urus is the wrestling hold while Thurs is the straight punch.
The essence of these Runes is that which underlies Strength and Power, respectively. One can say that Strength is a manifestation of the Urus force and Power is the manifestation of Thurs.
A single word can be very descriptive of a Runic energy. Strength can be physical strength. It can also be intensity. Think of a strong odor, strong colors and strong opinions. Power talks of a force that is projective. Think of a powerful weapon, a powerful message and a powerful leader. Little nuances of language have their uses in understanding the Runes.
Do be careful. Sometimes a word can apply to one or more Runes but in a different capacity. We can use words to define things, but if we go too far a word can also obscure the thing it hopes to define.
