Study › Runes & Norse › Tyr
Tyr is the Norse god of war, law and oaths, and the bravest of the gods. He lost his right hand to the wolf Fenrir, because he alone was willing to put it in the wolf's mouth so the gods could bind it.
Who is Tyr in Norse mythology?
Tyr is the god of war, law and heroic honour, one of the bravest and most just of the Aesir. In the oldest layers of belief he may once have been a sky-father of the first rank; by the age of the surviving myths he is the god who guarantees oaths and courage in battle.
He is called the One-Handed because he lost his right hand to the wolf Fenrir. The gods could bind the wolf only after Tyr put his hand in its mouth as a pledge. The Prose Edda calls him einhendi áss, the one-handed god.
What is Tyr the god of?
- Domains — law, oaths, courage, sacrifice
- World — Asgard
- Day — Tuesday
- Animal — wolf
- Offerings — beer, wine, bread, meat; a sword token, an oath ring, iron
- Herbs — aconite, oak leaf · Wood — oak · Metal — iron
Kin — Father: Odin, or the jotunn Hymir — the sources disagree
How Tyr lost his hand
His defining act is one of sacrifice. When the gods sought to bind the monstrous wolf Fenrir with the magical fetter Gleipnir, the wolf agreed only if a god would place a hand in its jaws as a pledge of good faith. Only Tyr was willing. When the binding held and Fenrir found it could not break free, it bit off Tyr's hand — and so the god of justice is one-handed, his honour paid for in flesh.
The wolf that took his hand is Fenrir, and his death comes at Ragnarok.
Questions
How did Tyr lose his hand?
The gods could bind the wolf Fenrir only if one of them put a hand in its jaws. Tyr did, and when the wolf found it could not break free, it bit the hand off.
Who is Tyr's father?
The sources disagree: some name Odin, others the giant Hymir.
Which day is named after Tyr?
Tuesday, Tyr's day. His rune is Tiwaz, shaped like an arrow pointing up.
How does Tyr die?
At Ragnarok he and the hound Garmr kill each other.