Týr

"Tyr" and "Tiwaz" redirect here. For the Anatolian sun-god, seeTiwaz (Luwian deity).For the rune, seeTiwaz rune.For other uses, seeTyr (disambiguation).

"Týr" byLorenz Frølich,1895

Týr(/tɪər/;Old Norse:Týr,pronounced[tyːr]) is a god inGermanic mythology,a valorous and powerful member of theÆsirand patron of warriors and mythological heroes. InNorse mythology,which provides most of the surviving narratives about gods among theGermanic peoples,Týrsacrifices his right hand to the monstrous wolfFenrir,who bites it off when he realizes the gods have bound him.Týris foretold of being consumed by the similarly monstrous dogGarmrduring the events ofRagnarök.

Theinterpretatio romanagenerally renders the god asMars,the ancient Roman war god, and it is through that lens that most Latin references to the god occur. For example, the god may be referenced asMars Thingsus(Latin'Mars of the Assembly [Thing]') on 3rd century Latin inscription, reflecting a strong association with the Germanicthing,a legislative body among the ancient Germanic peoples. By way of the opposite process ofinterpretatio germanica,Tuesdayis named afterTýr('Týr's day'), rather than Mars, in English and other Germanic languages.

In Old Norse sources,Týris alternately described as the son of thejötunnHymir(inHymiskviða) or of the godOdin(inSkáldskaparmál).Lokasennamakes reference to an unnamed and otherwise unknown consort, perhaps also reflected in the continental Germanic record (seeZisa).

Due to the etymology of the god's name and the shadowy presence of the god in the extant Germanic corpus, some scholars propose thatTýrmay have once held a more central place among the deities of early Germanic mythology.

Name

In widerGermanic mythology,he is known inOld EnglishasTīwand inOld High GermanasZiu,both stemming from theProto-Germanictheonym*Tīwaz,meaning 'God'. Little information about the god survives beyondOld Norsesources.Týris the eponym of theTiwaz rune(ᛏ), a letter of therunic alphabetcorresponding to theLatinletterT.

Various place names in Scandinavia refer to the god, and a variety of objects found in England and Scandinavia seem to depictTýror invoke him.

Etymology

The Old NorsetheonymTýrstems from an earlierProto-Norseform reconstructed as*Tīwaʀ,which derives – like its GermaniccognatesTīw(Old English) and*Ziu(Old High German) – from theProto-Germanictheonym*Tīwaz,meaning 'God'.The name of a Gothic deity named*Teiws(later*Tīus) may also be reconstructed based on the associated runetiwaz.InOld Norse poetry,the pluraltívaris used for 'the gods', and the singulartýr,meaning '(a) god', occurs inkenningsforOdinandThor.Modern English writers frequently anglicize the god's name by dropping the proper noun'sdiacritic,renderingOld Norse'sTýrasTyr.

The Proto-Germanic masculine noun*tīwaz(pl.*tīwōz) means 'a god, a deity', and probably also served as a title or epithet that came to be associated with a specific deity whose original name is now lost.It stems fromProto-Indo-European*deywós,meaning 'celestial, heavenly one', hence a 'god' (cf.Sanskrit:devá'heavenly, divine',Old Lithuanian:deivas,Latin:deus'a god, deity'), itself a derivation from*dyēus,meaning 'diurnal sky', hence 'daylight-sky god' (cf.Sanskrit:Dyáuṣ,Ancient Greek:Zeus,Latin:Jove).The Germanic noun*tīwazis further attested in theFinnicloanwordteivas,found as asuffixin the deitiesRunkoteivasandRukotiivo.TheRomano-GermanicdeityAlateiviamay also be related,although its origin remains unclear.

Due to linguistic evidence and early native comparisons between*Tīwazand the Roman godMars,especially under the nameMars Thingsus,a number of scholars have interpreted*Tīwazas a Proto-Germanic sky-, war- andthing-god.Other scholars reject however his identification as a 'sky-god', since*tīwazwas likely not his original name but rather an epithet that came to be associated with him and eventually replaced it.

Origin ofTuesday

The modern EnglishweekdaynameTuesdaycomes from the Old Englishtīwesdæg,meaning 'day of Tīw'. It is cognate with Old NorseTýsdagr,Old FrisianTīesdi,and Old High GermanZiostag(Middle High GermanZīstac). All of them stem from Late Proto-Germanic*Tiwasdag('Day of*Tīwaz'), acalqueof LatinMartis dies('Day ofMars'; cf. modernItalianmartedì,Frenchmardi,Spanishmartes). This attests to an early Germanic identification of*Tīwazwith Mars.

