Editing Týr

{{Short description|Germanic deity}}
{{Redirect2|Tyr|Tiwaz|the Anatolian sun-god|Tiwaz (Luwian deity)|the rune|Tiwaz rune|other uses|Tyr (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
[[File:Týr by Frølich.jpg|thumb|"Týr" by [[Lorenz Frølich]], 1895]]

'''{{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}''' ({{IPAc-en|t|ɪər}};<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/tyr |title=Tyr |dictionary=[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]] |access-date=29 April 2020 |archive-date=11 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111205650/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/tyr |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Old Norse]]: {{lang|non|Týr}}, {{IPA|non|tyːr|pron}}) is a god in [[Germanic mythology]] and member of the {{lang|non|italic=no|[[Æsir]]}}. In [[Norse mythology]], which provides most of the surviving narratives about gods among the [[Germanic peoples]], {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} sacrifices his right hand to the monstrous wolf {{lang|non|italic=no|[[Fenrir]]}}, who bites it off when he realizes the gods have bound him. {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} is foretold of being consumed by the similarly monstrous dog {{lang|non|italic=no|[[Garmr]]}} during the events of [[Ragnarök]].

The {{lang|la|[[interpretatio romana]]}}{{efn|name=interpretatio-romana|The {{lang|la|[[interpretatio romana]]}} or "Roman interpretation", is the tendency of the Romans to interpret all foreign gods as alternate forms of gods from their own, familiar [[Pantheon (religion)|pantheon]].}} generally renders the god as [[Mars (mythology)|''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 {{lang|la|Mars Thingsus}} ([[Latin]] 'Mars of the Assembly [<nowiki/>[[thing (assembly)|Thing]]<nowiki/>]') 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 {{lang|la|[[interpretatio germanica]]}}, [[Tuesday]] is named after {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} ('{{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}'s day'), rather than Mars, in English and other Germanic languages.

In Old Norse sources, {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} is alternately described as the son of the {{lang|non|[[jötunn]]}} {{lang|non|italic=no|[[Hymir]]}} (in {{lang|non|[[Hymiskviða]]}}) or of the god [[Odin]] (in {{lang|non|[[Skáldskaparmál]]}}). {{lang|non|[[Lokasenna]]}} makes reference to an unnamed and otherwise unknown consort, perhaps also reflected in the continental Germanic record (see [[Zisa (goddess)|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 {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} 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]] as '''{{lang|ang|Tīw|italic=no}}''' and in [[Old High German]] as '''{{Lang|goh|Ziu|italic=no}}''', both stemming from the [[Proto-Germanic]] [[theonym]] '''{{lang|gem-x-proto|*Tīwaz|italic=no}}''', meaning 'God'. Little information about the god survives beyond [[Old Norse]] sources. {{lang|non|Týr}} could be the eponym of the [[Tiwaz rune]] ({{runic|ᛏ}}), a letter of the [[runic alphabet]] corresponding to the [[Latin]] letter ''T''.

Various place names in Scandinavia refer to the god, and a variety of objects found in England and Scandinavia seem to depict {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} or invoke him.

=== Etymology ===
The Old Norse [[theonym]] {{lang|non|Týr}} stems from an earlier [[Proto-Norse]] form reconstructed as {{lang|non|*Tīwaʀ}},{{sfn|de Vries|1962|p=603}} which derives – like its Germanic [[cognate]]s {{lang|ang|Tīw}} ([[Old English]]) and {{lang|goh|*Ziu}} (Old High German) – from the [[Proto-Germanic]] theonym {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Tīwaz}}, meaning 'God'.<ref>{{Harvnb|de Vries|1962|p=603}}; {{harvnb|Simek|1996|p=413}}; {{harvnb|Orel|2003|p=408}}; {{harvnb|West|2007|p=167}}; {{harvnb|Kroonen|2013|p=519}}</ref> The name of a Gothic deity named {{transliteration|got|*Teiws}} (later {{transliteration|got|*Tīus}}) may also be reconstructed based on the associated rune ''[[Tiwaz (rune)|tiwaz]]''.{{sfn|de Vries|1962|p=603}}{{Sfn|Lehmann|1986|p=352}} In [[Old Norse poetry]], the plural {{lang|non|tívar}} is used for 'the gods', and the singular {{lang|non|týr}}, meaning '(a) god', occurs in [[kennings]] for [[Odin]] and [[Thor]].{{Sfn|Simek|1996|p=420}}{{Sfn|West|2007|p=120 n. 1}} Modern English writers frequently anglicize the god's name by dropping the proper noun's [[diacritic]], rendering [[Old Norse]]'s ''{{lang|non|Týr}}'' as ''Tyr''.{{efn
|name=Faulkes-1987-Týr-vs-Tyr|
[[Anthony Faulkes|Faulkes]] translates {{lang|non|Týr}} as ''Tyr'' throughout his 1987 version of the ''Poetic Edda''.{{sfn|Faulkes|1995}}
}}

