Tyr-During the day in times of need
Humankind turns towards the sun.
Under the birch, the ice becomes water.
Joy in this sacred space.
The
name Tyr (Tiwaz) means "Sky Father" or "Father of the
Daytime Sky"and in some circles the name Tyr is associated with
the name "God". The stories written about Tyr are few and
far between, in the Nordic legends their are only two stories, in my
awareness, in which Tyr plays any predominate role. The first one is
the classic tale of the Fenris Wolf in which said God volunteers to
sacrifice he's left hand for the sake of Asgard. The second is the
story in which Tyr and Thor go on a beer run to Tyr's fathers house.
These stories do not tell us a lot about the role of the god in
Nordic or Germanic society so to understand Tyr one must look at the
environment which he's name derives from. The Sky. Their are four
phases of sky; night sky, dawn sky, midday sky, and sunset sky. If we
add that with the five colors of the sky's transitions; black,
indigo, light blue, white and orange. The cumulative number would be
nine, the mystical number of the Scandinavian and Germanic peoples.
Nine is important for in the mystical thoughts of the Norse, Yggr an
other name for Odin, was said to ride a horse through these nine
realms were different beings were said to reside. Nine is a number
that brakes the ever turning wheels of eight, apoun breaking eight
one attains completeness and becomes uninhibited in their path. If we
take the first letter of each of these nine phases and apply the
runes it would indicated the nine, for lake of a better term, "faces"
of the Sky Father.
The
first rune is Nyd, the second rune is Dagaz, the third rune is Mannaz
meaning man. Sowilo is the fourth meaning sun or sun-wheel, berkanno
is the fifth meaning birch tree and is some cases bear. Issa is the
sixth rune meaning ice or stillness, lagaz the seventh meaning water
or lake. The eighth rune is the wunjo rune meaning pleasure, joy or
grape and the last rune is Othin meaning Odin.
Below
is a sun-wheel, with these runes on them it's used for chanting and
to better understand Tyr. The reason we use the sun-wheel is because
the sun appears to travel through the sky giving the above it's
color. It is the bringer of knowledge of the Sky Father, the traveler
who passes through the above. It's rays give us the knowledge of mind
and insight to Tyr.
Berkanno
which means birch or is used as short hand for bear is in the
northern quadrant. Trees especially birch and apple were sacred to
the Norse. The world tree whose branches stretched into the upper sky
realm and who's roots dug deep into the lower realm. In some
interpretation the berkanna rune is short hand for bear, the
constellation of Ursa Major was and is sometimes called the great
bear in it's tail resides the north star. The north star is used in
navigation and rarely wavers. It is the guiding star, the truest
star. Just as Tyr is the god of truth who would presided over matters of state with unbiased wisdom. The
issa rune which means ice is the solid state of water, lagaz which
falls from the sky in the form of rain. Rain and water is the life
force of the planet, all living things who's roots enter the ground
and all things that drink need rain. The wunjo rune meaning joy,
happiness, or sometime wine; when the sun reaches it's zenith the sky
appears white. The midday sun is at it's hottest casting it's life
giving rays onto the planet, giving plants the essential element to
grow. The Odin rune is a representation of Odin the God of magic and
Shamanism. In all cultures that worshiped the sky was the holy man,
the one who would communicate with the Sky Father. In that shaman was
the ability to project he's mind and soul into the metaphysical
realms. The god Odin, as mentioned above, would either ride the horse
or send he's mind in the form of Hugen and Munnin into the these
realms. The nyd rune, which means need or distress. In the sky there
are seven layers, these seven layers of sky are there to protect the
planet from the sun harmful rays and asteroids that pelt the planet.
Without them the planet would die, in essence we need the sky. The
dagaz rune means the daylight which comes from the sun, sowilo. The
daylight is what gives the sky it's color, depending on were the sun
is in the sky will determine the color of the sky. Mannaz is the last
rune this rune means humankind or man. In this context it is the
patriarchal nature of sky worship, and represents the dualism of
pagan worship. The Sky Father countered and in union with the Earth
Mother. To know Tyr is to know the sky for the sky is tangible and
tangibility is closer to truth, the love of Tyr second only to war.