Germanic weekday names forTuesdaythat do not transparently extend from the above lineage may also ultimately refer to the deity, includingMiddle DutchDinxendachandDingsdag,Middle Low GermanDingesdach,and Old High GermanDingesdag(modernDienstag). These forms may refer to the god's association with thething(*þingsaz), a traditional legal assembly common among the ancient Germanic peoples with which the god is associated. This may be either explained by the existence of anepithet,Thingsus(*Þingsaz'thing-god'), frequently attached to Mars (*Tīwaz), or simply by the god's strong association with the assembly.

T-rune

Thet-runetakes its name from the deity.

The god is the namesake of the runeᛏrepresenting/t/(theTiwaz rune) in therunic alphabets,the indigenous alphabets of the ancient Germanic peoples prior to their adaptation of theLatin alphabet.On runic inscriptions,ᛏoften appears as a magical symbol.The name first occurs in the historical record astyz,a character in theGothic alphabet(4th century), and it was also known astīortirin Old English, andtýrin Old Norse.The name ofTýrmay also occur in runes asᛏᛁᚢᛦon the 8th centuryRibe skull fragment.

Toponyms

A variety of place names in Scandinavia refer to the god. For example,Tyrseng,inViby,Jutland, Denmark (Old Norse*Týs eng,'Týr's meadow') was once a stretch of meadow near a stream calledDødeå('stream of the dead' or 'dead stream'). Viby also contained another theonym,Onsholt( "Odin'sHolt"), and religious practices associated with Odin andTýrmay have occurred in these places. Aspringdedicated toHoly Nielsthat was likely a Christianization of prior indigenous pagan practice also exists in Viby.Vibymay mean 'the settlement by the sacred site'. Archaeologists have found traces of sacrifices going back 2,500 years in Viby.

The forestTiveden,betweenNärkeandVästergötland,in Sweden, may mean 'Tyr's forest', but its etymology is uncertain, and debated.Ti-may refer totýrmeaning 'god' generally, and so the name may derive from Proto-Indo-European*deiwo-widus,meaning 'the forest of the gods'.According toRudolf Simek,the existence of a cult of the deity is also evidenced by place names such asTislund('Týr's grove'), which is frequent in Denmark, orTysnes('Týr's peninsula') andTysnesø('Tysnes island') in Norway, where the cult appears to have been imported from Denmark.

Attestations

Roman era

WhileTýr's etymological heritage reaches back to the Proto-Indo-European period, very few direct references to the god survive prior to the Old Norse period. Like many other non-Roman deities,Týrreceives mention in Latin texts by way of the process ofinterpretatio romana,in which Latin texts refer to the god by way of a perceived counterpart inRoman mythology.Latin inscriptions and texts frequently refer toTýrasMars.

Týrequated with Mars in an 18th-century manuscript (ÍB 299 4to)

The first example of this occurs on record in Roman senatorTacitus's ethnographyGermania:

Among the gods Mercury is the one they principally worship. They regard it as a religious duty to sacrifice to him, on fixed days, human as well as other sacrificial victims. Hercules and Mars they appease by animal offerings of the permitted kind. Part of theSuebisacrifice to Isis as well.

A.R. Birleytranslation

These deities are generally understood by scholars to refer to*Wōđanaz(known widely today asOdin),*Þunraz(known today widely asThor), and*Tīwaz,respectively. The identity of the"Isis" of the Suebiremains a topic of debate among scholars.Later inGermania,Tacitus also mentions a deity referred to asregnator omnium deusvenerated by theSemnonesin agrove of fetters,asacred grove.Some scholars propose that this deity is in fact*Tīwaz.

Avotive altarhas been discovered during excavations atHousesteads Roman FortatHadrian's Wallin England that had been erected at the behest of Frisian legionaries. The altar dates from the 3rd century CE and bears the Latin inscriptionDeo Marti Thingso Et DuabusAlaisiagisBede Et Fimmilene.In this instance, the epithetThingsusis a Latin rendering of Proto-Germanic theonym*Þingsaz.This deity is generally interpreted by scholars to refer toTýr.The goddesses referred to asBedaandFimmileneare otherwise unknown, but their names may refer to Old Frisian legal terms.

In the sixth century, the Roman historianJordaneswrites in hisDe origine actibusque Getarumthat theGoths,an east Germanic people, saw the same "Mars" as an ancestral figure:

Moreover so highly were the Getae praised that Mars, whom the fables of poets call the god of war, was reputed to have been born among them. Hence Vergil says:

"Father Gradivus rules the Getic fields."

Now Mars has always been worshipped by the Goths with cruel rites, and captives were slain as his victims. They thought that he who was lord of war ought to be appeased by the shedding of human blood. To him they devoted the first share of the spoil, and in his honor arms stripped from the foe were suspended from trees. And they had more than all races a deep spirit of religion, since the worship of this god seemed to be really bestowed upon their ancestor.

