Elder Futhark · Tyr's aett · rune 17 of 24
ᛏTiwaz
Justice upheld at personal cost.
- Name means
- the god Týr; god
- Sound
- t
- Aett
- Tyr's aett
- Evidence
- well attested
What Tiwaz means
The name behind this rune is *Tīwaz, an old sky-god whose name is simply the Germanic word for god, cognate with Latin deus and Greek Zeus; in Norse he narrows into Týr. The mythology gives it one governing image: Týr laid his hand in the wolf Fenrir's jaws as surety while the other gods bound the beast, knowing the surety was a lie, and paid with the hand. So the rune sits with law, oath, arbitration and the assembly court, order held up by someone prepared to bear the cost rather than by strength. Sigrdrífumál advises carving victory runes on a sword hilt and naming Týr twice.
What the rune poems actually say
The Old English poem treats Tir as a sign that keeps faith with nobles and holds its course above the mists of night without ever failing, language that fits a star or constellation more than a god, and scholars still argue over which is meant. Both Norse poems are blunter: the Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic stanzas name Týr the one-handed god among the Æsir, the Icelandic adding the wolf's leavings and the ruler of the temple. Those stanzas describe the Younger Futhark t-rune, not the Elder one.
Evidence rating: well attested — Name and meaning securely reconstructed, and a rune poem addresses it.
In a casting
In a reading it is usually drawn on for matters of principle: a contract, a dispute, a tribunal, a decision where someone has to hold a line at their own expense. Readers link it to self-discipline and to courage that is answerable to something outside the self. Worth knowing that twentieth-century occultists reworked the shape as the Armanen Tyr rune and the SS took it up, an appropriation of an alphabet far older than they were.
Reversed
Reversed the arrow points downward, and readers take it as force spent in the wrong direction: an argument pursued for the pleasure of winning, zeal without fairness, or someone unwilling to pay any cost for what they claim to stand for. Others read a stalled legal matter or energy quietly draining away.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Tiwaz rune mean?
The name behind this rune is *Tīwaz, an old sky-god whose name is simply the Germanic word for god, cognate with Latin deus and Greek Zeus; in Norse he narrows into Týr. The mythology gives it one governing image: Týr laid his hand in the wolf Fenrir's jaws as surety while the other gods bound the beast, knowing the surety was a lie, and paid with the hand. So the rune sits with law, oath, arbitration and the assembly court, order held up by someone prepared to bear the cost rather than by strength. Sigrdrífumál advises carving victory runes on a sword hilt and naming Týr twice.
What do the rune poems say about Tiwaz?
The Old English poem treats Tir as a sign that keeps faith with nobles and holds its course above the mists of night without ever failing, language that fits a star or constellation more than a god, and scholars still argue over which is meant. Both Norse poems are blunter: the Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic stanzas name Týr the one-handed god among the Æsir, the Icelandic adding the wolf's leavings and the ruler of the temple. Those stanzas describe the Younger Futhark t-rune, not the Elder one.
What does Tiwaz mean reversed?
Reversed the arrow points downward, and readers take it as force spent in the wrong direction: an argument pursued for the pleasure of winning, zeal without fairness, or someone unwilling to pay any cost for what they claim to stand for. Others read a stalled legal matter or energy quietly draining away.