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Tyr, the god of war in Viking mythology

Norse mythology has numerous gods, classified, as we explained in our previous article, into two groups, the vanir and the Æsir. Today, from Thorkel we will tell you about Tyr, the god of war in viking mythology. This god belongs to the Æsir family, along with other gods such as Odin, Frigg, Thor or Baldr. This family of gods emerged in the Norse religion after the Indo-European invasion and did not come to replace the vanir, if not they accompanied them.

The god of war in Viking mythology

Tyr is known as the god of war in Viking mythology, but not only this god has this distinction. Also other gods like Thor, Freyja or Odin They were associated with war. Despite being associated with war, Tyr is also known as the god of justice and law. It is said that this god always sought to avoid conflicts and if they arose, he was in charge of resolving them fairly. Tyr was a god highly revered by the Vikings. And it is that the Nordic warriors used to carve the Tyr rune on their swords before going to war, to seek their protection.

Tyr's family tree

There are two theories about Tyr's ancestry. On the one hand, according to the version written in the Elder Edda or Poetic Edda, it is said that his father was Ymir, a giant who was also known as Aurgelmir. While the most widespread theory, included in the Lesser Edda, tells that Tyr was the son of Odin and Frigg, and therefore would belong to the order of the Æsir.

el dios de la guerra en la mitología nórdica

Tyr, the one-handed god

According to the Edda, Tyr had only one hand. This was because the gods made the decision to chain Fenrir, but he always broke free of his chains and they had to chain him with a magical ribbon called Gleipnir, made up of woman hair and roots from the Scandinavian mountains. After chaining him with the magic tape, Fenrir realized it and again refused to be chained unless someone put their hand in his mouth. Tyr, known for his brave character, volunteered to be the one to put his hand in the mouth of the wolf Fenrir and this bit him, ripping his hand off. As a result of this, Fenrir remained in chains until Ragnarök.

Other curiosities about Tyr, the god of war in Viking mythology

To continue with the story of Tyr, we tell you other curiosities about his figure that will undoubtedly surprise you:

  • The hand that Fenrir mutilated Tyr was his right, so Tyr was left handed, curious fact if we consider that being left-handed was associated with bad luck in Nordic society.
  • He was always represented with his right hand mutilated and holding a sword or a scepter in his left hand.
  • Before the Viking Age, was considered the most important or supreme god by the Germanic tribes. In the Viking Age it was his father, Odin, who took on this role of supreme god.
  • Tyr did not have a fixed residence, but lives straddling the Valhalla and the vingolf, although always inside the Asgard.
  • Tyr's death came when the dog garm it swallowed him, but before Tyr died he stabbed Garm, thus dying both of them. After this Fenrir broke free of his chains and ate Odin.

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