C.C. Mierowtranslation

Old English

The Latin deityMarswas occasionally glossed by Old English writers by the nameTīworTīg.Thegenitivetīwesalso appears in the name for Tuesday,tīwesdæg.

Viking Age and post-Viking Age

By the Viking Age,*Tīwazhad developed among theNorth Germanic peoplesintoTýr.The god receives numerous mentions in North Germanic sources during this period, but far less than other deities, such asOdin,Freyja,orThor.The majority of these mentions occur in thePoetic Edda,compiled in the 13th century from traditional source material reaching into the pagan period, and theProse Edda,composed by Icelandicskaldand politicianSnorri Sturlusonin the 13th century.

Poetic Edda

Týramong the gods during the events ofLokasennaas illustrated byLorenz Frølich,1895

AlthoughTýrreceives several mentions in thePoetic Edda,of the three poems in which he is mentioned—Hymiskviða,Sigrdrífumál,andLokasenna—only the incomplete poem,Hymiskviða,features him in a prominent role. InHymiskviða,Týrsays that his father,Hymir,owns a tremendous cauldron with which he and his fellow gods can brew fathoms of ale. Thor andTýrset out to retrieve it.Týrmeets his nine-hundred headed grandmother ( "who hates him" ), and a girl clad in gold helps the two hide fromHymir.

Upon his return from hunting,Hymir's wife (unnamed) tellsHymirthat his son has come to visit, thatTýrhas brought with him Thor, and that the two are behind a pillar. With just one glance,Hymirimmediately smashes the pillar and eight nearby kettles. The kettle containingTýrand Thor, particularly strong in its construction, does not break, and out of it the two gods stride.

Hymirsees Thor and his heart jumps. Thejötunnorders three headless oxen boiled for his guests, and Thor eats two of the beasts.Hymirtells the two that the following night, "we'll have to hunt for us three to eat". Thor asks for bait so that he might row out into the bay.Hymirsays that the god can take one of his oxen for bait; Thor immediately chooses a black ox, and the poem continues without further mention ofTýr.

InSigrdrífumál,the valkyrieSigrdrífaimparts in the heroSigurdknowledge of variousrunic charms.One charm invokes the godTýr:

'You must know victory-runes

if you want to know victory. Carve them

into your sword's hilt, on the blade guards

and the blades, invoking Tyr's name twice.'

Jeramy Doddstranslation

InLokasenna,the gods hold a feast. Loki bursts in and engages inflyting,a contest of insults, with the gods. The prose introduction to the poem mentions that "Tyr was in attendance, even though he had only one hand because the wolfFenrirhad recently ripped off the other while the wolf was being bound. "Loki exchanges insults with each of the gods. After Loki insults the godFreyr,Týrcomes toFreyr's defense. Loki says that "you can't be the right hand of justice among the people" because his right hand was torn off by Fenrir, elsewhere described as Loki's child.Týrsays that although he misses his hand, Loki missesFenrir,who is now bound and will remain so until the events ofRagnarök.

Prose Edda

Týrsacrifices his arm toFenririn an illustration byJohn Bauer,1911.

TheProse EddasectionsGylfaginningandSkáldskaparmálreferenceTýrseveral times. The god is introduced in part 25 of theGylfaginningsection of the book:

High said: 'There is also an As called Tyr. He is the bravest and most valiant, and he has great power over victory in battles. It is good for men of action to pray to him. There is a saying that a man isty-valiant who surpasses other men and does not hesitate. He was so clever that a man who is clever is said to bety-wise. It is one proof of his bravery that theÆsirwere luring Fenriswolf so as to get the fetterGleipniron him, he did not trust them that they would let him go until they placed Tyr's hand in the wolf's mouth as a pledge. And when theÆsirrefused to let him go then he bit off the hand at the place that is now called the wolf-joint [wrist], and he is one-handed and he is not considered a promoter of settlements between people.

A. Faulkestranslations (notes are by Faulkes)

This tale receives further treatment in section 34 ofGylfaginning( "TheÆsirbrought up the wolf at home, and it was only Tyr who had the courage to approach the wolf and give it food. ").Later still inGylfaginning,High discussesTýr's foreseen death during the events ofRagnarök:

Then will also have got free the dog Garm, which is bound in front ofGnipahellir.This is the most evil creature. He will have a battle with Tyr and they will each be the death of each other.

A. Faulkestranslation

Skáldskaparmálopens with a narrative wherein twelve gods sit upon thrones at a banquet, includingTýr.Later inSkáldskaparmál,the skald godBragitellsÆgir(described earlier inSkáldskaparmálas a man from the island ofHlesey)howkenningsfunction. By way of kennings,Bragiexplains, one might refer to the god Odin as "Victory-Tyr", "Hanged-Tyr", or "Cargo-Tyr"; and Thor may be referred to as "Chariot-Tyr".

