Tyr is the ancient god of War and the Lawgiver of the gods. The bravest of the gods, it is Tyr who makes the binding of Fenrir (Myth 7) possible by sacrificing his right hand. At one time he was the leader of the Norse Pantheon, but was supplanted by Odin much later.
Tyr also seems to be a god of justice. His name is derived from Tiw or Tiwaz an Tacticus and other Roman writers have equated this character to Mars, the receiver of human sacrifice. His day is Tuesday.
Tyr was the son of Odin though in Myth 17 he is made out to be the son of the giant Hymir. Like Odin, he has many characteristics of the earlier Germanic gods of battle. Parallels in other mythologies along with archaeological discoveries relating to a one-handed god, suggest that this character is very old and was known in Northern Europe somewhere between one and two thousand years before Snorri Sturluson included it in his Prose Edda. Similarities can be found in the one-handed Naudu in Irish mythology and in Mitra, just god of the day, of Indian mythology.
constantinus
Tyr was the head of the Germanic pantone and friend the grate wolf while it was a puppy so tyr was also the most trusted of the gods and he had to not only sacrifice his othing hand but a friend as well.
May thought and memory tell of a grate day
e rockmen
I THINK TY’R IS THE BEST GOD BECAUSE the sacrificed his right hand to fenrir. he is god of justice, lawgiver,and war.
Ryan
My ancestors come from Norway and i am really into my home countrys pride tyr is my favorite god by far he is the bravest and most fearless god which i think gives him a lot of respect and can make people want to be just as fearless
Andraste
Ryan, since Teutates is a gallic/gaulish god who is equated wth Tyr..
and Aesus stated as a avatr/ another version of teutates… Could aesus also be equated with Tyr?
I’m thinking of Tyr as a Sky God….not as a god fo wajustice, law& war…
Matthew
A little off the subject, but something I’ve been struggling with: I was raised Lutheran, but as far back as I can recall, I have felt like there was more, or something was missing from the Christian religion. My father’s family is northern German and my mother’s side is Swedish – I can feel in my heart the love and affinity for the Scandinavian people and their gods. I knew what it was before I could even express it, but a part of me feels like a traitor to the religion I was raised in. At the same time, I feel my blood’s religion is that of my ancestors. Does anyone else struggle with this?
Sometimes I wonder if Odin, Thor, Freya, Tiu and the pantheon of my ancestor’s gods are what the early Christians describe as angels or the lesser gods. No answers here, but its been gnawing at me for years.
Susan
Hi Matthew,
Many of my friends who grew up Christian struggle at some time or another with these kind of feelings. Be true to who you are and the god/s you feel aliegned to. You can’t go far wrong. Never let anybody force you into a belief system, be it Heathenism or Christianity, that is wrong for you. Spitituallity is more inportant than religion anyway. X
Ted
A lot of us struggle with that. Our options have been limited, long before we were born. A thousand years ago after King Olaf converted to Christianity, he put to the sword anyone who stayed loyal to the old gods. Over the next seven hundred years, the rest of us got the message too, as followers of minority religions (Jews, Cathars, witches) were burned alive or otherwise executed horribly. They don’t need to do that much anymore because there’s so few of us left, so Christians can afford to be magnanimous and say “That was then, now we’re nicer”
It would be a lot easier to be a pagan today if in every downtown there was a Temple of Diana and a Great Hall of Odin, with big parking lots, child care, Pagan Singles study groups, and church suppers with mead and roast venison!
Jon
Would just like to point out that Christianity were hunted from the very first moment they rallied to jesus Christ’s resurrection. Saul hunted them down personally and slaughtered many until he converted and became Paul. Rome, Nero had Christians captured to be fed to lions and used as torches to light his walk ways in his bath house. Major flaw was that all bibles and lessons in the catholic church were in latin, majority of people didn’t know latin…. so the pope and priests could do and say whatever they wanted. There is a reason the reformation happened to get back on the right track. I would say its easier to be pagan then be a Christian in these days. Majority of countries around the world Christians are being pulled out of their homes and being beheaded. Thankfully in the USA we don’t have that yet, but a majority of people don’t like Christians and even hate. as it was prophesied.
