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(; Old Norse: , ) is a god in Germanic mythology, a valorous and powerful member of the and patron of warriors and mythological heroes. In
Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
, which provides most of the surviving narratives about gods among the Germanic peoples, sacrifices his hand to the monstrous wolf , who bites it off when he realizes the gods have bound him. is foretold of being consumed by the similarly monstrous dog during the events of
Ragnarök In Norse mythology, (; non, Ragnarǫk) is a series of events, including a great battle, foretelling the death of numerous great figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), natural disasters, and the submers ...
. The generally renders the god as ''Mars'', 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 as ( Latin 'Mars of the Assembly Thing">thing_(assembly).html" ;"title="nowiki/>thing (assembly)">Thing) on 3rd century Latin inscription, reflecting a strong association with the Germanic thing (assembly)">thing, a legislative body among the ancient Germanic peoples. By way of the opposite process of , Tuesday is named after (''s day'), rather than Mars, in English and other Germanic languages. In Old Norse sources, is alternately described as the son of the (in ) or of the god
Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...
(in ). makes reference to an unnamed and otherwise unknown consort, perhaps also reflected in the continental Germanic record (see Zisa). Due to the etymology of the god's name and the shadowy presence of the god in the extant Germanic corpus, some scholars propose that may have once held a more central place among the deities of early Germanic mythology.


Name

In wider Germanic mythology, he is known in
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
as and in Old High German as , all stemming from the Proto-Germanic theonym , meaning 'God'. Little information about the god survives beyond Old Norse sources. is the eponym of the Tiwaz rune (), a letter of the
runic alphabet Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, and for specialised ...
corresponding to the Latin letter ''T''. By way of the process of , the deity is the namesake of Tuesday (''s day') in Germanic languages, including English. Various place names in Scandinavia refer to the god, and a variety of objects found in England and Scandinavia seem to depict or invoke him.


Etymology

The Old Norse theonym stems from an earlier Proto-Norse form reconstructed as , which derives – like its Germanic
cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
s (
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
) and (Old High German) – from the Proto-Germanic theonym , meaning 'God'. The name of a Gothic deity named (later ) may also be reconstructed based on the associated rune '' tyz''. In Old Norse poetry, the plural is used for 'the gods', and the singular , meaning '(a) god', occurs in
kennings A kenning ( Icelandic: ) is a figure of speech in the type of circumlocution, a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English p ...
for
Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...
and Thor. Modern English writers frequently anglicize the god's name by dropping the proper noun's
diacritic A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greek (, "distinguishing"), from (, "to distinguish"). The word ''diacriti ...
, rendering Old Norse's ''Týr'' as ''Tyr''. The Proto-Germanic masculine noun ( ) means 'a god, a deity', and it probably served as a title that came to be associated with a specific deity whose original name is now lost. It stems from Proto-Indo-European , meaning 'celestial, heavenly one', hence a 'god' ( cf. Sanskrit: 'heavenly, divine',
Old Lithuanian Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.8 milli ...
: , la,
deus ''Deus'' (, ) is the Latin word for "god" or "deity". Latin ''deus'' and ''dīvus'' ("divine") are in turn descended from Proto-Indo-European *'' deiwos'', "celestial" or "shining", from the same root as '' *Dyēus'', the reconstructed chief g ...
'a god, deity'), itself a derivation from , meaning 'diurnal sky', hence 'daylight-sky god' (cf. sa, Dyáuṣ, grc, Zeus, la,
Jove Jupiter ( la, Iūpiter or , from Proto-Italic "day, sky" + "father", thus " sky father" Greek: Δίας or Ζεύς), also known as Jove (gen. ''Iovis'' ), is the god of the sky and thunder, and king of the gods in ancient Roman religion a ...
). The Germanic noun is further attested in the Finnic loanword , found as a
suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carry ...
in the deities and . The Romano-Germanic deity may also be related, although its origin remains unclear. Due to linguistic evidence and early native comparisons between and the Roman god Mars, especially under the name , a number of scholars have interpreted as a Proto-Germanic sky-, war- and thing-god. Other scholars reject however his identification as a 'sky-god', since was likely not his original name but rather an epithet that came to be associated with him and eventually replaced it.