The Proto-Germanic masculine noun {{lang|gem-x-proto|*tīwaz}} ({{abbr|pl.|plural}} {{lang|gem-x-proto|*tīwōz}}) means 'a god, a deity', and probably also served as a title or epithet that came to be associated with a specific deity whose original name is now lost.{{efn
|name=West-2007-Tīwaz|{{harvnb|West|2007|p=167 n. 8|ps=: "The Germanic: {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Tīwaz}} (Norse: {{lang|non|Týr}}, etc.) also goes back to {{lang|ine-x-proto|*deiwós}}. But he does not seem to be the old Sky-god, and it is preferable to suppose that he once had another name, which came to be supplanted by the title 'God'." }}}}{{efn
|name=Kroonen-2013-tiwa|
{{harvnb|Kroonen|2013|p=519|ps=: "The general meaning of PGm. *''tiwa''- was simply 'god', [[cf.]] ON ''tívar'' pl. 'gods' < *''tiwoz'', but the word was clearly associated with the specific deity Týr-Tīw-Ziu".}}
}} It stems from [[Proto-Indo-European]] {{lang|ine-x-proto|*deywós}}, meaning 'celestial, heavenly one', hence a 'god' ([[cf.]] [[Sanskrit]]: {{transliteration|sa|[[Deva (Hinduism)|devá]]}} 'heavenly, divine', [[Old Lithuanian]]: {{lang|olt|[[Dievas|deivas]]}}, {{langx|la|[[deus]]}} 'a god, deity'), itself a derivation from {{lang|ine-x-proto|*[[dyēus]]}}, meaning 'diurnal sky', hence 'daylight-sky god' (cf. {{langx|sa|[[Dyaus|Dyáuṣ]]}}, {{langx|grc|[[Zeus]]}}, {{langx|la|[[Jupiter (mythology)|Jove]]}}).{{Sfn|Wodtko|Irslinger|Schneider|2008|pp=70–71}}{{Sfn|West|2007|p=167–168}}{{Sfn|Kroonen|2013|p=519}} The Germanic noun {{lang|gem-x-proto|*tīwaz}} is further attested in the [[Finnic languages|Finnic]] loanword {{lang|fi|teivas}}, found as a [[suffix]] in the deities {{lang|fi|{{Interlanguage link|Rongoteus|lt=Runkoteivas|fi}}}} and {{lang|fi|Rukotiivo}}.{{sfn|de Vries|1962|p=603}} The [[Romano-Germanic Museum|Romano-Germanic]] deity {{lang|la|Alateivia}} may also be related,{{sfn|de Vries|1962|p=603}} although its origin remains unclear.{{Sfn|Lehmann|1986|p=352}}

Due to linguistic evidence and early native comparisons between {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Tīwaz}} and the Roman god [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]], especially under the name {{lang|la|Mars Thingsus}}, a number of scholars have interpreted {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Tīwaz}} as a Proto-Germanic sky-, war- and [[Thing (assembly)|thing]]-god.{{Sfn|Simek|1996|p=413}}{{Sfn|Kroonen|2013|p=519}} Other scholars reject however his identification as a 'sky-god', since {{lang|gem-x-proto|*tīwaz}} was likely not his original name but rather an epithet that came to be associated with him and eventually replaced it.{{efn|name=West-2007-Tīwaz}}