Section nine ofSkáldskaparmálprovides skalds with a variety of ways in which to refer toTýr,including "the one handed As", "feeder of the wolf", "battle-god", and "son of Odin".The narrative found inLokasennaoccurs in prose later inSkáldskaparmál.Like inLokasenna,Týrappears here among around a dozen other deities.Similarly,Týrappears among a list ofÆsirin section 75.

In addition to the above mentions,Týr's name occurs as a kenning element throughoutSkáldskaparmálin reference to the god Odin.

Archaeological record

An illustration of an image on a bracteate found in Trollhättan, Västergötland, Sweden. Drawing by Gunnar Creutz.

Scholars propose that a variety of objects from the archaeological record depictTýr.For example, aMigration PeriodgoldbracteatefromTrollhättan,Sweden, features a person receiving a bite on the hand from a beast, which may depictTýrandFenrir. A Viking AgehogbackinSockburn,County Durham,England may depictTýrandFenrir.In a similar fashion, a silver button was found in Hornsherred, Denmark, during 2019 that is interpreted to portray Týr fighting against the wolfFenrir.

Scholarly reception

Due in part to the etymology of the god's name, scholars propose thatTýronce held a far more significant role in Germanic mythology than the scant references to the deity indicate in the Old Norse record. Some scholars propose that the prominent god Odin may have risen to prominence overTýrin prehistory, at times absorbing elements of the deity's domains. For example, according to scholar Hermann Reichert, due to the etymology of the god's name and its transparent meaning of "thegod "," Odin... must have dislodgedTýrfrom his pre-eminent position. The fact that Tacitus names two divinities to whom the enemy's army was consecrated... may signify their co-existence around 1 A.D. "

TheSigrdrífumálpassage above has resulted in some discourse amongrunologists.For example, regarding the passage, runologists Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees say:

Similar descriptions of runes written on swords for magical purposes are known from other Old Norse and Old English literary sources, though not in what seem to be religious contexts. In fact very few swords from the middle ages are engraved with runes, and those that are tend to carry rather prosaic maker's formulas rather than identifiable 'runes of victory'. The call to invoke Tyr here is often thought to have something to do with T-runes, rather than Tyr himself, given that this rune shares his name. In view of Tyr's martial role in Norse myth, however, this line seems simply to be a straightforward religious invocation with 'twice' alliterating with 'Tyr'.

In popular culture

The 15th studio album by the Englishheavy metalbandBlack Sabbath,Tyr,released in 1990, is named afterTýr.

Týris featured in several video games.

• Týr(spelled Tyr in the English version of the game) is one of nine minor gods Norse players can worshipinEnsemble Studios' 2002 gameAge of Mythology
• Týr(spelled Tyr in game) is also one of the playable gods in thethird-personmultiplayer online battle arenagameSmite.
• Týr is mentioned several times inSanta Monica Studio's 2018 gameGod of Warand appears in its sequelGod of War Ragnarök,which was released in 2022.
• Týr (spelled Tyr in game) is one of the available healer mechs inPixonic'sWar Robots(released as "Walking War Robots" in 2014).

Sources

• Barnhart, Robert K.(1995).The Barnhart concise dictionary of etymology(1st ed.). New York, NY: HarperCollins.ISBN0-06-270084-7.
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• Dodds, Jeramy(2014).The Poetic Edda.Coach House Books.ISBN978-1-55245-296-7.
• Dumézil, Georges(1973) [1959].Les Dieux des Germains[Gods of the Ancient Northmen]. University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-03507-2.
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• McKinnell, John (2005).Meeting the Other in Norse Myth and Legend.D.S. Brewer.ISBN978-1-84615-414-0.
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• Orel, Vladimir E.(2003).A Handbook of Germanic Etymology.Brill.ISBN978-90-04-12875-0.
• Reichert, Hermann (2002). "Nordic language history and religion/ecclesiastical history I: The Pre-Christian period".The Nordic Languages: An international handbook of the history of the North Germanic languages.Walter de Gruyter. pp. 389–403.ISBN978-3-11-019705-1.
• Simek, Rudolf(1996).Dictionary of Northern Mythology(2007 ed.). D.S. Brewer.ISBN978-0-85991-513-7.
• Turville-Petre, Gabriel(1975) [1964].Myth and Religion of the North.Holt, Rinehart and Winston.ISBN978-0837174204.
• West, Martin L.(2007).Indo-European Poetry and Myth.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-928075-9.
• Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta Sofie; Schneider, Carolin (2008).Nomina im Indogermanischen Lexikon(in German). Universitaetsverlag Winter.ISBN978-3-8253-5359-9.

External links

• MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository)Illustrations of Týr from manuscripts and early print books.