In order to best prepare you for the launch of God of War Ragnarok, we offer you a series of articles dedicated to the important characters of the cast, this time with the giant Ase, Tyr. Like many characters in this sequel, Tyr was absent from God of War 2018, but he should quickly get in the way of Kratos and Loki, since the trailers show him lending a hand to the duo.
Origin and relationship between characters
Family
According to the texts, Tyr is either the son of Odin and Frigg, or the son of the giant Hymir and an unknown mother. He belongs to the family of gods Ases and occupies an important place in the pantheon.
Her name
In Old Norse, Tyr simply means "god", an etymology which most certainly marks its initial importance. In Germanic it takes the name of Tiwaz (" sky of the day ") , which is also that of a rune which codes the sound "t".
Role and attributes
God of what?
Tyr is an ancient god, he probably originally had the role of ruler of the gods that Odin later occupies . He appears in the texts as a wise and courageous god. God of the sky and of justice, he is associated with the thing, the name of government assemblies in ancient Germanic societies. He is also the god of strategy and just war and can like Odin decide the fate of a battle. It can also be associated with the idea of sacrifice: Tyr is a one-armed god, he voluntarily lost his hand to protect the gods.
Mythological references and possible connection to the game
The sacrifice
Fenrir, son of Loki and Angrboda is held captive by the gods Ases to prevent Ragnarök. Only Tyr has the courage to feed him. Fenrir grows and gains in strength, so the gods look for chains capable of containing him: the dwarves are called upon and shape a magic link made of rare and unusual ingredients (a woman's beard, cat noise, etc.). Fenrir refuses to be approached and Tyr has to pawn his hand, placed in his mouth, so that the gods can bind him . Fenrir struggles, and the more he struggles, the closer the bond becomes. In anger he takes Tyr's hand away.
Tire and Ragnarök
Ragnarök, the prophesied final battle, will see the death of many gods. Tire is no exception. He will fight there alongside the Aesir and will lose his life in a final confrontation against Hel's guardian dog named Garm.