=== Origin of ''Tuesday'' ===
The modern English [[weekday]] name ''[[Tuesday]]'' comes from the Old English {{lang|ang|tīwesdæg}}, meaning 'day of Tīw'. It is cognate with Old Norse {{lang|non|Týsdagr}}, [[Old Frisian]] {{lang|ofs|Tīesdi}}, and Old High German {{lang|goh|Ziostag}} ([[Middle High German]] {{lang|gmh|Zīstac}}). All of them stem from Late Proto-Germanic {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Tiwasdag}} ('Day of {{lang|gem-x-proto|Tīwaz}}'), a [[calque]] of Latin {{lang|la|Martis dies}} ('Day of [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]]'; cf. modern [[Italian language|Italian]] {{lang|it|martedì}}, [[French language|French]] {{lang|fr|mardi}}, [[Spanish language|Spanish]] {{lang|es|martes}}). This attests to an early Germanic identification of {{lang|gem-x-proto|italic=no|*Tīwaz}} with Mars.<ref name="BARNHART-SIMEK2">See discussion in {{harvnb|Barnhart|1995|p=837}} and {{harvnb|Simek|1996|pp=334–336}}.</ref>{{Sfn|Kroonen|2013|p=519}}

Germanic weekday names for ''Tuesday'' that do not transparently extend from the above lineage may also ultimately refer to the deity, including [[Middle Dutch]] {{lang|dum|Dinxendach}} and {{lang|dum|Dingsdag}}, [[Middle Low German]] {{lang|gml|Dingesdach}}, and Old High German {{lang|goh|Dingesdag}} (modern {{lang|de|Dienstag}}). These forms may refer to the god's association with the [[Thing (assembly)|thing]] ({{lang|gem-x-proto|*þingsaz}}), 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]], {{lang|la|Thingsus}} ({{lang|gem-x-proto|*Þingsaz}} 'thing-god'), frequently attached to Mars ({{lang|gem-x-proto|*Tīwaz}}), or simply by the god's strong association with the assembly.{{sfn|Simek|1996|p=336}}

=== T-rune ===
[[File:Tiwaz rune.svg|thumb|right|The [[Tiwaz (rune)|''t''-rune]] takes its name from the deity.]]
The god is the namesake of the rune {{runic|ᛏ}} representing {{IPA|/t/}} (the [[Tiwaz rune]]) in the [[runic alphabets]], the indigenous alphabets of the ancient Germanic peoples prior to their adaptation of the [[Latin alphabet]]. On runic inscriptions, {{runic|ᛏ}} often appears as a magical symbol.{{Sfn|Simek|1996|p=420}} The name first occurs in the historical record as ''tyz'', a character in the [[Gothic alphabet]] (4th century), and it was also known as {{lang|ang|tī}} or {{lang|ang|tir}} in Old English, and {{lang|non|týr}} in Old Norse.{{sfn|Lehmann|1986|p=352}}{{Sfn|Simek|1996|p=336}} The name of {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} may also occur in runes as {{script|Runr|{{lang|non|ᛏᛁᚢᛦ|italic=no}}}} on the 8th century [[Ribe skull fragment]].<ref name=Schulte-2006/>

=== Toponyms ===
A variety of place names in Scandinavia refer to the god. For example, {{lang|da|Tyrseng}}, in [[Viby J|Viby]], Jutland, Denmark (Old Norse {{lang|non|*Týs eng}}, '{{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}'s meadow') was once a stretch of meadow near a stream called {{lang|da|Dødeå}} ('stream of the dead' or 'dead stream'). Viby also contained another theonym, {{lang|da|Onsholt}} ("Odin's [[Woodland|Holt]]"), and religious practices associated with Odin and {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} may have occurred in these places. A [[Spring (hydrosphere)|spring]] dedicated to [[Holy Niels]] that was likely a Christianization of prior indigenous pagan practice also exists in Viby. {{lang|da|Viby}} may mean 'the settlement by the sacred site'. Archaeologists have found traces of sacrifices going back 2,500 years in Viby.{{sfn|Damm|2005|pp=42–45}}

