The God Tyr

This god, in spite of many scholars who have claimed him as the original great god of the Germanic peoples, belongs to the same stratum as Donar and Wotan. The South Germans gave him the name Ziu, the North Germans Tiuz. The Scandinavians called him Tyr, and the Anglo-Saxons Tiw. It is generally admitted that all these Germanic appellations correspond to the Sanskrit fyaus, the Greek Zeus and the Latin Deus. If this is the case, then the Germanic names for the gods must derive from a common Indo-European name which began by simply signifying ‘divinity’. Later the name in many countries designated the sky god. Originally Tiw had been a god corresponding to the Indian Mitra, who was patron of the legal side of government, but with the gradual militarisation of Germanic society, he had gradually been restricted to the field of rules governing battle, at which time the Romans identified him with their Mars, and the Latin Martis dies (French Mardi) by transposition become the day of Tiw, Tuesday; and finally he was regulated to a position of very minor importance. In German the same god had a second name which was Things, and from which the German Tuesday, Dienstag, is derived.

Perhaps it is Tiw who is alluded to in a curious Latin inscription on a Roman altar discovered at Housesteads in England not far from Hadrian’s Wall. This altar dates from the third century and was erected by German soldiers serving with the Roman legions. It bears this Latin inscription: ‘Deo Marti Thincso et duabus Alaisiagis Bede et Fimmiline et numini Augusti Germani cives Tuihanti v.s.I.m. (votum solverunt libenter merito).’ That is: To the god Mars Thincsus and to the two goddesses Alaisiages Beda and Fimmilina and to the majesty of the divine Augusta the German citizens of Twenthe address this merited homage. (The province of Twenthe was north of the Rhine on the present frontiers of Holland and Germany.)

The epithet Thincsus shows that Tiw was seen as a Mars who presided over the thing, the assembly where discussions of the community are regulated according to law. It has been pointed out that Tiw’s spear is less a weapon than a sign of juridical power.

The two goddesses Beda and Fimmilina are quite unknown. The interpretation of their names and also of the term Alaisiages which applies to them both presents the greatest difficulties. But it is agreed that they were probably Teutonic goddesses.

Since Donar very early pushed Tiw into the background, Tiw occupies a very small place in German legend. Traditions about him are scarcely more abundant in the North. The name Tyr, however, occurs fairly often in Norse poetry. The skalds attempted to bring Tyr into the great family of Teutonic divinities. Some made him son of the giant Hymir, others said that he was the son of Wotan. He was supposed to be extremely brave and enterprising. It was often he who awarded victory to one of the sides engaged in combat. Thus it was prudent to invoke him when going into battle.

In one legend the poets give him the leading role, a tale which bears witness to the energy of his character. An oracle had warned the gods that the giant wolf Fenrir was one of their most dangerous enemies whom it would be wise to reduce to a state in which it could do no harm. They decided not to kill it — for that would be to soil consecrated ground — but instead to chain it up. Twice they had chains forged, but the wolf Fenrir had only to stretch himself in order to break them. Then they begged the dwarfs to fashion a chain which nothing could break.

Soon the dwarfs brought them a wondrous chain composed of six ingredients: the miaul of a cat, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, the tendons of a bear, the breath of a fish and the spittle of a bird. This chain was supple and soft as a silk ribbon and yet of a solidity which passed every test. The gods, now confident that they could bind Fenrir, threw him a challenge. Each of them, they said, had tried to break the chain and none had succeeded. They proposed that the wolf should have a try in order to show his strength.

But Fenrir was full of suspicion, fearing a trap. He did not wish to appear a coward, however, and consented to make the attempt, but on one condition: one of the gods must, he insisted, place a hand in his jaws. In case of trickery the hand would be bitten off. The Aesir exchanged glances. Knowing full well the trickery which had been planned, none was prepared to sacrifice a hand.

Tyr then calmly extended his right hand and placed it between the wolf’s jaws. The other gods bound Fenrir who then attempted to break the chain. But the more he struggled the tighter the bonds became. When they saw that his efforts were vain the gods began to laugh. Only Tyr refrained from laughter; for he knew what was coming. And indeed the wolf, understanding that he had been outwitted, bit off the god’s right hand at the wrist.

Thenceforth Tyr was one-handed. It is significant that Tiw’s most important appearance in mythology is in a matter of legal Contract. With Wotan, he forms a couple which is found elsewhere among the Indo-European peoples, the one-handed and the one-eyed, the man of law and the man of magical fury.


From the book Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology 1959, via Ron McVan


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