Týr

Týr is a god from old stories of the Germanic peoples, especially in Norse mythology. He is one of the Æsir, a group of powerful gods. One of the most famous stories about Týr is when he loses his right hand to a huge, scary wolf named Fenrir. This happens because the gods tied up Fenrir, and when he felt trapped, he bit off Týr’s hand.

Týr is often linked to the Roman god Mars, who is the god of war. Because of this link, old writings in Latin sometimes call Týr “Mars of the Assembly,” showing his role in meetings and decisions of ancient Germanic tribes. In fact, the day we call Tuesday gets its name from Týr, meaning “Týr’s day” in old Germanic languages.

Different stories tell us different things about Týr’s family. Some say he is the son of a giant named Hymir, while others say he is the son of the great god Odin. There are also hints that Týr might have had a partner, though not much is known about her. Because his name and the few stories about him suggest something deeper, some scholars think Týr might have been a very important god in the early beliefs of the Germanic people, even if he doesn’t show up as often in the tales we have today.

Name

In wider Germanic mythology, he is known in Old English as Tīw and in Old High German as Ziu, both stemming from the Proto-Germanic theonym *Tīwaz, meaning 'God'. Little information about the god survives beyond Old Norse sources. Týr could be the eponym of the Tiwaz rune (ᛏ), a letter of the runic alphabet corresponding to the Latin letter T.

The Old Norse theonym Týr stems from an earlier Proto-Norse form reconstructed as *Tīwaʀ, which derives – like its Germanic cognates Tīw (Old English) and *Ziu (Old High German) – from the Proto-Germanic theonym *Tīwaz, meaning 'God'. The name of a Gothic deity named *Teiws (later *Tīus) may also be reconstructed based on the associated rune tiwaz. In Old Norse poetry, the plural tívar is used for 'the gods', and the singular týr, meaning '(a) god', occurs in kennings for Odin and Thor. Modern English writers frequently anglicize the god's name by dropping the proper noun's diacritic, rendering Old Norse's Týr as Tyr.

The modern English weekday name Tuesday comes from the Old English tīwesdæg, meaning 'day of Tīw'. It is cognate with Old Norse Týsdagr, Old Frisian Tīesdi, and Old High German Ziostag (Middle High German Zīstac). All of them stem from Late Proto-Germanic *Tiwasdag ('Day of *Tīwaz'), a calque of Latin Martis dies ('Day of Mars'; cf. modern Italian martedì, French mardi, Spanish martes). This attests to an early Germanic identification of *Tīwaz with Mars.

The god is the namesake of the rune ᛏ representing /t/ (the Tiwaz rune) in the runic alphabets, the indigenous alphabets of the ancient Germanic peoples prior to their adaptation of the Latin alphabet.

A variety of place names in Scandinavia refer to the god. For example, Tyrseng, in Viby, Jutland, Denmark (Old Norse *Týs eng, 'Týr's meadow') was once a stretch of meadow near a stream called Dødeå ('stream of the dead' or 'dead stream'). Viby also contained another theonym, Onsholt ("Odin's Holt"), and religious practices associated with Odin and Týr may have occurred in these places. The forest Tiveden, between Närke and Västergötland, in Sweden, may mean 'Tyr's forest', but its etymology is uncertain, and debated. Tislund ('Týr's grove'), which is frequent in Denmark, or Tysnes ('Týr's peninsula') and Tysnesø ('Tysnes island') in Norway, show the god’s importance in the region.

Attestations

Roman era

Týr is an ancient god whose origins go back to very old times. Early writers sometimes linked him to the Roman god Mars because of his role in battle and strength.

One early writer, Tacitus, wrote about the gods the Germanic people worshipped. He mentioned gods similar to Mercury, Hercules, and Mars. Scholars believe these refer to Odin, Thor, and Týr. Another writer, Jordanes, said that the Goths believed Mars was born among them and was very important to them.

Old English

In Old English, the name for the Roman god Mars was sometimes changed to Tīw or Tīg. This name also appears in the word for Tuesday, tīwesdæg.

Viking Age and post-Viking Age

During the Viking Age, Týr was still remembered, though not as often as gods like Odin, Freyja, or Thor. Stories about him appear in old poems and books from that time.

In one poem, Týr helps Thor get a huge cauldron. In another, a wise woman teaches a hero special charms and mentions Týr. In a third story, the gods are having a feast when a troublemaker named Loki arrives. Týr, who had lost his right hand to a wolf named Fenrir, defends another god against Loki’s insults.

Later books also talk about Týr. They say he is very brave and helped trap Fenrir the wolf by putting his own hand in the wolf’s mouth as a promise. Because of this brave act, Týr is known as a promoter of peace between people. These stories also mention that Týr will face a big battle in the future during Ragnarök.

Archaeological record

Scholars think many old objects show the god Týr. For example, a gold piece from Trollhättan, Sweden, shows someone getting a bite on the hand from a beast, which might be Týr and the wolf Fenrir. Other similar pieces come from places like Haderslev, Denmark, and Hamburg, Germany.

During a time called the Viking Age, a stone in Sockburn, County Durham, England, might also show Týr and Fenrir. In 2019, a silver button found in Denmark is thought to show Týr fighting the wolf Fenrir.

Scholarly reception

Because of the meaning of Týr's name, scholars think he might have been a very important god in old Germanic stories, even though we don't hear much about him today. Some believe the great god Odin became more famous than Týr a long time ago and took over some of Týr's roles.

Scholars have also talked about a part in an old poem where runes are mentioned on swords. They say this might be about magic, but it could also just be a normal prayer calling on Týr, since he is known for fighting in the myths.

In popular culture

The god Týr has inspired many modern works. The English heavy metal band Black Sabbath named their 15th album Tyr after him, releasing it in 1990. There is also a folk metal band from the Faroe Islands called Týr (band).

Týr appears in several video games. In Age of Mythology, players can worship him as one of the minor Norse gods. He is also a playable god in the game Smite. In God of War and its sequel God of War Ragnarök, Týr is mentioned and appears. Additionally, in War Robots, Týr is one of the healer mechs players can use.