The forest {{lang|sv|[[Tiveden]]}}, between [[Närke]] and [[Västergötland]], in Sweden, may mean 'Tyr's forest', but its etymology is uncertain, and debated.<ref name=Hellquist-l979-Tiveden/> {{lang|sv|Ti-}} may refer to {{lang|non|týr}} meaning 'god' generally, and so the name may derive from Proto-Indo-European {{lang|ine-x-proto|*[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/deywós|deiwo]]-widus}}, meaning 'the forest of the gods'.<ref name=Hellquist-l979-Tiveden/> According to [[Rudolf Simek]], the existence of a cult of the deity is also evidenced by place names such as {{lang|da|Tislund}} ('{{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}'s grove'), which is frequent in Denmark, or {{lang|no|[[Tysnes]]}} ('{{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}'s peninsula') and {{lang|no|Tysnesø}} ('Tysnes island') in Norway, where the cult appears to have been imported from Denmark.{{Sfn|Simek|1996|p=420}}

==Attestations==
===Roman era===
While {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}'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, {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} receives mention in Latin texts by way of the process of {{lang|la|[[interpretatio romana]]}},{{efn|name=interpretatio-romana}} in which Latin texts refer to the god by way of a perceived counterpart in [[Roman mythology]]. Latin inscriptions and texts frequently refer to {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} as [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]].
[[File:IB 299 4to Tyr.jpg|thumb|{{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} equated with Mars in an 18th-century manuscript (ÍB 299 4to)]]
The first example of this occurs on record in Roman senator [[Tacitus]]'s ethnography {{lang|la|[[Germania (book)|Germania]]}}:
: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]] sacrifice to Isis as well.
:::<small>[[Anthony Birley|A.R. Birley]] translation</small>{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=42}}
These deities are generally understood by scholars to refer to {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Wōđanaz}} (known widely today as ''Odin''), {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Þunraz}} (known today widely as ''Thor''), and {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Tīwaz}}, respectively. The identity of the [["Isis" of the Suebi]] remains a topic of debate among scholars.{{sfn|Birley|1999|pp=106–107}} Later in {{lang|la|Germania}}, Tacitus also mentions a deity referred to as {{lang|la|[[regnator omnium deus]]}} venerated by the [[Semnones]] in a [[grove of fetters]], a [[Sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology|sacred grove]]. Some scholars propose that this deity is in fact {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Tīwaz}}.{{sfn|Birley|1999|pp=57, 127}}

A [[votive altar]] has been discovered during excavations at [[Housesteads Roman Fort]] at [[Hadrian's Wall]] 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 {{lang|la|Deo Marti Thingso Et Duabus [[Alaisiagae|Alaisiagis]] Bede Et Fimmilene}}. In this instance, the epithet {{lang|la|Thingsus}} is a Latin rendering of Proto-Germanic theonym {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Þingsaz}}. This deity is generally interpreted by scholars to refer to {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}. The goddesses referred to as {{lang|la|Beda}} and {{lang|la|Fimmilene}} are otherwise unknown, but their names may refer to Old Frisian legal terms.<ref name=Simek-Turville-Petre>See discussion in {{harvnb|Turville-Petre|1975|p=181}} and {{harvnb|Simek|1996|p=203}}.</ref>

In the sixth century, the Roman historian [[Jordanes]] writes in his {{lang|la|[[Getica|De origine actibusque Getarum]]}} 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.
:::<small>[[Charles Christopher Mierow|C.C. Mierow]] translation</small>{{Sfn|Mierow|1915|p=61}}

=== Old English ===
The Latin deity [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]] was occasionally glossed by Old English writers by the name {{lang|ang|Tīw}} or {{lang|ang|Tīg}}. The [[Genitive case|genitive]] {{lang|ang|tīwes}} also appears in the name for Tuesday, {{lang|ang|tīwesdæg}}.{{sfn|Lehmann|1986|p=352}}

===Viking Age and post-Viking Age===
By the Viking Age, {{lang|gem-x-proto|*Tīwaz}} had developed among the [[North Germanic peoples]] into {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}. The god receives numerous mentions in North Germanic sources during this period, but far less than other deities, such as [[Odin]], [[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]] and politician [[Snorri Sturluson]] in the 13th century.

