Tiwaz Rune Meaning — the God Týr and the ᛏ Rune Explained
Tiwaz (ᛏ) is the seventeenth rune of the Elder Futhark and it means "the god Týr" — the one-handed god of war, justice and the oath. It carries the sound t and appears in all three historical futharks: as Tiwaz in the Elder Futhark, Týr in the Viking-Age Younger Futhark, and Tir in the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc.
ᛏ
What does Tiwaz mean?
The rune is named for Týr, one of the oldest attested gods in the Germanic pantheon — his name derives from the same ancient root that gives Latin deus and Greek Zeus. Týr was the god of war, justice, and above all the binding oath: he is best known for placing his hand in the wolf Fenrir's mouth as a pledge of good faith while the other gods bound the beast, and losing the hand when the gods refused to release Fenrir afterward. The Norwegian rune poem calls him "the one-handed of the gods" and the Icelandic poem calls him "the wolf's leavings" — both direct references to that story. Read more in our profile of the Norse god Týr.
The Old English tradition renamed the rune Tir and shifted its sense from the god himself to a guiding star — "a sure sign" that "never fails," likely a reference to the pole star, prized for reliable navigation. The underlying association with steadfastness, victory and keeping faith carried through both readings, even as the literal image changed from a god to a star.
Tiwaz in the three rune poems
Týr er æinendr ása; opt værðr smiðr blása.
"Tyr is the one-handed of the gods; often the smith must work the bellows." — Norwegian Rune Poem, c. 13th century
Týr er einhendr áss ok ulfs leifar ok hofa hilmir.
"Tyr is the one-handed god, the wolf's leavings, and the lord of temples." — Icelandic Rune Poem, c. 15th century
Tir biþ tacna sum, healdeþ trywa wel wiþ æþelingas; a biþ on færylde ofer nihta genipu, næfre swiceþ.
"Tir is a sure sign; it keeps faith with princes, ever on its course above the mists of night, and never fails." — Old English Rune Poem, c. 8th–9th century
The two Norse poems both point directly to Týr's myth — his missing hand and his place among the "wolf's leavings" — while the Old English poem drops the god entirely in favor of a star that "never fails," carrying the same quality of unwavering reliability from a one-handed god to a fixed point in the night sky.
How to write Tiwaz
Tiwaz stands for the sound t. Any name or word containing a T will use ᛏ when transliterated — try it in our free rune translator, which writes your name in the Elder, Younger or Anglo-Saxon rows and lets you download it as a poster. The full texts of all three rune poems, with our translations, are on the same page.
Tiwaz, victory and the warrior's oath
Because of Týr's associations with justice, victory and keeping faith, Tiwaz became the rune associated with martial luck: the Poetic Edda's Sigrdrífumál instructs a warrior seeking victory to carve "victory runes" on a sword hilt and invoke Týr's name twice. You can read every rune in order in our Elder Futhark rune meanings guide, and runic inscriptions appear across our Viking jewelry collection.
Tiwaz FAQ
What does the Tiwaz rune mean?
Tiwaz (ᛏ) is the seventeenth rune of the Elder Futhark and means "the god Týr," the one-handed Norse god of war, justice and the oath. Its sound value is T, and in the Old English tradition it became Tir, a guiding star.
Why is Týr called "one-handed"?
Týr placed his hand in the jaws of the wolf Fenrir as a pledge of good faith while the other gods bound the beast. When the gods refused to free Fenrir, the wolf bit off Týr's hand — a story directly referenced in the Norwegian and Icelandic rune poems.
What letter does Tiwaz represent?
The consonant T. Its Younger Futhark form is Týr and its Anglo-Saxon Futhorc form is Tir, meaning "star."