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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
What Does Being a Tyrsman mean to me?
Since I am a Tyrsman, I figured I should discuss
that this morning.
Tyr is a bit of an enigma among the Aesir. He doesn't quite fit in legend-wise, and it has been speculated that he wandered in from another pantheon. In scholarly terms, that means that there was a "cross-pollination" between to cultures. In religious terms, he wandered in from another pantheon.
Tyr is considered a god of war, and a god of justice. His most famous scene, of course, is when sacrificed his hand so that Fenris could be chained. Most follow Snorri in saying he is therefore the bravest of the Aesir.
People have a lot of different opinions regarding Fultrui relationships. Some believe that equal honor should be given all of the gods, and therefore such relationships are forced and wrong. I obviously don't go for that. However, simply because I have a stronger relationship with Tyr does not mean I disregard the other Aesir. All are honored by me.
Among those who are Fultru, opinions seem to be mixed on whether the god chooses the individual or vice versa. I take a slightly different stance on this: I don't care. I'm not vain enough to say that Tyr picked me. Nor am I low enough in self-esteem to say that he never would have. I don't know who picked whom, and I do not care.
Which brings us, of course, to the question, "Why Tyr?" I have no clue. Honestly. I didn't just open up a book one day and say, "Ooh, Tyr. Yep. That's the As for me." Those who say that we choose a god in such relationships would opine that I have a subconscious yearning for fairness and justice, I'm sure. Those who say we are chosen would suggest that I have some purpose that involves justice. I just say that when I began reading about Tyr, I couldn't stop. I always had to learn more. I was fascinated, and not even the dearth of material could satisfy me. (There's another possible reason -- the dichotomy argument. Maybe some other time)
I knew by then that I wanted to dedicate myself mainly to Tyr. I did so, but that wasn't the end of it. A turning point in that relationship occurred while I was in Kosovo in 2002. Through a series of events, I broke through what was a significant case of denial. I'd read the story in Snorri umpteen times. It was right there in front of me, but it didn't sink in and I wouldn't believe it. Those of you familiar with Tyr are going to say "Duh!" when I say what it was, but I'm still going to try to impart the change that this brought.
Tyr broke his word to Fenris. He said "we will put this rope on you to see if you can break it, and in token of the fact that we will take it off again, I will put my hand in your mouth." His honor was broken, and he sacrificed his hand to get it back.
Picture me running around (mentally, anyway) screeching "He lied! He lied!" It was a tough moment -- finding out my favorite god wasn't infallible. I did come to terms with it. I realized that Tyr made a choice, based on what was right for the greatest number of people, according to the evidence at... hand. When the enraged Fenris bit off his hand at the wolf joint, he administered justice to the god of justice. By that act, Tyr's honor was restored.
End result: finding out that Tyr was imperfect increased my respect for him, rather than the opposite. Through that, we became closer. It was a big moment, bigger than I can explain. In a way it was like leaving the last vestiges of my Baptist upbringing behind -- the idea that (any) god has to be perfect in every way. The gods deal with real situations like the rest of us, and just like us, sometimes have to sacrifice something for the good of all.
I try to show my devotion to Tyr mainly through actions. I attempt to deal fairly with all people. Of course I don't always succeed. I try to live my life in a just manner, and encourage that in others. When I sit in judgment of others, I try to be as fair as possible. I try to be brave, and to keep a fair reputation. I believe that if the opportunity presented itself, I would sacrifice much more than my hand to save others. Having never been put to that test, I don't know, but I hope I would.
I also like to eat Mars candy bars. They're not easy to find anymore, but there are also Mars ice cream bars.. There are some who believe that Mars was the god who wandered into the pantheon and became Tyr. I realize just how silly this sounds, but it makes me feel closer to him. It's all in my head, but it is there, in my head.
Tyr is a bit of an enigma among the Aesir. He doesn't quite fit in legend-wise, and it has been speculated that he wandered in from another pantheon. In scholarly terms, that means that there was a "cross-pollination" between to cultures. In religious terms, he wandered in from another pantheon.
Tyr is considered a god of war, and a god of justice. His most famous scene, of course, is when sacrificed his hand so that Fenris could be chained. Most follow Snorri in saying he is therefore the bravest of the Aesir.
People have a lot of different opinions regarding Fultrui relationships. Some believe that equal honor should be given all of the gods, and therefore such relationships are forced and wrong. I obviously don't go for that. However, simply because I have a stronger relationship with Tyr does not mean I disregard the other Aesir. All are honored by me.
Among those who are Fultru, opinions seem to be mixed on whether the god chooses the individual or vice versa. I take a slightly different stance on this: I don't care. I'm not vain enough to say that Tyr picked me. Nor am I low enough in self-esteem to say that he never would have. I don't know who picked whom, and I do not care.
Which brings us, of course, to the question, "Why Tyr?" I have no clue. Honestly. I didn't just open up a book one day and say, "Ooh, Tyr. Yep. That's the As for me." Those who say that we choose a god in such relationships would opine that I have a subconscious yearning for fairness and justice, I'm sure. Those who say we are chosen would suggest that I have some purpose that involves justice. I just say that when I began reading about Tyr, I couldn't stop. I always had to learn more. I was fascinated, and not even the dearth of material could satisfy me. (There's another possible reason -- the dichotomy argument. Maybe some other time)
I knew by then that I wanted to dedicate myself mainly to Tyr. I did so, but that wasn't the end of it. A turning point in that relationship occurred while I was in Kosovo in 2002. Through a series of events, I broke through what was a significant case of denial. I'd read the story in Snorri umpteen times. It was right there in front of me, but it didn't sink in and I wouldn't believe it. Those of you familiar with Tyr are going to say "Duh!" when I say what it was, but I'm still going to try to impart the change that this brought.
Tyr broke his word to Fenris. He said "we will put this rope on you to see if you can break it, and in token of the fact that we will take it off again, I will put my hand in your mouth." His honor was broken, and he sacrificed his hand to get it back.
Picture me running around (mentally, anyway) screeching "He lied! He lied!" It was a tough moment -- finding out my favorite god wasn't infallible. I did come to terms with it. I realized that Tyr made a choice, based on what was right for the greatest number of people, according to the evidence at... hand. When the enraged Fenris bit off his hand at the wolf joint, he administered justice to the god of justice. By that act, Tyr's honor was restored.
End result: finding out that Tyr was imperfect increased my respect for him, rather than the opposite. Through that, we became closer. It was a big moment, bigger than I can explain. In a way it was like leaving the last vestiges of my Baptist upbringing behind -- the idea that (any) god has to be perfect in every way. The gods deal with real situations like the rest of us, and just like us, sometimes have to sacrifice something for the good of all.
I try to show my devotion to Tyr mainly through actions. I attempt to deal fairly with all people. Of course I don't always succeed. I try to live my life in a just manner, and encourage that in others. When I sit in judgment of others, I try to be as fair as possible. I try to be brave, and to keep a fair reputation. I believe that if the opportunity presented itself, I would sacrifice much more than my hand to save others. Having never been put to that test, I don't know, but I hope I would.
I also like to eat Mars candy bars. They're not easy to find anymore, but there are also Mars ice cream bars.. There are some who believe that Mars was the god who wandered into the pantheon and became Tyr. I realize just how silly this sounds, but it makes me feel closer to him. It's all in my head, but it is there, in my head.
Posted: Mon - March 8, 2004 at 01:53 PM