Tīwaz

Tīwaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the god known from Norse mythology as Tyr and from Anglo-Saxon tradition as Tiw. As an ancient Germanic deity, Tīwaz appears to have been a sky god originally, whose name derives from the Indo-European Dyēws, linking him to the Greek Zeus and the Roman Jupiter. By the historical period, Tīwaz was primarily a god of war and justice, closely associated with the Germanic thing or assembly—a legislative and judicial body. The Roman historian Tacitus, in his 1st-century work Germania, identifies this god with the Roman war god Mars, a correspondence that is echoed in the name of Tuesday (Martis dies in Latin, die Mārtis in Romance languages, and the Germanic Týsdagr).

Etymology

The reconstruction *Tīwaz is based on the Common Germanic word for 'god' or 'deity', which appears in Old English as Tīw, in Old High German as Ziu, and in Old Norse as Týr. The Indo-European root *deywós ('god of the day-lit sky') gave rise to cognates in many ancient languages, including Latin deus (god), Sanskrit dēvá (god), and Slavic divo (miracle). The shift from an initial sky-god alignment to a specific domain of war and justice is mirrored in the mythology surrounding Tīwaz.

Mythological Background

In Norse mythology, Týr is the boldest of the gods, playing a central role in the binding of the great wolf Fenrir. According to the Prose Edda, when the gods attempted to bind Fenrir for the first time, the wolf agreed to be bound only if a god placed a hand in his mouth as a pledge. Týr alone volunteered, and seeing that he had been tricked, Fenrir bit off Týr's hand—hence Týr is depicted as the 'one-handed god'. Týr is also foretold to fight and perish against the hellhound Garm during the events of Ragnarök, though some sources suggest Garm is merely another name for Fenrir. His cult may have already be replaced by that of Odin and Thor in much of Scandinavia by the Viking Age, yet his importance endured in place-names (e.g., Tysnes in Norway) and in the weekday name Tuesday (Týsdagr).

Notable Bearers and Cultural Significance

In the Anglo-Saxon tradition, Tiw was venerated as a war god, and the Old English name for Tuesday is Tīwesdæg. The Runic inscription on the helmet from Negau (2nd century BCE), reading harikastiteiva, is sometimes interpreted as referring to a priest of the god Teiwaz (Tīwaz). Additionally, the Interpretatio Romana identified Tīwaz with Mars, leading to names like Mars Thingus on a 3rd-century Latin inscription from Hadrian's Wall, mentioning a Germanic auxiliary unit. Tīwaz is also the name of the t-rune in the older runic alphabet (futhark) and the Anglo-Saxon futhorc; it appears as ᛏ (T-) and is often associated with the god's authority and martial aspects. Cognates to the name Tīwaz appear in myths, astronomy (the moon's pairing with Mars in some Old Norse sources), and law—thing derives from a Germanic root linked to the god.

• Meaning: Reconstructed Proto-Germanic name for the sky/war god, related to 'dyeus'.
• Origin: Proto-Germanic, from Indo-European *Dyēws.
• Type: Theonym (god name).
• Usage regions: Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon, early Germanic, modern mythical studies.