====''Poetic Edda''====
[[File:Lokasenna_by_Lorenz_Frølich.jpg|thumb|{{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} among the gods during the events of {{lang|non|Lokasenna}} as illustrated by [[Lorenz Frølich]], 1895]]
Although {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} receives several mentions in the ''Poetic Edda'', of the three poems in which he is mentioned—{{lang|non|[[Hymiskviða]]}}, {{lang|non|[[Sigrdrífumál]]}}, and {{lang|non|[[Lokasenna]]}}—only the incomplete poem, {{lang|non|Hymiskviða}}, features him in a prominent role. In {{lang|non|Hymiskviða}}, {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} says that his father, {{lang|non|italic=no|Hymir}}, owns a tremendous cauldron with which he and his fellow gods can brew fathoms of ale. Thor and {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} set out to retrieve it. {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} meets his nine-hundred headed grandmother ("who hates him"), and a girl clad in gold helps the two hide from {{lang|non|italic=no|Hymir}}.{{sfn|Dodds|2014|pp=90–95}}

Upon his return from hunting, {{lang|non|italic=no|Hymir}}'s wife (unnamed) tells {{lang|non|italic=no|Hymir}} that his son has come to visit, that {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} has brought with him Thor, and that the two are behind a pillar. With just one glance, {{lang|non|italic=no|Hymir}} immediately smashes the pillar and eight nearby kettles. The kettle containing {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} and Thor, particularly strong in its construction, does not break, and out of it the two gods stride.{{sfn|Dodds|2014|pp=90–95}}

{{lang|non|italic=no|Hymir}} sees Thor and his heart jumps. The {{lang|non|italic=no|jötunn}} orders three headless oxen boiled for his guests, and Thor eats two of the beasts. {{lang|non|italic=no|Hymir}} 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. {{lang|non|italic=no|Hymir}} 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 {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}.{{sfn|Dodds|2014|pp=90–95}}

In {{lang|non|Sigrdrífumál}}, the valkyrie {{lang|non|italic=no|[[Sigrdrífa]]}} imparts in the hero [[Sigurd]] knowledge of various [[runic alphabet|runic charms]]. One charm invokes the god {{lang|non|italic=no|Týr}}:
:'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.'
:::<small>[[Jeramy Dodds]] translation</small>{{sfn|Dodds|2014|p=178}}

In {{lang|non|Lokasenna}}, the gods hold a feast. Loki bursts in and engages in [[flyting]], 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."{{sfn|Dodds|2014|p=96}} Loki exchanges insults with each of the gods. After Loki insults the god {{lang|non|italic=no|[[Freyr]]}}, {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} comes to {{lang|non|italic=no|Freyr}}'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. {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} says that although he misses his hand, Loki misses {{lang|non|italic=no|Fenrir}}, who is now bound and will remain so until the events of [[Ragnarök]].{{sfn|Dodds|2014|pp=102–103}}

====''Prose Edda''====
[[File:Tyr and Fenrir-John Bauer.jpg|right|thumb|{{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} sacrifices his arm to [[Fenrir]] in an illustration by [[John Bauer (illustrator)|John Bauer]], 1911.]]
The ''Prose Edda'' sections {{lang|non|[[Gylfaginning]]}} and {{lang|non|[[Skáldskaparmál]]}} reference {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} several times. The god is introduced in part 25 of the {{lang|non|Gylfaginning}} 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 {{lang|non|italic=no|Æsir}} were luring Fenriswolf so as to get the fetter {{lang|non|italics=no|Gleipnir}} 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 {{lang|non|italic=no|Æsir}} refused to let him go then he bit off the hand at the place that is now called the wolf-joint [wrist], and he is one-handed and he is not considered a promoter of settlements between people.
:::<small>[[Anthony Faulkes|A. Faulkes]] translations (notes are by Faulkes)</small>
{{sfn|Faulkes|1995|pp=24–25}}
This tale receives further treatment in section 34 of {{lang|non|Gylfaginning}} ("The {{lang|non|italic=no|Æsir}} brought up the wolf at home, and it was only Tyr who had the courage to approach the wolf and give it food.").{{sfn|Faulkes|1995|pp=27–29}} Later still in {{lang|non|Gylfaginning}}, High discusses {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}'s foreseen death during the events of [[Ragnarök]]:
:Then will also have got free the dog Garm, which is bound in front of {{lang|non|Gnipahellir}}. This is the most evil creature. He will have a battle with Tyr and they will each be the death of each other.
:::<small>[[Anthony Faulkes|A. Faulkes]] translation</small>{{sfn|Faulkes|1995|p=54}}

