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'Tyr' (Old Norse: ''Týr'') is the god of single combat and heroic glory in Norse mythology, portrayed as a one-handed man. In the late Icelandic Eddas, he is portrayed, alternately, as the son of Odin (Prose Edda) or of Hymir (Poetic Edda), while the origins of his name and his possible relationship to Tuisto (see Tacitus' Germania) suggest he was once considered the father of the gods and head of the pantheon.
Corresponding names in other Germanic languages are Gothic '''Tyz''' , Old English '''Tíw''' and Old High German '''Ziu''', all from Proto-Germanic '
★ Tîwaz'.
The Old Norse name became Old Norwegian ''Ty'', Old Swedish ''Ti'', while it remains ''Týr'' in Modern Icelandic and Faroese).

Contents

Origins

Tyr in the Edda

West Germanic Ziu / Tiw

Lexical traces

Tyr rune

Toponyms

Modern popular culture

References

See also

External links

Origins

The name ''Tyr'' meant "god" (cf. ''Hangatyr'', the "god who hung" (referring to when Odin hung in a tree for nine days) as one of Odin's names; probably inherited from Tyr in his role as judge and goes back to a Proto-Germanic 'Tîwaz', earlier 'Teiwaz', continuing Proto-Indo-European '
★ deywos' "god" (whence , and ). All of these words would be derived from the name of an hypothetical sky-god ''
★ Dyeus''.
The ''teiva'' of the Negau helmet inscription (2nd or 1st century BC) may be a direct reflection of the Proto-Germanic term, but this is uncertain.
Discounting the Negau helmet, the oldest attestation of the god is Gothic ''
★ teiws'', attested as ''tyz'', in the 9th century ''Codex Vindobonensis 795''^[1].
Tîwaz was overtaken in popularity and in authority by both Odin and Thor at some point before the Migration Age. In Eddaic myth Tyr's strength is considered comparable to Thor's.
There is sketchy evidence of a consort, in German named 'Zisa': Tacitus mentions one Germanic tribe who worshipped "Isis", and Jacob Grimm pointed to Cisa/Zisa, the patroness of Augsburg, in this connection. The name Zisa could be derived from Ziu etymologically.

Tyr in the Edda

According to the Edda, at one stage the gods decided to shackle the wolf Fenrisulfr (Fenrir), but the beast broke every chain they put upon him. Eventually they had the dwarves make them a magical ribbon called Gleipnir from such items as a woman's beard and a mountain's roots. But Fenrir sensed the gods' deceit and refused to be bound with it unless one of them put his hand in the wolf's mouth. Tyr, known for his great courage, agreed, and the other gods bound the wolf. Fenrir sensed that he had been tricked and bit off the god's hand. Fenrir will remain bound until the day of Ragnarök. As a result of this deed, Tyr is called the "Leavings of the Wolf".
According to the Prose version of Ragnarok, Tyr is destined to kill and be killed by Garm, the guard dog of Hel. However, in the two poetic versions of Ragnarok, he goes unmentioned; unless one believes that he is the "Mighty One".
In the ''Lokasenna'', Tyr is taunted with cuckoldry by Loki, maybe another hint that he had a consort or wife at one time.

West Germanic Ziu / Tiw

A gloss to the Wessobrunn prayer names the Alamanni ''Cyowari'' (worshipers of ''Cyo'') and their capital Augsburg ''Ciesburc''.^[2]
The ''Excerptum ex Gallica Historia'' of Ursberg (ca. 1135) records a ''dea Ciza'' a the patron goddess of Augsburg. According to this account, ''Cisaria'' was founded by Swabian tribes as a defence against Roman incursions. This ''Zisa'' would be the female consort of ''Ziu'', as ''Dione'' was of ''Zeus''.
The name of Mars Thingsus (''Thincsus'') is found in an inscription on an 3rd century altar found in Northumberland, thought to have been erected by Frisian mercenaries stationed at Hadrian's Wall. It is interpreted as "Mars of the Thing".

Lexical traces

Tyr/Tiw had become relatively unimportant compared to Odin/Woden in both North and West Germanic, and specifically in the sphere of organized warfare. Traces of the god remain, however, in Tuesday (Old English ''tíwesdæg'' "Tiw's day"; Old Frisian ''tîesdei'', Old High German ''zîestag'', Old Norse ''týrsdagr''), named after Tyr in both the North and the West Germanic languages (corresponding to ''Martis dies'', dedicated to the Roman god of war and the father-god of Rome, Mars) and also in the names of some plants: Old Norse ''Týsfiola'' (after the Latin ''Viola Martis''), ''Týrhialm'' (Aconitum, one of the most poisonous plants in Europe whose helmet-like shape might suggest a warlike connection) and ''Týviðr'', "Tý's wood", in the Helsingor Tiveden may also be named after Tyr, or reflecting ''Tyr'' as a generic word for "god" (i.e., the forest of the gods). In Norway the parish and municipality of Tysnes are named after the god.

Tyr rune

Main articles: Tiwaz rune


The ''t''-rune ᛏ is named after Tyr, and was identified with this god., the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is 'Tîwaz'. The rune is sometimes also referred to as 'Teiwaz', or spelling variants.
The rune was also compared with Mars as in the Icelandic rune poem:

:ᛏ ''Týr er einhendr áss'': ''ok ulfs leifar'': ''ok hofa hilmir.'': Mars ''tiggi.''

: Tyr is a one-handed god,: and leavings of the wolf: and prince of temples.

Toponyms

★ Thisted, Denmark - ''Tyr's Stead''.

★ Tiveden, Sweden - ''Tyr's Woods''

★ Tysnes, Norway - ''Tyr's Headland''

Modern popular culture

Although representations of Tyr are less common than those of Thor, Odin or Loki, Tyr is often referenced or appears as a warrior figure in many modern depictions, particularly those relating to high fantasy, usually most identifiable by his missing arm and lust for battle.

References

1. Grimm, ''Teutonic Mythology''
2. Peter Buchholz, ''Perspectives for Historical Research in Germanic Religion'', History of Religions, vol. 8, no. 2 (1968), 127.

See also

★ Germanic paganism

★ Indo-European religion

★ Mannus

★ Tuisto

External links

★ Grimm's Teutonic Mythology (English translation, chapter 9)

★ Tyr in Germanic Religion

★ Týr and Zisa by William Bainbridge

★ Týr Official Site A Viking Metal Band from The Faroe Islands