The Norse God Tyr
Over the last few weeks, we have taken a closer look at some of the greatest Gods in Norse mythology. As to this moment, we wrote about Thor, Frigg, and Baldur. Today, we continue our series with a story about a God who is not a superstar of Norse mythology. Yet, he is still one of the central figures of the Norse pantheon.
Týr is the Norse god of war, justice and sacred oaths, honoured above all for his courage. When the gods needed to bind the monstrous wolf Fenrir, only Týr was brave enough to place his hand in the wolf's jaws as a pledge of good faith, and lost it when the trick was revealed. The rune Tiwaz (ᛏ) is named for him.
Let us introduce you to Tyr, a mythological example of bravery and honor.
Tyr was one of the oldest Norse Gods and a fairly famous one for Scandinavian people and those in love with Norse mythology. There are some records that he was even the leader of all Norse Gods before Odin. He was a God of War and Justice. Due to his actions during the binding of Fenrir the Wolf, Tyr is often portrayed as the bravest among Aesir Gods. But, we will get back to this part a bit later.
Let us get our story rolling from the very beginning.
Tyr's Origins
We have to admit that Tyr is not among the most popular Norse Gods nowadays. We can blame Marvel movies for this (as he hasn't been included in their scenario so far) as well as a lack of written tales about him. If it weren't for Snorri's Prose Edda, we would have none of the written evidence of Tyr's importance today.
The lack of myths centered on Tyr inevitably comes as a surprise, as he was called the bravest of Norse Gods and "guarantor of justice." Moreover, he was the God who inspired courage and heroism in the Norse universe.
You would think that this kind of God will be a star figure in countless myths, and at some point, he most likely was. Unfortunately, as much of the Norse myths were passed down verbally, Tyr's legacy probably got lost over time.
Tyr's Role in Norse Pantheon
Many sources from the Viking Era and before show that Tyr was one of the main Gods of War, together with Thor and Odin. One of the poems of the Poetic Edda, Sigrdrífumál, tells how the human hero Sigurd is advised by the valkyrie Sigrdrífa on how to win a fight: carve victory-runes on the hilt of your sword, she says, and name Tyr twice. That is an instruction from a real poem, and it is the closest thing we have to a surviving rite for this god.
One thing to get right, because it trips up almost every article written about Tyr: the Poetic Edda is an anonymous collection. Snorri Sturluson wrote the Prose Edda, a different book two centuries later. Nearly everything we know about Tyr comes from Snorri. The Sigrdrífa passage does not.
In fact, even the Romans identified Tyr with their own God of War, Mars. The Romans' identifying Tyr with one of their principal gods is the additional evidence about Tyr's importance.
On the other hand, Tyr is far from being only a God of War. His primary role seems to have been a lawgiver and an upholder of justice. At first glance, war and law might look like entirely different things. However, those two are actually intertwined.
Both settle disputes. One does it with a blade, the other with a procedure, and the Norse took the second one seriously. The thing, their open-air assembly, was where a feud got argued out in front of the whole district instead of fought out in a field. That system only works for as long as a sworn oath means something, and Tyr is the god who stands behind the oath.
Tyr's Name
The word Tyr originates from Proto-Indo-European word *deiwós, and Proto-Germanic word Tîwaz, meaning "God."
The name of the main God of the Proto-Indo-European pantheon, Dyeus, also derives from the word deiwós. It is believed that Dyeus evolved into Tyr as the Germanic religion got separated from the Proto-Indo-European religion. This made Tyr the principal God of Norse mythology.
Keep in mind that Tyr as the original leader of the gods is an inference drawn from the etymology, not something any surviving text states. What the name does prove is his age. The same root gives Latin deus, Greek Zeus and Vedic Dyaus Pitar, so Tyr's name is cognate with the chief sky god of half the ancient world.
It is not connected to Odin's name, which you will sometimes read. Old English Woden comes from a separate Proto-Germanic root, *Wodanaz, closer in meaning to fury or inspiration. Two different words, two different gods.
Finally, we will choose to support the theory that Tyr was indeed a leader of Norse Gods, until being overtaken by Odin, the All-Father. It is up to you to choose which theory you believe in.
Tyrfing Is Not Tyr's Sword
Search for Tyr's weapon and you will be told he carried a magic sword called Tyrfing, forged for him by dwarves. He did not. This is worth correcting properly, because it is repeated on almost every page about him.
Tyrfing belongs to Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, a legendary saga with no gods in it at all. In that story King Svafrlami corners the dwarves Dvalinn and Durinn and forces them to forge the blade. They do, and they curse it as they hand it over: it can never be drawn without killing a man, it will be the cause of three great evils, and it will kill Svafrlami himself. All three come true.