{{lang|non|Skáldskaparmál}} opens with a narrative wherein twelve gods sit upon thrones at a banquet, including {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}.{{sfn|Faulkes|1995|p=59}} Later in {{lang|non|Skáldskaparmál}}, the skald god {{lang|non|italic=no|[[Bragi]]}} tells {{lang|non|italic=no|[[Ægir]]}} (described earlier in {{lang|non|Skáldskaparmál}} as a man from the island of {{lang|non|italic=no|[[Hlesey]]}}){{sfn|Faulkes|1995|p=59}} how [[kenning]]s function. By way of kennings, {{lang|non|italic=no|Bragi}} 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".{{sfn|Faulkes|1995|p=64}}

Section nine of {{lang|non|Skáldskaparmál}} provides skalds with a variety of ways in which to refer to {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}, including "the one handed As", "feeder of the wolf", "battle-god", and "son of Odin".{{sfn|Faulkes|1995|p=76}} The narrative found in {{lang|non|Lokasenna}} occurs in prose later in {{lang|non|Skáldskaparmál}}. Like in {{lang|non|Lokasenna}}, {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} appears here among around a dozen other deities.{{sfn|Faulkes|1995|p=95}} Similarly, {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} appears among a list of {{lang|non|italic=no|Æsir}} in section 75.{{sfn|Faulkes|1995|p=157}}

In addition to the above mentions, {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}'s name occurs as a kenning element throughout {{lang|non|Skáldskaparmál}} in reference to the god Odin.{{sfn|Faulkes|1995|p=257}}

==Archaeological record==
[[File:Tyr-brakteaten fr%C3%A5n Naglum, Trollh%C3%A4ttan (SHM 1164) tecknad.jpg|thumb|right|An illustration of an image on a bracteate found in Trollhättan, Västergötland, Sweden. Drawing by Gunnar Creutz.]]
Scholars propose that a variety of objects from the archaeological record depict {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}. For example, a [[Migration Period]] gold [[bracteate]] from [[Trollhättan]], Sweden, features a person receiving a bite on the hand from a beast, which may depict {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} and {{lang|non|italic=no|Fenrir}}.{{efn
|name=Tyr-Fenrir-bracteate|
See discussion in, for example, {{harvnb|Davidson|1993|pp=39–41}}.
}}
A Viking Age [[Hogback (sculpture)|hogback]] in [[Sockburn]], [[County Durham]], England may depict {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} and {{lang|non|italic=no|Fenrir}}.{{sfn|McKinnell|2005|p=16}} In a similar fashion, a silver button was found in Hornsherred, Denmark, during 2019 that is interpreted to portray Týr fighting against the wolf {{lang|non|italic=no|Fenrir}}.<ref name=Jaramillo-2021>{{cite journal | last = Jaramillo | first = Nicolas | year = 2021 | title = Ráði saR kunni: REMARKS ON THE ROLE OF RUNICITY | journal = Scandia: Journal of Medieval Norse Studies | volume = 4 | pages = 192–229}}</ref>

==Scholarly reception==
Due in part to the etymology of the god's name, scholars propose that {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} 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 {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} 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 {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} 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."{{sfn|Reichert|2002|p=398}}

The {{lang|non|Sigrdrífumál}} passage above has resulted in some discourse among [[runology|runologists]]. 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'.{{sfn|MacLeod|Mees|2006|p=239}}

==In popular culture==
The 15th studio album by the English [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Black Sabbath]], ''[[Tyr (album)|Tyr]]'', released in 1990, is named after {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Popoff|first=Martin|author-link=Martin Popoff|date=2011|title=Black Sabbath FAQ: All That's Left to Know on the First Name in Metal|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]]|page=206|isbn=978-0879309572|quote=The back cover quote reads, 'TYR—son of Odin and the supreme sky god of the Northern peoples; the god of war and martial valour, the protector of the community, and the giver of law and order.{{'-}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/black-sabbath-tyr/|title=How Black Sabbath Tried to Stay Relevant With 'Tyr'|date=20 August 2015|last=Rivadavia|first=Eduardo|website=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]|access-date=25 July 2022|archive-date=26 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726032309/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/black-sabbath-tyr/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} is featured in several video games.

