I sat on edge of the rock grouping, watching the sunset. As the sun descended on the top of the mountain peak facing me, I noticed the pristine light priming outward and breeching the sky forming the Anglo-Saxon Kenaz. At first, I thought of Odin, then of course because of the Kenaz rune, of Loki, and then, at last as I noticed the Blue of the Colorado sky against the black of the pine forest and the white-faced rocks, of Tyr. For some, he is the earliest form of sky god for the Indo-European peoples of Europe. To me, his mysteries lie within the world of his past, within his life as a Jotun entity.  

It is easy to forget that Tyr is a Giant himself. We don't know much of his origins, but what little is written can be summed up within the lay of Hymir. In this Edda, Tyr and Thor go to the home of Tyr's family, Jotun stock to be sure. Of his grandmother, who is mentioned to loathe Tyr, we hear that she has nine hundred heads. His mother is a bit different, as she is shining, all in gold and with white hair. Tyr's father, Hymir, is called the terrible one, with icicles hanging from his beard. He is seen as fierce, strong, and definitely of cold-stock, or frost-thurse blood. The histories of Tyr's bloodline past are not to be taken lightly. In fact, it is within this past of Tyr that we see the root of his betrayal, and in the trust that Fenris (and for that matter, Fenris' extended family) had in him.

This in and of itself is extremely important, and easy to forget. Why and what was the relationship between him and Loki's offspring? Why was it so easy for them, and in particular, Fenris, to trust him? Painted by contemporary lore, we are compelled to see him as a god of truth, of the Thing, of laws, order and war. We are told he once held the same position as Odin, as an Alfather and sky god. We will return to this notion of sky god later, but for the moment, let us focus on how he is viewed by contemporary heathens and Asatru. He is seen as a god of truth and order, and yet he is responsible in a large part for one of the largest betrayals in the history of the northern tradition. In an effort to keep what Odin had obtained in title, status and life, he chose to have Fenris restrained. The fact that Fenris knew better than to let them tie him up, and was coaxed by Tyr to do so by placing his own hand in Fenris' mouth, tells you the type of deceit that was and is possible within Tyr.

Given the fact that Tyr is also of Giant's blood, it is possible that he sacrificed his hand in order to prove to the Aesir that he was loyal to them. In that moment, he also took a side in Ragnarok that could not be denied. This, however, may not be as horrid as you may think. His deceit leads to the fulfillment of Wyrd that is predicted in the Voluspa, with the changing of the world through violent transition. In this regard, Tyr acts as a catalyst and seed early in the process of creating change within the worlds, and as such is acting in a truly Jotun fashion, particularly that of the IronWood thurses, who seem to entangle themselves most thoroughly in the manipulation of Wyrd. 

Before this well-documented point, however, I believe that Tyr served a very different function. His role as sky god/giant is one that I believe he obtained from the earliest of times. In my own opinion, I believe it is very likely that Hymir is a direct descendant of Ymir, and that Tyr's (or Tiw/Zisa's) placement as a sky god has much to do with him being part of the crown aspect of Ymir as a member of family or son of Ymir. As the world developed and people wanted to have gods that resembled themselves, Tyr continued on in the role of a priest or godhi to the new gods, the Aesir, to guide them in the worlds they were now to inhabit. Within this priest-role, he served and serves to keep a natural order, continue to facilitate the path of natural Wyrd and transformation, and (through his newer aspect as a god of war) facilitate violent change through the manipulation of things around him. By taking on this role he acted not only as intermediary early on between the Jotun and Aesir (in particular Fenris), he eventually found himself in the role of betrayer. And how could one so high up betray his people by becoming a member of the new regime and not acknowledge his roots? 

As a sky god, the fact that he is given the job of feeding the young pup Fenris is extremely interesting. In working with Fenris, I have found myself looking into his gaping jaws, and seeing the depths and eternity of the cosmos within him. If he (or his offspring) is to swallow the sun and moon, it makes perfect sense that within his body is the cosmos of eternity and never-ending universe. As I look into that terrifying space of infinity, it seems right that he is fed by the sky, for the sky is still present at night, but with a different face. Tyr is feeding the change that he is to become. In many respects, it could be seen that Fenris is the cosmological opposite of Tyr, as opposite as day and night can actually be. To understand the nature of either Tyr or Fenris, you must enter into an understanding of its "opposite." This dualistic nature, however, is heavily blurred by the actions of the two. Much like the mythical Greek king Laius and his son Oedipus, it is possible that Fenris would not have sought out Odin if the gods did not desire to tie him up, and the chaos that he levels during Ragnarok could have been avoided. All of Tyr's involvement within this really seems to support the idea that he acts in some respects as Irmunsil, and seeks to assist the change of the world as it spins on the axis of the North Star. 

Within this concept, if we view the role of Tyr as a physicality of Irmunsil, the world pillar or axis, and take it one step further and attribute the north star to Hela (in her aspect as the Bear Goddess, found within Ursula Minor) we can see an interesting thing occur. They both seek to continue the spinning of the world (in the case of Tyr) and the rotation of the cosmos (Hela).  We find that we have acknowledged an interesting and ancient dichotomy. Between the two we find the necessary means of change and stasis, and a balance between two dualistic natures, most basic of which is light vs. dark, or Day vs. Night. Though by many counts the Rökkr and Jotun entities are not wholly dualistic, we may view the basic relationship between the two in this way.

While I do not personally find their energies incompatible, upon talking about the two entities with Asatru seidhr workers, I have noticed that they feel most emphatically that Tyr does not like Hel, and does not like to be called upon when they are working Seidhr within the realm of Hel. The idea that he is uncomfortable with darkness suggests a few things to me, but primarily it shows that it is possible that he either feels he has committed a grave offense to Hela by betraying her brother Fenris (which He did) or that his position in their world view as a god of light denies him access to that realm. In my own experience, I do not see that conflict, though I have never asked the two to be in the same location at once. If I did, I would most likely call on much older aspects of the two, when they worked to keep the universe in balance following the destruction of Ymir and the artificial construct of Irmunsil was necessary.