The only thing tying it to the god is the first syllable of the name. No surviving source puts a named sword in Tyr's hand. What the sources give him instead is the rune, and the charm that goes with it.
Tyr's Family
Just like many aspects of Tyr's life, his patronage also remains unclear.
Skáldskaparmál, part of Snorri's Prose Edda, lists Tyr among the sons of Odin, which would make him a half-brother of Thor. But Hymiskviða in the Poetic Edda gives him a different father entirely: the giant Hymir, whose own mother the poem describes as a woman with nine hundred heads. Those two accounts cannot both be true.
No source names his mother. The claim you often see that it was Frigg is a modern guess with nothing behind it. And if Tyr really was the elder leader of the gods, the Odin parentage cannot stand either.
There are many other theories about Tyr and his family. Unfortunately, we will never be sure which one was really true.
Tyr's Role During the Binding of Fenrir
And finally, here we are. The most famous story about Tyr is the story about the binding of Fenrir. So, let's get started.
Fenrir the Wolf was a descendant of the God of Trickery and Mischief, Loki, and the giantess Angrboda. His birth was followed by a prophecy foretelling that he will eventually assist in the destruction of the whole universe. As Fenrir grew, so did his power.
Aesir Gods agreed that they have to contain him to stop the prophecy from being fulfilled. They decided to bind Fenrir. However, their first attempt to do so was not successful. With a single swift move, the Wolf quickly snapped the chain. The Gods tried once more using the shackles twice as strong, but Fenrir was simply too powerful to be contained.
The Gods were looking for a new way to imprison Fenrir when Odin dispatched the messenger underground to the master craftsmen of the black elves seeking their aid.
The dwarves agreed to craft a special shackle. They used six magical components to craft it: the beard of a woman, the root of a mountain, the sound of a cat's feet, the ligaments of a bear, the spit of a bird, and the breath of a fish. They made a chain as strong as iron and as smooth as silk. The chain strong enough to bind the powerful Fenrir.
The Wolf was enjoying attempts of the Gods to chain him as he got a chance to show off his immense strength. However, at first glance on the chains crafted by the dwarves, the Wolf started to doubt if he is going to be able to break free from those shackles. So, Fenrir demanded a show of good faith before allowing the Gods to chain him.
This is where Tyr's bravery comes in the first plan. As a show of good faith, Tyr offered to place his hand into Fenrir's mouth, guaranteeing that no harm will come to the Wolf. Fenrir accepted Tyr's offer, and the Gods were able to shackle him.
Fenrir tried to break free several times before realizing that he has been tricked. He wasn't able to break these chains. Filled with rage, the Wolf tore off Tyr's hand. This is how brave Tyr has sacrificed his hand for the greater good, for the safety of all Aesir Gods and the whole universe.
Snorri tells it in four lines, and the sting is in the last one:
When the Aesir enticed Fenrir-Wolf to take upon him the fetter Gleipnir, the wolf did not believe them, that they would loose him, until they laid Tyr's hand into his mouth as a pledge. But when the Aesir would not loose him, then he bit off the hand at the place now called "the wolf's joint"; and Tyr is one-handed, and is not called a reconciler of men.
Gylfaginning, Brodeur translation
Read that ending again. Not called a reconciler of men. The god of sworn oaths kept the gods' promise by breaking his own, and Snorri will not let him off for it. Tyr pays with his sword hand and still does not get to be the one who makes peace between people. It is the driest line in the Prose Edda, and most retellings quietly leave it out.
Other Gods hurried and tied up the chain to a huge rock, and so Fenrir, the fiercest of all wolves, was bound to that spot for all eternity. His howling was so loud that the Gods had to muzzle him. Finally, Fenrir would remain imprisoned until the events of Ragnarök.
Tyr's Death
Just as it has been foretold, Tyr's death came during Ragnarök, a series of events that will bring complete destruction to the whole Norse universe. Odin was the leader of the forces of light, while Loki led the forces of darkness. Gods clashed with all kinds of monsters and giants, and so the final battle between good and evil began.
Even though they were aware of their destiny, the Norse Gods bravely stood their ground and fought Loki's army. Each of the Norse Gods was matched on the field of battle with a creature of immense strength.
It was foretold that Tyr will fight Garm, the hell dog of the underworld, and indeed he was. Even though one-armed God fought bravely and managed to slay his foe, he suffered wounds that he could not recover from. This is how Tyr, God of War, and Justice met his demise.
Some historians believe that Garm and Fenrir are, in fact, the same figure. Fenrir's escape from his magical shackles is among the most important events that set Ragnarök in motion. This is why the historians believe that Tyr's destiny was to fight Fenrir during the final battle.