* {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} (spelled Tyr in the English version of the game) is one of nine minor gods Norse players can worship<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/age-of-mythology/The_Minor_Gods:_Norse|title=The Minor Gods: Norse – Age of Mythology Wiki Guide – IGN|date=27 March 2012 |access-date=2 August 2021|archive-date=1 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801152352/https://www.ign.com/wikis/age-of-mythology/The_Minor_Gods:_Norse|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Age_of_Mythology/page/n11/mode/2up|title = Age of Mythology}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Age_of_Mythology_Reference_Manual/page/n29/mode/2up|title = Age of Mythology Reference Manual}}</ref> in [[Ensemble Studios]]' 2002 game ''[[Age of Mythology]]'' 
* {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}} (spelled Tyr in game) is also one of the playable gods in the [[Third-person view|third-person]] [[multiplayer online battle arena]] game ''[[Smite (video game)|Smite]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smitegame.com/gods/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731071415/https://www.smitegame.com/gods/ |archive-date=31 July 2021|title=Gods|access-date=15 September 2023 }}</ref>
* Týr is mentioned several times in [[Santa Monica Studio]]'s 2018 game ''[[God of War (2018 video game)|God of War]]'' and appears in its sequel ''[[God of War Ragnarök]]'', which was released in 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://gamerant.com/god-of-war-ragnarok-tyr-kratos/|title = Why Tyr is Just Important as Kratos in God of War: Ragnarok|date = 27 March 2021|access-date = 29 July 2021|archive-date = 29 July 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210729211217/https://gamerant.com/god-of-war-ragnarok-tyr-kratos/|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/god-of-war-ragnaroks-tyr-is-a-very-tall-asgardian-but-not-lady-dimitrescu-big/1100-6496110/|title=God of War: Ragnarok's Tyr is a Very Tall Asgardian, but Not Lady Dimitrescu Big|access-date=12 September 2021|archive-date=12 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912164623/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/god-of-war-ragnaroks-tyr-is-a-very-tall-asgardian-but-not-lady-dimitrescu-big/1100-6496110/|url-status=live}}</ref> 
* Týr (spelled Tyr in game) is one of the available healer mechs in [[Pixonic]]'s ''[[War Robots]]'' (released as "Walking War Robots" in 2014).<ref>{{cite web |title=Tyr – War Robots |url=https://warrobots.com/en/robots/53 |access-date=13 March 2022 |website=warrobots.com |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326023657/https://warrobots.com/en/robots/53 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Mitra-Varuna (Indo-European)#Binding of evil|Mitra-Varuna § Binding of evil]]
* [[Nuada Airgetlám]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|25em|refs=

<ref name=Schulte-2006>
{{cite journal
 | last = Schulte | first = Michael
 | year = 2006
 | title = The transformation of the older fuþark: Number magic, runographic or linguistic principles?
 | journal = Arkiv för nordisk filologi
 | volume = 121
 | pages = 41–74
}}
</ref>

<ref name=Hellquist-l979-Tiveden>
{{cite book
 |last=Hellquist |first=Elof
 |article=Tiveden
 |year=1922
 |title=Svensk etymologisk ordbok
 |trans-title=Swedish etymological dictionary
 |publisher=Gleerup
 |location=Lund |language=sv
 |page=[https://archive.org/details/svensketymologis00hell/page/978/mode/2up 979]
 |url=https://archive.org/details/svensketymologis00hell
}}
</ref>