Ragnar Lodbrok
Ever since the Christians came along and proclaimed their one true God there has been killing in his name! Why wouldn’t they be hated? I grew up in a Christian home, but I never bought into their “one true God” crap! Frankly speaking I have never met a single Christian who wasn’t a bigoted hypocrite so pardon me if I don’t feel sorry for any of them! Our Gods were subjugated to being mere myths because the Christians wanted to rule the world and would kill anyone who didn’t believe in their religion! Anyone who is different in any way was beaten into conversion and murdered at sword point if they wouldn’t! Christians need to take a look at their true history before claiming their supposed loving God leads them! Why did their loving God allow them to murder innocent people in the name of their fake savior??? In my opinion the only good Christian is a dead one! I’m Norse through and through and I am faithful to my Gods who have given me the strength to make it through a great deal of adversity and come out unscathed on the other side! If my opinion offends I apologize for the offence, but not for feeling the way I do! Hail the All-Father!!! Hail to the Gods of my ancestors!!!
J
RL,
Got news for you, and you should know unless your were taught wrong as well, Christ never asked to kill in his name. He asked to spread his faith in peace. Why Reformation took place. Martin Luther had his faults though which were many. But, if you read his words, true words, not once he ever asks his followers to spread his word by fire and sword. That is man taking it upon himself to spread his word by a different creed.
If you wish to bring up the Temple, yes Jesus got angry, they turned his Father’s house into a money changing laundering scheme. People have to read the book for themselves. Quit depending on some half baked person who decides they are going to be a pastor with little to no education in the Bible, and decides to preach the Word. Read and study for yourself so you know when you are being misled. Knowledge is the greatest power you can give yourself. Good luck
Open minded.
RL,
It’s just as hypocritical of you to paint all christians with the same brush.
I used to think the same way, in my experiences as a gay woman negativity and hate was all I knew of christians until I met my partners family, all of them christians and all the most kind, loving, accepting and non judgmental people I’ve ever met.
I also used to think why would god let such bad things happen if he is so benevolent, but if the christian god is real, he gave man free will, its up to man what they do with that free will. And let’s be honest, how many people did Vikings murder, rape and pillage the homes of, in the name of their gods? All religions have their ‘true believer’ nutcases that think killing others for not having the same beliefs is the righteous thing to do. I think it’s hypocritical and bigoted to say just because you don’t believe in it, your way is better than others, it’s not, it’s just different and it’s ok that it’s different, it is not however ok to say other belief systems are wrong (just like the christians you are so vehemently complaining about)
It’s reasoning like yours that causes religious tension and tacking on ‘no offence’ on the end doesn’t change that.
The whole point of god/s and religion is to give people peace of mind and to create bonds of love and acceptance without judgement.
So maybe practice what you preach.
Nick
The Norse peoples actually incorporated their pagan religion into Christianity by claiming that Ragnarok had already happened, that the Norse gods were dead and Yahweh is the new god.
B.Foley
I too struggle. I hear Jesus in in calm of the wind … but hear TYR in my thoughts. I struggle. But I know Jesus will accept when I rage – when TYR fills my soul. I am a from both … I hate injustice … TYR makes it so … Jesus helps me go on… I wish I was not alone.
Meo
I agree with you. As a Christian and a believer of Yahweh, I have always thought of gods like Tyr, Odin, Freya, and so on as lesser gods, angels, or even demons. I’m currently taking a myth and legends class to understand more about these “lesser gods”, and as I research this more and more, it makes more sense to me.
There is no harm in learning and thinking about these things, it’s normal to be curious about the spiritual world. When it comes to family tradition and religion, I believe that there shouldn’t be so much pressure when one wants to expand their knowledge. At some point we need to make a choice on what we really believe in, and that tests all of us on who we really are and what people we should really be around..
I realized I am commenting on this 6 years later, but I related to your comment, and I felt like I needed to reply.
Have a wonderful day 😀
Andraste
SInce teutates is the Gaulish equivalent of Tyr…
( in his sky god,, father of the gods( original ) & war attributes)..
And Aesus began as a another version of Teutates…
Could Aesus be compared to Tyr in some way?