Nonetheless, even if Garm and Fenrir are not the same entity, they undoubtedly represent the same thing, the forces of darkness breaking free to bring the complete destruction to the nine realms.
Brave As Tyr, Wise As Tyr
Snorri gives Tyr the fullest character sketch he gets anywhere, and it is not only about courage:
Yet remains that one of the Aesir who is called Tyr: he is most daring, and best in stoutness of heart, and he has much authority over victory in battle; it is good for men of valor to invoke him. It is a proverb, that he is Tyr-valiant, who surpasses other men and does not waver. He is wise, so that it is also said, that he that is wisest is Tyr-prudent.
Gylfaginning, Brodeur translation
Two Old Norse compliments came out of his name: týhraustr, brave as Tyr, and týspakr, wise as Tyr. Thor got the thunder and Odin got the poetry. Tyr is the only one who became an adjective for good judgement.
Modern Influence
Just like Thor and Odin, Tyr also gives us one day of the week. As we have already mentioned, the Romans identified Tyr with their main war God, Mars. Nowadays, this connection can be found in the English language as a word Tuesday, originating from English Tiwesdæg, meaning Day of Tiw (Tyr). Furthermore, the name Tiwesdæg derives from the Latin Dies Martis, meaning the Day of Mars.
The Tiwaz rune (ᛏ) also got its name from Tyr. It is the runic letter matching Latin "T", and the Icelandic rune poem glosses it in three words: the one-handed god.
Even though Tyr has not appeared in the Marvel films, he has a place in Marvel Comics, drawn as a sword-carrying Asgardian with a list of superhuman powers. Worth saying plainly, because it leaks into a lot of mythology writing: that version is an invention. If you find a page giving Tyr a numbered strength rating, it is quoting a comic, not the Eddas.
Tyr's Story Recap
In any case, there is no doubt that Tyr has a vital role in Norse mythology. Tyr was a God of War and Justice, and the bravest of all Norse Gods. And not only that, but he was perhaps the leader of Gods before Odin.
Unfortunately, we have only a few surviving myths about this powerful Norse God nowadays. We will all agree that history was cruel towards Tyr's legacy and that he surely deserved more.
Feel free to let us know what you think about countless theories that surround Tyr's character in Norse mythology in the comments below.
Týr, FAQ
Who is Tyr?
Tyr is one of the oldest Norse gods, associated with war, law, justice and honour. Famous for his self-sacrifice in the binding of Fenrir, he embodies courage and the keeping of oaths, even at great personal cost.
Why did Tyr lose his hand?
To bind the wolf Fenrir with the fetter Gleipnir, the gods needed the wolf's trust. Fenrir demanded a hand in his jaws as surety. Only Tyr agreed, and when Fenrir found himself trapped he bit the hand off.
Which hand did Tyr lose?
Gylfaginning says only that Fenrir bit it off at the wolf's joint, meaning the wrist. It never specifies left or right. The claim that it was the right hand, or the left, comes from later retellings rather than from Snorri.
What is Tyr the god of?
Tyr is the god of war, justice, law and oaths. Unlike the battle-frenzy linked to Odin, Tyr represents the just, ordered and honourable side of warfare, and the binding force of a sworn promise.
Is Tyrfing Tyr's sword?
No. Tyrfing is the cursed sword of Hervarar saga, forged under duress by the dwarves Dvalinn and Durinn for King Svafrlami. It has nothing to do with the god beyond the first syllable of its name. No surviving source gives Tyr a named sword.
What is the Tiwaz rune?
Tiwaz is the rune named after Tyr, shaped like an upward-pointing arrow. It stands for victory, justice and self-sacrifice, and the Icelandic rune poem glosses it simply as the one-handed god.
Who is Tyr's wife?
The Eddas never name her. In Lokasenna, Loki taunts Tyr about a son he claims to have fathered with Tyr's wife, so she exists in the text but is left anonymous. Names attached to her online are guesses: Zisa comes from a much later Germanic tradition, and Skadi is Njord's wife, not Tyr's.
What animal represents Tyr?
None, in the sources. He is bound up with a wolf, but as Fenrir's victim rather than his patron, and the raven and the eagle belong to Odin. Any animal attached to Tyr in modern jewellery or tattoo copy is a recent invention.
How does Tyr die?
At Ragnarok, Tyr fights the monstrous hound Garmr, guardian of the underworld. The two mortally wound each other, and Tyr falls in the final battle alongside many of the other gods.
Keep exploring: Fenrir, whose binding cost his hand, the full Norse pantheon, write your name in runes (including Tiwaz, Týr’s rune), or shop warrior jewelry.