}} <!-- end "refs=" -->

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Barnhart |first=Robert K.   |author-link=Robert Barnhart
 |year=1995
 |title=The Barnhart concise dictionary of etymology
 |edition=1st
 |location=New York, NY
 |publisher=HarperCollins
 |isbn=0-06-270084-7
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Birley |first=Anthony R. |author-link=Anthony Birley
 |author-mask=Birley, Anthony R. (Trans.)
 |year=1999
 |title=Agricola and Germany
 |publisher=Oxford World's Classics
 |isbn=978-0-19-283300-6
 |url-access=registration
 |url=https://archive.org/details/agricolagermany00taci
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Damm |first=Annette
 |year=2005
 |title=Viking Aros
 |publisher=Moesgård Museum
 |isbn=87-87334-63-1
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Davidson |first=Hilda E.  |author-link=Hilda Ellis Davidson
 |title=The Lost Beliefs of Northern Europe
 |year=1993
 |publisher=Routledge
 |isbn=978-1-134-94468-2
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=de Vries |first=Jan  |author-link=Jan de Vries (linguist)
 |year=1962 |edition=1977
 |title=Altnordisches Etymologisches Worterbuch
 |publisher=Brill
 |isbn=978-90-04-05436-3
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Kroonen |first=Guus
 |year=2013
 |title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic
 |publisher=Brill
 |isbn=9789004183407
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Dodds |first=Jeramy |author-link=Jeramy Dodds
 |year=2014
 |title=The Poetic Edda
 |publisher=Coach House Books
 |isbn=978-1-55245-296-7
}}
* {{Cite book
 |last=Dumézil |first=Georges |author-link=Georges Dumézil
 |orig-year=1959 |year=1973
 |title=Les Dieux des Germains
 |trans-title=Gods of the Ancient Northmen
 |publisher=University of California Press
 |isbn=978-0-520-03507-2
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Faulkes |first=Anthony |author-mask=Faulkes, Anthony, trans.
 |orig-year=1987 |year=1995
 |title=Edda
 |publisher=Everyman
 |isbn=0-460-87616-3
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Lehmann |first=Winfred P. |author-link=Winfred P. Lehmann
 |title=A Gothic Etymological Dictionary
 |year=1986
 |publisher=Brill
 |isbn=978-90-04-08176-5
}}
* {{cite book
 |last1=MacLeod |first1=Mindy
 |last2=Mees    |first2=Bernard
 |translator-last=Mierow  |translator-first=Charles Christopher
 |translator-link=Charles Christopher Mierow
 |year=2006
 |title=Runic amulets and magic objects
 |publisher=Boydell Press
 |isbn=978-1-84615-504-8
}}
*{{cite book
 |last=McKinnell |first=John
 |year=2005
 |title=Meeting the Other in Norse Myth and Legend
 |publisher=D.S. Brewer
 |isbn=978-1-84615-414-0
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Mierow |first=Charles C.
 |year=1915
 |title=The Gothic History of Jordanes
 |publisher=Princeton University Press
 |url=https://archive.org/details/gothichistoryofj00jord
 |url-access=registration
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Orel |first=Vladimir E. |author-link=Vladimir Orel
 |year=2003
 |title=A Handbook of Germanic Etymology
 |publisher=Brill
 |isbn=978-90-04-12875-0
 |url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofgerman0000orel
 |url-access=registration
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Reichert |first=Hermann
 |year=2002
 |chapter=Nordic language history and religion/ecclesiastical history I: The Pre-Christian period
 |title=The Nordic Languages : An international handbook of the history of the North Germanic languages
 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter
 |isbn=978-3-11-019705-1
 |pages=389–403
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Simek |first=Rudolf   |author-link=Rudolf Simek
 |year=1996 |edition=2007
 |title=Dictionary of Northern Mythology
 |publisher=D.S. Brewer
 |isbn=978-0-85991-513-7
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Turville-Petre |first=Gabriel |author-link=Gabriel Turville-Petre
 |orig-year=1964 |year=1975
 |title=Myth and Religion of the North
 |publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston
 |isbn=978-0837174204
}}
* {{cite book
 |last=West |first=Martin L. |author-link=Martin Litchfield West
 |year=2007
 |title=Indo-European Poetry and Myth
 |publisher=Oxford University Press
 |isbn=978-0-19-928075-9
}}
* {{cite book
 |last1=Wodtko |first1=Dagmar S.
 |last2=Irslinger |first2=Britta Sofie
 |last3=Schneider |first3=Carolin
 |year=2008
 |title=Nomina im Indogermanischen Lexikon
 |publisher=Universitaetsverlag Winter
 |isbn=978-3-8253-5359-9
 |language=de
}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary|Tyr|týr}}
{{Commons category|Týr}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://myndir.uvic.ca/TyR01.html MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository)] Illustrations of Týr from manuscripts and early print books.

{{Anglo-SaxonPaganism}}
{{Norse mythology}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyr}}
[[Category:Æsir]]
[[Category:Germanic gods]]
[[Category:Justice gods]]
[[Category:Killed deities]]
[[Category:Norse gods]]
[[Category:War gods]]
[[Category:Mars (mythology)]]
[[Category:Sons of Odin]]