Curious
Loki
To Andraste,
Esus (Hesus) appears as the “Mars” of a grouping of three Celtic gods, Taranis (holding a lightning bolt), Teutates (being referred to as Mercury) and Esus (having an axe). If put into the Norse format, this might be Thor, Odin and Tyr, by equivalent. Yet, it is Tyr that is tied to Teutates, right?
More curious is the more Celtic characteristics, despite having an Indo-European name. Nodens (also called Nudd and Nuadha) has most of the same back story, in each of the separate Celtic cultures He features, as Tyr. Loss of the sword hand, loss of the right to rule, has a strong affinity for hounds and is associated with the Mars image. Njordr, Lir and Aegir (also called Hler in some texts; whose brothers were Logi (fire) and Ka’ri (wind)) all have connecting features, though their stories make them separate entities.
So far, no Tyr, Sky God of War, yet like the Roman Mars, war was not the primary quality, believe it or not. Mars was a protector, yes, but also a farmer’s god, bringing life to the crops and strength to the cattle. He was also the hunter’s god, guiding in finding good prey and avoiding the predators. He would be the modern police-force god, too, married to Nerine, Virtue, and dedicated to bringing hard-earned peace.
Perhaps, there is a connection. Tyr would have been the sea-farer’s god and the original clan chieftain of the Aesir, bound by the “Old Law”. He might have been an ancestoral Leader archetype, just and wise (just as they called Njordr). Njordr’s marriage to Skadi (the goddess whose name lives on in Scandinavia) and his veneration by fisherman would be a good fit with a deposed King god of the north men.
Andraste
Loki, You’ve brought up some good points..
I’ve seen something different in the pictures of Taranis than you have..
you say that he’s holding a lightning bolt in his left hand..
this looks more like a upside down hammer to me..
As for the connection between Teeutates & Tyr could be more than just war….
Teutates also is a Ancestor , Weather,Sky, Communication God
Also,he is associated with the arts…
Couldn’t Tyr ( or Tiwaz …as i’m more comfortable with calling him), have a association with these attributes?
Since,Tyr sacrificed his right hand to Fenrir…..Would Tyr also be a patron god fro anyone who is Left handed?
Jay potts
Did any of the gods lose their left hand? Curious.
Ty
What was his favorite color?
Norman
It was flurbik. Flurbik is just above purple on the spectrum so it’s not visible which is why no one has ever heard of it or seen it… except Tyr, when he makes reference to it in Myth #420, the one where he meets up with Robert Johnson at the crossroads and teaches him how to slay demons with a block of wood and 6 thin metal wires.
kevin b
Actually, most of the early Christian martyr stories are pure mythology. During that 300 year period between the beginning of Christianity and Edict of Milan there were 10–12 scattered years when Christians faced some persecutions, but nothing like you have seen in movies or television (i.e. no Christians were ever “fed to the lions” in the colosseum).
The Romans generally allowed the worship of any and all gods and had particular respect for older gods. They saw the worship of the gods as a civic duty that led to the better good for Rome.
Early Christians were viewed as a Jewish mystery cult (many mystery cults existed in Rome). However, what made the early Christians stand out was their hostility towards other gods and their pre-occupation with martyrdom.
Nero attempted to scapegoat Christians for the fire in Rome and the emperors Decius and Diocletian took actions against “disloyal Romans” (although not directly aimed at Christians).
After the Great Fire in Rome in 64 CE, many people blamed the new sect of Christians for setting it and Nero, needing a scapegoat, executed a number of Christians in the city of Rome. Many scholars believe that the “666” in Revelation refers to Nero.
The Decian persecution resulted from an edict issued in 250 by the Emperor Decius ordering everyone in the Roman Empire to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods and the well-being of the Emperor. Many Christians refused to and some were martyred as a result. The edict was in force for only a year.
Emperor Diocletian (284-305) was a believer in traditional Roman religion and believed that many of the new religions (not just Christianity) weakened the Empire.
Diocletian issued an “Edict against the Christians” in 303 CE and a number of Christians were persecuted under it. Diocletian retired shortly thereafter and the edicts lapsed. In 311 Christians were guaranteed the right to worship by the Edict of Toleration.
It didn’t help that early Christians developed a passion for martyrdom. To the early Christians suffering demonstrated both the piety of the martyr and the authenticity of the religion itself, and besides, it earned you an immediate, first-class seat in heaven.
