Týr (Tīw, Ziu, Tīwaz) is known as the sky god and a god of war, after whom Tuesday is named (Tīw’s Day). He belongs to the family of the Æsir. However, his name stems from much older sources; from ancient Indo-European languages – we can compare it with the Latin dieus, meaning god. Since the plural of Old Norse tíwar also means gods, the name Týr could also simply mean god. Other sources, however, refer to “daylight” or “protector of covenants”.
The Proto-Germanic rune *teiwaz or *tīwaz belongs to the god Týr. In the Younger Futhark he is represented directly by the rune týr, to which the particular Norse and Icelandic poems are related.
At one time Týr may have been the chief god of the pantheon, the Heavenly Father, but over time his role diminished until he was completely replaced in his prominent position by Ódin. Yet he retained several important attributes and powers. Oaths were sworn in Týr’s name and assemblies, called things, were held to settle important matters and legal disputes. Hence the name Mars Thingus since the Romans applied the Roman interpretation (the so-called interpetatio romana) to the Germanic gods.
Snorri still describes him as the god of warriors, who is worth invoking before battle, as he decides victory. Hermodsson points to numerous inscriptions from Housestead near Hadrian’s Wall, dedicated to a god called Mars Thingus. The inscription was left there by Germanic soldiers who served in the Roman legions.
At least one of Týr’s parents is a giant. We know the name of his father, the giant Hymir, who owns a huge cauldron. Thor and Týr secretly go to get the cauldron, so that the sea god Aegir can brew beer for the feast of the gods. From this perspective, it might seem like a story in which a bunch of teenagers are going to rob their father’s beer supply in the garage. If Týr’s family are giants, that puts him in the older generation of gods. Týr’s grandmother even has 900 heads! Týr’s mother is golden and has white eyebrows. In Skáldskaparmál (‘The Language of Poetry’), Snorri claims that Týr’s father is Odin, which may be a later attempt by Snorri to arrange all the gods under Odin and make him an Allfather. Týr has a wife who could be the goddess Zisa, so they would form a couple named Ziu and Zisa. The father of Týr’s son, however, is Loki (at least according to Loki).
The most famous myth associated with Týr is the one involving the wolf Fenrir. He is one of Loki’s descendants, along with Hel and the serpent Midgardsormr. When the gods received a prophecy that these three monsters posed a future threat, they decided to get rid of them. They threw the serpent into the sea, gave Hel control of the underworld, and decided to raise the wolf in Asgard. As the wolf grew, he became more and more powerful and dangerous. So, it was decided that he must be chained. The gods set it up as a game, but the wolf demanded that one of them put his hand in his mouth as collateral. And it was Týr who sacrificed himself for the good of others. He was also chosen to do it because he was Fenrir’s foster father. Thus, he had formed the closest relationship with him of all, and therefore it was his duty to make this sacrifice. When Fenrir discovered that he had been deceived, he closed his jaws and bit off Týr’s hand. Since then, Týr, the god of war, vows, assembly, and law, has been missing one hand. Some outright claim it was the right hand, so the god of right is missing his right hand which could be the allegory of the blind justice.
On a psychological level, Týr is the symbol of the paladin, the honest man who keeps his word, follows a certain moral code, and can be relied upon. That is why people still wonder how it is possible that he lied. How is it that oaths are sworn in his name when he broke his own? This story shows that the ancient Norse were aware of the existence of what we might now call a higher principle. When a child adopts social norms, do’s, and don’ts, he tends to understand them in absolute terms – such as “never lie, never steal etc.”. There are situations where obeying a prohibition or law would cause even greater evil than breaking it. Nor can we reduce the escalating situation between the gods and the wolf to a mere “the ends justify the means” rule, since it was Týr who was closest to Fenrir of all the gods. He therefore made his sacrifice not only on the physical plane, but also on the spiritual one. That is why his deed is considered a heroic act. Perhaps that is why his opponent at Ragnarök will not be Fenrir, but the dog Garm, as having to face his foster son would be much too cruel.
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S. Sedlakova, Brno, CZE