Origin of ''Tuesday''

The modern English weekday name '' Tuesday'' comes from the Old English , meaning 'day of Tīw'. It is cognate with Old Norse , Old Frisian , and Old High German ( Middle High German ). All of them stem from Late Proto-Germanic ('Day of '), a calque of Latin ('Day of Mars'; cf. modern Italian ,
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, Spanish ). This attests to an early Germanic identification of with Mars.See discussion in and . Germanic weekday names for ''Tuesday'' that do not transparently extend from the above lineage may also ultimately refer to the deity, including Middle Dutch and , Middle Low German , and Old High German (modern ). These forms may refer to the god's association with the thing, 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 an
epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...
, ( 'thing-god'), frequently attached to Mars (), or simply by the god's strong association with the assembly.


T-rune

The god is the namesake of the rune representing (the Tiwaz rune) in the
runic alphabets Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, and for specialised ...
, the indigenous alphabets of the ancient Germanic peoples prior to their adaptation of the Latin alphabet. On runic inscriptions, often appears as a magical symbol. The name first occurs in the historical record as ''tyz'', a character in the
Gothic alphabet The Gothic alphabet is an alphabet used for writing the Gothic language. Ulfilas (or Wulfila) developed it in the 4th century AD for the purpose of translating the Bible. The alphabet essentially uses uncial forms of the Greek alphabet, wit ...
(4th century), and it was also known as or in Old English, and in Old Norse. The name of may also occur in runes as on the 8th century
Ribe skull fragment The Ribe skull fragment (DR EM85;151B in Rundata, also known as DK SJy39) is a section of human skull bone inscribed with runes and unearthed in 1973 in an archaeological excavation at Ribe, Denmark. It dates to circa 725 CE. Description The sku ...
.


Toponyms

A variety of place names in Scandinavia refer to the god. For example, , in Viby, Jutland, Denmark (Old Norse , ''s meadow') was once a stretch of meadow near a stream called ('stream of the dead' or 'dead stream'). Viby also contained another theonym, ("Odin's
Holt Holt or holte may refer to: Natural world *Holt (den), an otter den * Holt, an area of woodland Places Australia * Holt, Australian Capital Territory * Division of Holt, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Vic ...
"), and religious practices associated with Odin and may have occurred in these places. A
spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
dedicated to
Holy Niels Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
that was likely a Christianization of prior indigenous pagan practice also exists in Viby. may mean 'the settlement by the sacred site'. Archaeologists have found traces of sacrifices going back 2,500 years in Viby. The forest , between Närke and Västergötland, in Sweden, may mean 'Tyr's forest', but its etymology is uncertain, and debated. may refer to meaning 'god' generally, and so the name may derive from Proto-Indo-European , meaning 'the forest of the gods'. According to Rudolf Simek, the existence of a cult of the deity is also evidenced by place names such as (''s grove'), which is frequent in Denmark, or (''s peninsula') and ('Tysnes island') in Norway, where the cult appears to have been imported from Denmark.


