Working with the gods: Týr

The first thing that comes in mind when talking about Tyr, is that he is a god of war from the Norse pantheon, but there is more about him than just that shallow knowledge of being a war-like deity. Tyr the one-handed god is also the god of honor and justice. Forseti is also the god of justice, but Tyr's justice is more harsh and somethimes ruthless.

In Norse mythology Tyr is a god of honor and law, he is a deity of heroic-glory, a warrior god.

Tyr is a very popular deity, much as Odin and Thor are, but few really know anything about this god aside from also being a god of war, or his story of how he lost his hand, in truth it is really hard to know anything about him at all, for his origins are shrouded in mystery. There are two versions about Tyr's origins, one is that he is one of the sons of Odin and an unknown mother, the other is that he is a Jotnar, or of Jotun blood, the son of Hymir and Hrod, but after he reached adulthood, he turned his allegiance to the Aesir tribe of gods, it is even said that Tyr himself stole his father's own kettle so that the Aesir could have more beer while feasting in Aegir’s halls. Whatever oringins Tyr might have, these two stories might indeed be both true, for Odin has a few adopted children and Týr could be one of those.

From an historical point of view, Tyr might actually be one of the Germanic deities more revered, he might even be the deity of the sky with the power over all the other gods because his name simply means “god”, and is related to the Old English Tiw, or the Old High German Ziu, the Middle Germanic god Tuisto, and the Proto-Indo-European Teiwaz, which has a rune of the same name. These are also related to the Latin deus and the Sanskrit deva. So Tyr may once have been a "global" Sky God,  who eventually gained more personal characteristics and was “reborn” into the Norse pantheons as a War God and God of Honor. justice and law. There is some evidence that the Germanic version of Teiwaz had a consort, referred to as Zisu, which was simply a feminization of his name. 

As I have said before and everyone knows that, Tyr is the one-handed god, this fact his his main myth aside to the one where he stole his family’s great cauldron, but the story of losing his hand is the story that confirmed his status as a God of Honor. 

When the Aesir decided that the dangerous wolf-God of destruction, Fenrir, had to be chained, they created a magical chain to bind him, named Gleipnir. They cornered Fenrir and told him that they wanted to see him snap that chain, as he had snapped all others, and the Wolf-God was naturally suspicious, and he told the Gods standing there that he would allow them to bind him, but one of them had to place his hand in his lethal jaws while the binding was being done. Tyr had been a friend to the Fenrir since his kidnapping as a child, and was known to be honorable, so when Tyr stepped up and placed his hand in the wolf’s jaws, Fenrir trusted him. When the chain proved unbreakable, Fenrir flew into a rage and bit Tyr's hand off, which in fact Tyr knew would happen. Since then, Tyr has been referred to as the One-Handed God, and can be easily identified as such in old drawings depicting the Gods.

Tyr is a god that when comes to honor and giving him gifts, he is less interested in offerings of objects and more insterested in actions. To have the courage to face difficulties in life, to be brave and fight any problem that comes in our lifes. Such as Ullr, Tyr is also a god of oaths, so he will not tolerate any oath breaking, not even if it is a small commitment, he will expect you to have a code of honor and stand firm by it.  Understand that if you promise him something in return for his gift, he will expect you to come through. Do not break your word to him, or it will go badly for you. Tyr is never malicious, but he will strike you if he feels that it is necessary. Tyr is one of the best gods to make an oath upon his name, if you are truly sincere and completely sure of what you feel, following your heart, your convictions, being true to yourself and to others, everything bodes well for you. This is also applied to love oaths.

A great offering to him is also the protection of those who do not have the physical or mental strength to protect themselves.

To the old Norse/Germanic peoples, taking care of weapons, not letting them get  dirty or rusty was a way to honor Tyr and later give those weapons as offerings.

Curiosity: In the English language, Tuesday is named after Tyr.

Note: The artwork to illustrate this post is a painting of Tyr made by me. If you have any questions for me or if you want to see my artistic works, check out my Facebook page and make a Like if you can by following this link --> http://www.facebook.com/ArithHarger

The Tiwaz Method

The Tiwaz Method


This is the only rune arrangment that mimics the shape of an individual rune. The Tiwaz method is more complext than most of the other because it involves several stages before one ends up with a pattern that looks like the rune Tiwaz. Nevertheless, it is claimed that this arrangment is well worth the effort because, like tiwaz itself, it never fails to be accurate.

Step One
Randomly choose four runes and arrange them in form of a cross, similar to the five-directions method, but without the central stone. The ruens should be laid in an anticlockwise direction, starting on the left. You may now read these runes according to the rules of the five-directions method ( minus the final-outcome rune ).

