Tiwaz
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The T-rune ᛏ is named after Týr and was identified with this god. The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is Tîwaz or Teiwaz. The Tiwaz rune was an ideographic symbol for a spear.
Rune Poems
Tiwaz is mentioned in all three rune poems. In the Icelandic and Norwegian poems, the rune is associated with the god Týr.
Rune Poems
Old Norwegian
ᛏ Týr er æinendr ása;
opt værðr smiðr blása.
Tyr is a one-handed god;
he has often had the smith blow the bellows.
smíðr blása -> Blowing the bellows to make the coals hot for metalworking.
Old Icelandic
ᛏ Týr er einhendr áss
ok ulfs leifar
ok hofa hilmir
Mars tiggi.
Tyr is the one-handed god
and the remnants of the wolf
and the prince of temples.
"Mars tiggi" is a "more or less accurate [Latin gloss]."
Anglo-Saxon
ᛏ Tir biþ tacna sum, healdeð tryƿa ƿel
ƿiþ æþelingas; a biþ on færylde
ofer nihta genipu, næfre sƿiceþ.
It is a (leading) star; it keeps faith well
with the princes; it is always on its way
over the mists of the night and never fails.
"Glory, honour" is a gloss next to the rune. Several interpretations have been offered, generally connecting it to the North Star, as the words tacna and færyld have astronomical connotations (they are used for "zodiac signs" and "planetary orbit").
Usage
Antiquity
Several Tiwaz runes
Several Tiwaz runes, either stacked to form a tree-like shape or repeated one after another, appear multiple times in Germanic paganism:
- The amulet (alu) on the Lindholm amulet, dating from the 2nd to 4th century, contains three consecutive T-runes, interpreted as an invocation of Týr.
- The Kylver stone (400 AD, Gotland) contains 8 stacked Tiwaz runes at the end of an inscription in the Elder Futhark.
- A Scandinavian C-bracteate (Seeland-II-C) from 500 AD features an inscription in the Elder Futhark that ends with three stacked Tiwaz runes.
Poetic Edda
According to rune scholar Lars Magnar Enoksen, the Tiwaz rune is mentioned in a verse from Sigrdrífumál, a poem from the Poetic Edda.
In Sigrdrífumál, it is told that Sigurd kills the dragon Fafnir and reaches a fortress of shields on the top of a mountain, illuminated by large fires. In the fortress, he finds a magical sleeping valkyrie, whom he awakens by cutting her corset with his sword. The grateful Valkyrie Sigrdrífa offers him the secrets of the runes in exchange for awakening her, under the condition that he shows no fear. She begins by teaching him that, in order to succeed in battle, he should carve "victory runes" into his sword and say the name "Týr" twice—the name of the Tiwaz rune.
6. Sigrúnar skaltu kunna,
ef þú vilt sigr hafa,
ok rísta á hjalti hjörs,
sumar á véttrimum,
sumar á valböstum,
ok nefna tysvar Tý.
6. Learn the victory runes,
if you wish to have victory,
and carve them on your sword's hilt,
some on the shaft,
some on the flat of the blade,
and twice you must call Týr's name.
Name in the Futhorc
Futhorc manuscripts give different names to the T-rune. Sangallensis 270 (9th century) and Vindobonensis 795 (9th century) call the rune "Ti," while Cotton MS Domitian A IX (10th century?) calls it "Tir" and the Byrhtferth's Manuscript (12th century) calls it "Tyr." Ti could be an uninflected form of the possessive "Tiwes," as seen in "Tiwesdæg," making it a name of an English god. Similar spellings of this god's name (like Tii) are attested in Old English.
Modern Use
Germanic Neopaganism
The Tiwaz rune is frequently used by Germanic neopagans as a symbol for the worship of the god Týr.
Use in National Socialism and Neo-Nazism
The Týr rune in Guido von List's Armanen Futhark is based on the version found in the Younger Futhark. List's runes were later adopted and modified by Karl Maria Wiligut, who was responsible for their adoption by the Nazis. As a result, they became widespread in Nazi Germany on badges and in literature. It was the badge of the SA (Sturmabteilung), the Reichsführerschulen in Nazi Germany. During World War II, it was used as the insignia of the 32nd SS Volunteer Grenadier Division "30th January."
In Neo-Nazism, it appeared along with the Sowilo rune in the emblem of the Kassel think tank Thule Seminar. It also appeared as the former logo of the Thor Steinar clothing brand, which was banned in Germany due to its similarity to SS officer uniforms, and in the Scandinavian-based Nordic Resistance Movement, which used the symbol on a diamond-shaped flag with stripes (similar to the Hitler Youth flag) in green, white, and black. (It should also be noted that these uses are technically incorrect, as both Thor and Thule are written with the rune Thurisaz, ᚦ). The symbol was one of many Nazi/neo-Nazi and fascist symbols/slogans used by the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shooting, Brenton Harrison Tarrant, alongside the Black Sun, the Othala/Odal rune, the Celtic Cross, the Kolovrat swastika, the Fourteen Words, and the Archangel Michael Cross from the pro-Nazi Romanian organisation Iron Guard.
Olympic Games
In 2018, the symbol was used on the uniforms of the Norwegian alpine ski team.
Popular Culture
In Vinland Saga, Thorfinn has two Tiwaz runes carved into his dagger, likely in the same context as in Sigrdrífumál: to achieve victory in battle.
In Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Teiwaz is a mafia-like group representing the Outer Sphere and is the largest conglomerate on Jupiter.