He started off as a fearless Germanic War God, and became Odin’s trusty second-in-command when the Vikings came along.

He’s bold and brave, but not too bright. Who else would be foolhardy enough to keep Fenrir, the supernatural monster wolf, as a pet?

Whilst Fenrir was being restrained with a chain, he put his hand in the creature’s mouth as a gesture of goodwill. Not a good idea. Now he is very left-handed as that is the only hand he has left. (Tolkien fans will note the similarity to Beren The One-Handed here.) Can you be a right-hand man if you don’t have a right hand?

The beginnings of Tyr’s career are somewhat obscure. At one time he may have been the ruler of the Gods or even a pillar supporting the Universe (see Tiw. Our sources are dense with speculation and rumor. He might be older than Odin, despite being Odin’s son. Tyr could also have Celtic influence, putting himself about as Nuada of the Silver Hand and claiming to have lost his appendage in battle.

Anyway, Tyr is still patiently waiting for his revenge on the wolf Fenrir during the world-shattering final episode entitled Ragnarok. (Spoiler alert: he won’t get it). Then again, Ragnarok may already have happened, in which case Tyr will have killed Garm the Monster Hound belonging to Hel. We hope that’s all cleared up for you.

About Tyr’s only legacy now is that Tuesday is named after him, via his Germanic equivalent Tiw.

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Article last revised on August 07, 2018 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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