Tiwaz

The rune, Tiwaz, is often taken to mean Sacrifice, Responsibility, Law, Justice, North Star (therefore true direction). It is associated with the god Tyr, who famously had his hand bitten off by Fenris as price for the gods' ability to bind the wolf, and that is what I'd like to write about here.

The tale, in brief goes like this: Odin is upset because Fenris wolf (child of Loki, and brother of Hel) is foretold to kill Odin at Ragnarok. In order to prevent this, Odin has fetters made by some dwarves with the intention of binding him. Fenris is suspicious after several other attempts at binding him have been made and demands that someone look him in the eye and say that this ribbon-appearing thing is not going to be another trick. All the other gods and goddesses hem and haw, and Tyr steps forward. He and Fenris had had a pretty good relationship, but Tyr says it's not a trick, and puts his hand in Fenris' mouth as proof. As soon as the fetters take hold, Fenris bites off Tyr's hand. Fair dues, and Tyr seems to realize this as he does not attack.

Fenrisulven bit Ty i armen. Teikninga er laga etter ein brakteat frå Trollhättan i Sverige.

The nature of this sacrifice is complex. It is more than his hand that Tyr sacrificed to bind the wolf. He also lied, sacrificing some honor, though it's arguable that Fenris was wise to it even as it was happening. (Some might argue, which I would not, that it's "only Fenris" and so a lie is fine. Besides, "all the other gods and goddesses were lying, too, so...") That lie was a betrayal of friendship, and it seems to have weighed on Tyr. It was also a sacrifice brought about through the actions/inactions of others. Had Odin, Thor, or any of the others gathered said, "well, yes, it's a binding" all heck would have broken loose, and Odin might have gotten eaten right then, which was obviously not desirable. Still, I have always thought Tyr got a really raw deal in this.

So, what does this mean in our work? Depending on the circumstances of the question and the surrounding runes, I think Tiwaz can be read as the fight for justice even when it's lonely. The sacrifice that would not have been necessary "If". Cleaning up other people's messes and setting things right. Tyr's actions were for a common good, ultimately, though they did not stop prophecy from coming true, just delayed it some. When looking at the course of events, though Tyr did not raise a fuss about losing his hand, I have to wonder what the relationships between the gods were like afterward - were there further prices to pay?

What do you think?