Step Two
Now choose a further three runes. These may be read in accordance with the rules of the three Norns method. Once you have done this, place them in order around the original four runes in a clockwise manner, starting on the right. The placement of the first rune is diagonally down and slightly to the right of the cross shape that you already have. The secound rune is below the cross shape and the final rune is diagonally to the left of the original pattern. You should end up with a pattern that looks like an upright arrowhead.

Step Three
You can now begin to read the third stage of this divinations, beginning with the rune on the far left and continuing as you may see on the image that i have made.

Position 4 - Ill-advised actions that may thwart your desires.
Position 5 - Lessons learned in the past from which you may benefit.
Position 6 - Your present position and attitudes.
Position 7 - The outcome, for good or ill.
Position 1 - The reasons for the question and deep feelings concerning it.
Position 3 - Potential problems confronting you.
Position 2 - The best possible outcome that can be attained from present circumstances.

Mythology around Runes: Tiwaz

Mythology around Runes:

Tiwaz

Tiwaz is an ancient name for the god of War and Justice, who was first mentioned by the Roman writer Tacitus, who claimed that Tiwaz was the king of the Germanic Gods.
When this role was later assumed by Odin, Tiwaz took a humbler form as the God Tyr. To the Saxons, he was known as Tiw, and it is from his name that we derive our word "Tuesday". His most famous story involves a monstrous wolf called Fenris, who had grown so large that he threatened to devour the whole universe to satisfy his ravenour hunger. The gods tried to bind the monster with ropes and chains, but these proved to be no restraint to Fenris, who broke them with a shrug. Eventually, one of the dwarf craftsmen made an enchanted ribbon that was as fine as a woman's hair and swore that this alone would be strong enough to fetter the beast. However, scenting magic, the wolf refused to allow the gods to bind him. Then brave Tyr stepped forward and offered to place his right hand in the mouth of the monster as a guarantee that all would be well. To the relief of the gods, the binding held and the Fenris wolf was imprisoned. Now the monster took his revenge by biting off Tyr's extended hand, which was nobly sacrificed for the good of all.

Tiwaz

"Tiw is a guiding star, well does it keep faith with princes. It is ever on a course over the mists of night and never fails."
                                                                       
                                                          "The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem"
"Tyr is one-handed among the gods and leaving of wolf and king of temples."
                                                                       
                                                          "The icelandic rune poem"
 
Tiwaz is also given as Teiwaz. To the Norse pf Scandinavia and Iceland, the rune was known as Tyr, while to the Saxons it was Tiw.
In the comon alphabet, this is the letter "T".
This rune is symbolocally connected with the North Star, which "never fails", and with vows and unbreakable oaths. The custom of holding up one's right hand while taking an oath is derived from the story of Tyr. The trees of Tiwaz are the mighty oak and the hazel. The spear is also a symbol of Tiwaz, as might be expected, since the rune represents the god of war.
The shape of the rune suggests the unvarying compass neddle, too.



Upright Meaning:

Binding oaths are indicated by Tiwaz. This may seem paradoxical, since Tiwaz broke his oath to the wolf, yet the oath was made under duress and he had good reasons to lie.
A worthy promise, made under the right conditions and for honourable reasons, should, and indeed must, be kept. Marriage vows are a case in point. Tiwaz is thought to signify lasting love, and its appearance denotes a bond that, once made, cannot be broken. However, Tiwaz is also an agressively masculine rune, so it tends to favour men rather than the women, Any relationship question that is answered by Tiwaz shows that passions will run riot because two strong-minded people will be involved. While sex will never be boring, the danger of jealousy will always be present. If the person asking the question is a woman, Tiwaz suggests that a strong and handsome man will love her fiercely and that she may have to sacrifice some thing major in her life to ensure that her attachment to him remains strong. However, once that has been done, the relationship will prosper. Love will be steadfast, or, as Shakespeare described it, "as constant as the northern star".
Tiwaz also indicates success in business and sports. It suggests that legal decisions will go in your favour, too. In these matters, as in affairs of the heart, an unshakeable conviction that what you are doing is right will give you streangth of purpose to succeed.


Inverted Meaning:

 
Selfishness, dishonourable actions and turning one's back on responsibilities are suggested when Tiwaz is inverted. Women should not trust their men so readily, because in this position the rune often denotes a shallow relationship.




Body Part: Immune system and thymus gland.
Associated Maladies: Diseases of the immune system. Lowered immunities. Allergies.
Action: Attacking.
Solution: Do everything you can to support the immune system.