Attestations


Roman era

While '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, receives mention in Latin texts by way of the process of , in which Latin texts refer to the god by way of a perceived counterpart in Roman mythology. Latin inscriptions and texts frequently refer to as Mars. The first example of this occurs on record in Roman senator Tacitus's ethnography : :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 the
Suebi The Suebi (or Suebians, also spelled Suevi, Suavi) were a large group of Germanic peoples originally from the Elbe river region in what is now Germany and the Czech Republic. In the early Roman era they included many peoples with their own names ...
sacrifice to Isis as well. ::: A.R. Birley translation These deities are generally understood by scholars to refer to (known widely today as ''Odin''), (known today widely as ''Thor''), and , respectively. The identity of the
"Isis" of the Suebi In Roman historian Tacitus's first century CE book ''Germania'', Tacitus describes the veneration of what he deems as an "Isis" of the Suebi. Due to Tacitus's usage of ''interpretatio romana'' elsewhere in the text, his admitted uncertainty, and his ...
remains a topics of debate among scholars. Later in , Tacitus also mentions a deity referred to as venerated by the
Semnones The Semnones were a Germanic and specifically a Suevian people, who were settled between the Elbe and the Oder in the 1st century when they were described by Tacitus in ''Germania'': "The Semnones give themselves out to be the most ancient and r ...
in a
grove of fetters A grove of Fetters (Old Norse: ''Fjöturlundr'') is mentioned in the Eddic poem "Helgakviða Hundingsbana II": : Helgi obtained Sigrún, and they had sons. Helgi lived not to be old. Dag, the son of Högni, sacrificed to Odin, for vengeance for ...
, a sacred grove. Some scholars propose that this deity is in fact . A
votive altar A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...
has been discovered during excavations at Housesteads Roman Fort at
Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...
in England that had been erected at the behest of Frisian legionaries. The altar dates from the 3rd century CE and bears the Latin inscription . In this instance, the epithet is a Latin rendering of Proto-Germanic theonym . This deity is generally interpreted by scholars to refer to . The goddesses referred to as and are otherwise unknown, but their names may refer to Old Frisian legal terms.See discussion in and . In the sixth century, the Roman historian Jordanes writes in his that the Goths, 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. Mierow translation


Old English

The Latin deity Mars was occasionally glossed by Old English writers by the name or . The
genitive In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...
also appears in the name for Tuesday, .


Viking Age and post-Viking Age

By the Viking Age, had developed among the
North Germanic peoples North Germanic peoples, commonly called Scandinavians, Nordic peoples and in a medieval context Norsemen, were a Germanic peoples, Germanic linguistic group originating from the Scandinavian Peninsula. They are identified by their cultural simila ...
into . The god receives numerous mentions in North Germanic sources during this period, but far less than other deities, such as
Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...
, Freyja, or Thor. The majority of these mentions occur in the '' Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from traditional source material reaching into the pagan period, and the ''Prose Edda'', composed by Icelandic
skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...
and politician
Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...
in the 13th century.


''Poetic Edda''

Although receives several mentions in the ''Poetic Edda'', of the three poems in which he is mentioned—, , and —only the incomplete poem, , features him in a prominent role. In , says that his father, , owns a tremendous cauldron with which he and his fellow gods can brew fathoms of ale. Thor and set out to retrieve it. meets his nine-hundred headed grandmother ("who hates him"), and a girl clad in gold helps the two hide from . Upon his return from hunting, 's wife (unnamed) tells that his son has come to visit, that has brought with him Thor, and that the two are behind a pillar. With just one glance, immediately smashes the pillar and eight nearby kettles. The kettle containing and Thor, particularly strong in its construction, does not break, and out of it the two gods stride. sees Thor and his heart jumps. The orders three headless oxen boiled for his guests, and Thor eats two of the beasts. tells 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. says that the god can take one of his oxen for bait; Thor immediately chooses a black ox, and the poem continues without further mention of . In , the valkyrie imparts in the hero Sigurd knowledge of various runic charms. One charm invokes the god : :'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 Dodds translation In , the gods hold a feast. Loki bursts in and engages in
flyting Flyting or fliting is a contest consisting of the exchange of insults between two parties, often conducted in verse. Etymology The word ''flyting'' comes from the Old English verb meaning 'to quarrel', made into a noun with the suffix -''ing''. ...
, 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 wolf Fenrir had recently ripped off the other while the wolf was being bound." Loki exchanges insults with each of the gods. After Loki insults the god , comes to '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. says that although he misses his hand, Loki misses , who is now bound and will remain so until the events of
Ragnarök In Norse mythology, (; non, Ragnarǫk) is a series of events, including a great battle, foretelling the death of numerous great figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), natural disasters, and the submers ...
.


