Týr

One-handed Norse god of oaths and courage, who pledged his hand to bind Fenrir

Týr (Old English Tīw, Old High German Ziu) is one of the Æsir, honoured in Norse tradition as a god of oaths, good faith and steady courage. His name descends from Proto-Germanic *Tīwaz, 'the god', and some scholars think he once held a more central place among the early Germanic gods. The sources disagree about his father: Hymiskviða names the giant Hymir, and Skáldskaparmál names Odin.

His defining story comes from Snorri's Gylfaginning. When the gods bound the wolf Fenrir with the fetter Gleipnir, Týr laid his right hand in the wolf's mouth as a pledge, and lost it. Devotees turn to him for courage, for keeping one's word, and for fair dealing. Modern Heathens, including those in Iceland's Ásatrú, honour him, and Tuesday, 'Tīw's day', still carries his name.

See the gallery

Tyr and Fenrir, 1911. Wikimedia Commons (public domain), John Bauer

How to recognise Týr

Missing right handHis right forearm ends cleanly at the wrist, where Fenrir bit it off, a place Snorri says is called 'the wolf's joint'; it is the surest way to recognise him.
Whole left handThe left hand stays intact, and the Trollhättan bracteate, read by scholars as Týr and Fenrir, shows a long-haired figure with a sceptre in one hand while a wolf bites the other.
SwordModern depictions often give him a plain straight sword, point down or resting at his side, as a sign of his warrior and martial aspects.
Long hair and beardLong hair follows the bracteate figure, and a full beard is the usual modern touch.
Viking-Age dressA wool tunic, a cloak fastened with a round brooch and a belt, sometimes with a mail shirt or leather, ground him in the Norse world; he wears no horned helmet, which is a later invention.
FenrirThe wolf is an optional companion, a reminder that in Snorri's telling the gods raised him as a pup and only Týr dared to feed him.
Steady bearingHe stands stoic and calm, the god who accepted personal cost to keep a pledge.

Names and titles

The One-Handed GodThe Old Norwegian rune poem calls Týr a one-handed god of the Æsir
Keeper of OathsHe is the god tied to treaties, justice and the protection of oaths
Lord of the ThingThe inscription 'Mars of the Thing' (Mars Thincsus) is read as Tīwaz of the assembly
Tīw, Whose Day Is TuesdayTuesday is 'Tīw's day', named for the Old English form of Týr
A Hand Pledged to the WolfHe laid his right hand in Fenrir's jaws as a pledge while the gods bound the wolf