For instance, in the 2nd Century CE a mob of Christians turned up at the door of a Roman official in Asia Minor, demanding to be martyred, only to be turned away when he couldn’t be bothered to oblige them.
There are numerous accounts in the Roman records of Christians basically insisting that the Roman magistrates order their martyrdom, and the Roman officials doing everything in their power to avoid doing so.
Most of the “martyr stories” were concocted in the 4th Century after Christianity became the religion of Rome.
L.J.
I am/have growing/grown up in a Christian family. I didn’t know about many religions. Once I started looking at the many kinds of religions, I felt torn. My family wants me to be Christian, but I don’t know. There is more to the “mythology” religions than myths. I believe in a lot of the “mythology” religions. I have been looking more and more at the “mythological” religions because of projects I have to do for school, and now, I don’t know what to believe in. I don’t want to let my family down, but I also don’t want to be forced into believing in Christianity. The “mythological” religions make more sense to me. How could one god rule everything? There are so many things that I have been taught, that I am starting to become confused. You have the Roman, Greek, Norse, etc. gods and goddesses who ruled their own thing. In Christianity though, only one god rules everything. The Greeks have at least 70 gods and goddesses. How can one person alone rule that many things? How do I deal with this?
Norman
You deal with this… very carefully and mindfully 🙂 Whatever one claims to “believe” does not change reality. It is what it is. Christians, Pagans, Muslims, Jews, etc… we are all just people, perceiving a world/creation that is beyond our comprehension. Some attempted to put the indescribable into words and we ended up with Gods and religions, none of which are more/less important or more/less real than the others. Embrace them all. Take care of your body. Pay attention. Don’t worry about what others think. Meditate… What is God? What am I?
sobersubmrnr
Have you discussed your confusion with your family or Pastor? Do you have a youth pastor or older Christian adult outside your family you can discuss this with? Please try one or more of those options. Those people are there for you.
Another thing you can do is read your Bible and pray about what you read. Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Sincere prayer works. You’ll hear His still, small voice. He’ll cause verses in the Bible to jump out at you. He’ll send people to tell you things. You won’t be ignored or abandoned.
As for how only one God can rule everything, that’s easy. He created everything. He is so huge, so powerful, so omnipresent that He can easily see everything and do anything. He’s an infinite God with no beginning or end.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8
All the best to you, L.J.
Ryan
I saw some comments on how Tyr was Fenrir’s friend, and binding he lost both hand and friendship. There was one story I heard, that because of the friendship he tried to stand up for him for Justice. Then for doing so his hand was not sacrificed, but cut off and feed to Fenrir as punishment. I’m new to trying to find authentic lore of Norse gods, so I’m not to sure what is trustworthy. If anyone could point me to solid sources to read up on. Thanks.
Michael
I dont’t know where you heard that story from. But from the story directly from Gylfaginning (part of Prose Edda, which is one of 2 primary sources of Norse Mythology, other than Poetic Edda), it is said that when the gods tried to chain Fenrir, it didn’t trust them that it would be released anytime, and asked for someone to put their one hand in its mouth for guarantee. The gods were unwilling except Tyr. That’s why his hand was sacrificed.
ELAINE POMERANSKY
Reply to IJ. It’s very hard to know, so just pray for the truth, that’s all you can do. Even in the Bible Genesis starts off with the God El in the first chapter and then God YHVH in the second chapter (although some excuse this by claiming El was a generic name for God, but Jesus also called on the God El when he was being crucified.), The Bible also mentions that Israelites were praying to the Goddess too. So just pray for the truth and you will be answered.
The yeehawman
People really don’t talk about Tyr enough considering how much of a chad he was. Its always Thor this, Odin that, but no one is talking about arguably the biggest chad among them. Plus in certain iterations of the Fenrir tale, Odin tricks Fenrir into binding himself literally causing the lose of Tyr’s arm as the great wolf lashes out because he has been had. Point is we need to regal more tales about old man Tyr.
Ober
Cairns are important there are teaching cairns where you learn about people that died and what they lived thier life for and then there are cairns to communicate with spirit so until the messiah is revealed and the way into the Summerland is open may the Father bless us…is that all father that you wished for me to convey