Tiwaz rune meaning: history, poems and modern reading

How to read the labels Historical what the old sources say. Later tradition what later writers added. Modern modern practice and my own notes.

ᛏ

Tiwaz is rune 17 of the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark, and the first rune of the third aett. It stands for the sound t, and its reconstructed name means the god Tiwaz / Týr. Modern readers link it with justice, honor and courage. On this page I start with what the evidence says, then the three medieval rune poems, and only then the modern meanings, so you can always see which layer you are reading.

At a glance

• Shape: an upward-pointing arrow: a vertical stave with two short branches slanting down from the top, one on each side
• Sound: t
• Reconstructed name: *tīwaz, the god Tiwaz, later called Týr (secure)
• Later names: Old English tīr; Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic týr
• Position: third aett, rune 17

Reconstructed names carry an asterisk because no early source writes them out in full. Scholars work them out from the later Old English and Old Norse names and from related words in other Germanic languages. Where the reconstruction is uncertain, I say so below.

The shape

Tiwaz is an upright stave with two short branches sloping down from the top, like an arrow pointing up. Draw the stave, then the two branches like the roof of a house. It is easy to draw and easy to recognize, which may be why it was often repeated on early objects. See the note on misuse below.

A good way to learn Tiwaz is to draw it ten times in a row on scrap paper, saying its sound aloud each time. Then draw it once more beside its neighbors in the futhark, so your hand learns the differences as well as the shape.

In the record

Historical The name *tīwaz is the name of a god, known in Old Norse as Týr and in Old English as Tīw. The English weekday Tuesday, “Tiw’s day,” is named after him, translating the Latin “day of Mars.” The name is related to an ancient Indo-European word for a sky god, the same root as Greek Zeus and Latin deus, “god.”

In Norse myth as recorded in the thirteenth century, Týr is a god of courage and of law and oaths. In the Prose Edda, he places his hand in the mouth of the monstrous wolf Fenrir as a pledge of good faith while the gods bind the wolf, and when the wolf realizes he has been tricked, he bites off Týr’s hand. Týr gives up his hand to keep the world safe.

In Sigrdrífumál, the valkyrie advises carving “winning-runes” on a sword’s hilt and naming Tyr twice. Many scholars think this refers to the t-rune. The rune kept its shape and its t-sound in all the runic rows, and in the Younger Futhark it also covered d. Among early inscriptions, it appears in tawido, “made,” on the Golden Horns of Gallehus.

Tiwaz begins the third aett, and modern books often call this group “Tyr’s aett.” That name is later tradition.

The rune poems

Historical Old English (author’s rendering): Tir is one of the signs (perhaps a star); it keeps its pledge to princes well; through the darkness of the nights it is always traveling, and it never deceives.

Old Norwegian (author’s rendering): Tyr is the one-handed among the gods; the smith often has to blow the bellows.

Old Icelandic (author’s rendering): Tyr: the one-handed god, and what the wolf left behind, and ruler of temples. The Latin gloss is Mars.

The English stanza is a surprise. It does not mention a god at all, but seems to describe a star or constellation that keeps its course through the night, a reliable guide for travelers. Some scholars think the poet misunderstood the name, or chose a different word that began with t. The two Norse poems clearly describe the god: one-handed, with his hand left in the wolf’s jaws. The Icelandic Latin gloss equates him with Mars, the Roman god of war.

All three poems have a stanza for Tiwaz, which is a help: when an English poet and two Scandinavian poets describe the same rune name, we can compare what they agree on and where they differ.

A word about these sources. The Old English poem survives only because George Hickes printed it in 1705, before the manuscript burned in 1731. The Norwegian poem was printed by Ole Worm in 1636, before its manuscript was lost in the Copenhagen fire of 1728. The Icelandic poem is usually dated to the fifteenth century. All three are medieval and Christian, so they tell us what the rune names meant to later readers, not what the first carvers believed. The renderings above are my own brief, literal ones.

Modern meanings

Modern Keywords: justice, honor, courage, sacrifice, duty, victory, guidance, keeping faith.

Modern readers read Tiwaz through the myth of Týr: courage, honor, self-sacrifice for the common good, justice, and keeping one’s word. Many read it as a sign that a fair outcome is possible, that courage is needed, or that a personal sacrifice may be called for. Following Sigrdrífumál, some read it as victory, especially a victory won fairly. The Old English stanza adds a further meaning: guidance, a star that does not fail, faithfulness in the dark.

Reversed: Often read as injustice, lack of courage, a broken promise, or a sacrifice that is not worth making.

Tiwaz in a reading

Modern Here is how Tiwaz might speak to three common kinds of question. These are examples of modern reading, not rules, and your own response to the rune comes first.

• A question about fairness. Tiwaz is linked with Tyr and with justice in modern reading. Ask what would be the fair thing to do, even if it costs you something.
• A question about courage. Tiwaz can point to a brave step taken for a good reason. What are you willing to stand up for?
• A question about a legal or official matter. Tiwaz can be a prompt for thinking about principles, never a forecast of a result. Take legal questions to a qualified person.

If you draw Tiwaz with other runes, read them together. Ask what Tiwaz adds to the picture, then look at its neighbors in the spread. A rune reading is a prompt for reflection. It does not predict events, and it never replaces medical, legal or financial advice.

Tiwaz in a three-rune spread

In a simple three-rune spread of situation, challenge and next step, Tiwaz changes its voice with its place. As the situation, it describes where things stand, with justice in the foreground. As the challenge, it asks whether something about honor is missing, overdone or out of balance. As the next step, it suggests one small, practical action in the spirit of courage. Read the other two runes first, then come back to Tiwaz and ask how it changes their story.

Tiwaz as a tattoo or symbol

On its own, Tiwaz is a letter for the sound t and the name of a thing, the god Tiwaz / Týr. Anyone who reads runes will see it that way first. If you want it as a tattoo, a piece of jewelry or a mark in your journal, take your time: check the form against a reliable chart, because a small change of angle can turn one rune into another. Tiwaz is easy to confuse with Algiz, so compare the two before you decide. Because this rune has a history of misuse, read the note below first, and use the plain historical form.

Reflection questions

• Where in my life do I need courage right now?
• What promises have I made, and am I keeping them?
• Is there something I am being asked to give up for the good of others? Is it a fair sacrifice?

A week with Tiwaz

Write about a time when you, or someone you admire, did the right thing at a personal cost. What did it take? Then write one way you could act with honor in a situation you face this week.

To get the most from the week, keep the entries short and honest. On the first day, write what Tiwaz means to you before you read anything else. On the last day, read that first note again and add one line about what changed. You do not need special tools: a notebook, a pen and the rune drawn at the top of each page are enough.

A note on misuse

Tiwaz appeared in some Nazi-era insignia, and some white supremacist groups use it today. The Anti-Defamation League’s hate symbols database explains this use and also notes that the rune continues to be used by non-racists, including members of various neo-pagan religions, so its use should not be assumed to be racist. If you wear or display Tiwaz, use its historical form, avoid combining it with other symbols associated with hate groups, and be ready to explain what it means to you. Context decides.

I explain the wider history, and how to tell innocent use from hateful use, on runes and misused symbols.

Related runes

• Sowilo comes just before Tiwaz in the futhark. Modern keywords: sun, success, vitality.
• Berkano comes just after Tiwaz. Modern keywords: growth, new beginnings.

To see all twenty-four runes side by side, with their sounds and the three aettir, go to the Elder Futhark. For where the runes came from, read the history of the runes, and when you are ready to draw runes for reflection, start with how to cast runes. Everything else is on the runes hub.