''Prose Edda''

The ''Prose Edda'' sections and reference several times. The god is introduced in part 25 of the section 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 is ''ty''-valiant who surpasses other men and does not hesitate. He was so clever that a man who is clever is said to be ''ty''-wise. It is one proof of his bravery that the were luring Fenriswolf so as to get the fetter on 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 the refused to let him go then he bit off the hand at the place that is now called the wolf-joint
rist Rist is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Boy Rist, Norwegian officer and WWII resistance fighter * Charles Rist (1874–1955), French economist * Gilbert Rist (born 1938), Swiss academic * Johann Rist (1607–1667), German dra ...
and he is one-handed and he is not considered a promoter of settlements between people. ::: A. Faulkes translations (notes are by Faulkes) This tale receives further treatment in section 34 of ("The brought up the wolf at home, and it was only Tyr who had the courage to approach the wolf and give it food."). Later still in , High discusses 's foreseen death during the events of
Ragnarök In Norse mythology, (; non, Ragnarǫk) is a series of events, including a great battle, foretelling the death of numerous great figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), natural disasters, and the submers ...
: :Then will also have got free the dog Garm, which is bound in front of . This is the most evil creature. He will have a battle with Tyr and they will each be the death of each other. ::: A. Faulkes translation opens with a narrative wherein twelve gods sit upon thrones at a banquet, including . Later in , the skald god tells (described earlier in as a man from the island of ) how kennings function. By way of kennings, explains, 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 of provides skalds with a variety of ways in which to refer to , including "the one handed As", "feeder of the wolf", "battle-god", and "son of Odin". The narrative found in occurs in prose later in . Like in , appears here among around a dozen other deities. Similarly, appears among a list of in section 75. In addition to the above mentions, 's name occurs as a kenning element throughout in reference to the god Odin.


Archaeological record

Scholars propose that a variety of objects from the archaeological record depict . For example, a
Migration Period The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...
gold bracteate from Trollhättan, Sweden, features a person receiving a bite on the hand from a beast, which may depict and . A Viking Age hogback in
Sockburn Sockburn is a village and former civil parish to the south of Darlington in County Durham, England. It is situated at the apex of a meander of the River Tees, known locally as the Sockburn Peninsula. Today, all that remains of the village is an ...
,
County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly About North East E ...
, England may depict and . In a similar fashion, a silver button was found in Hornsherred, Denmark, during 2019 that is interpreted to portrait Týr fighting against the wolf .


Scholarly reception

Due in part to the etymology of the god's name, scholars propose that once 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 over in 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 "''the'' god", "Odin ... must have dislodged from 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." The passage above has resulted in some discourse among
runologists Runology is the study of the Runic alphabets, Runic inscriptions and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics. History Runology was initiated by Johannes Bureus (1568–1652), who was very interested in the lingu ...
. 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 English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, '' Tyr'', released in 1990, is named after . is featured in several video games, in Ensemble Studios' 2002 game ''
Age of Mythology ''Age of Mythology'' (''AoM'') is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on October 30, 2002, in North America and a week later in Europe. A spin-off from the '' ...
'' (spelled Tyr in the English version of the game) is one of nine minor gods Norse players can worship. (spelled Tyr in game) is also one of the playable gods in the third-person multiplayer online battle arena game '' Smite''. Týr is mentioned several times in Santa Monica Studio's 2018 game ''
God of War A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions. Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been po ...
'' and appears in its sequel '' God of War Ragnarök'', which was released in 2022. Týr (spelled Tyr) is one of the available healer mechs in Pixonic's '' War Robots'' (released as "Walking War Robots" in 2014). appears in the third season of the TV series ''
American Gods ''American Gods'' (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow. The book was pub ...
'' where he lives as a dentist under the name of Dr. Tyrrel. He is recruited by Mr. Wednesday (Odin) for the war against the New Gods.


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* — Clicking on the thumbnail will give you the full image and information concerning it. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyr Æsir Germanic gods Justice gods Killed deities Norse gods War gods Mars (mythology)