Tiwaz (ᛏ) is the seventeenth rune of the Elder Futhark and stands for the sound t. It is named for a god: Tyr in Old Norse, Tiw in Old English. The Norse rune poems call him the one-handed god, and the English one turns him into a guiding star. In modern rune reading Tiwaz is taken to mean justice, courage and honor, and it is read as a yes.
What does the Tiwaz rune mean?
Tiwaz is one of only two runes named after a divine figure, the other being Ingwaz. As a letter it is simply t.
Its modern meanings, developed in 20th-century rune reading, come from the stories told about Tyr:
- Justice. Fair dealing, including when it is inconvenient.
- Courage. Stepping forward when others hold back.
- Honor. Standing by a pledge and accepting what it costs.
The Tiwaz sign and its sound
Tiwaz is an arrow pointing up: an upright line with two short strokes sloping down from its tip. Nothing in the alphabet is easier to draw or to remember.
It stands for t. The name is written Tiwaz or Teiwaz in reconstructed form, Týr in Old Norse and Tir or Tiw in Old English. "Tyr rune" is a common name for it too.
The name Tiwaz and what the rune poems say
The runologist Tineke Looijenga gives the reconstructed name as tīwaz and glosses the Old English form as "Tyr, the sky god." All three medieval rune poems have a verse; the quotations are from Bruce Dickins's 1915 translation.
The two Scandinavian poems go straight to the god's missing hand. The Old Norwegian: "Tyr is a one-handed god; often has the smith to blow." The Old Icelandic: "God with one hand and leavings of the wolf and prince of temples."
"Leavings of the wolf" refers to a story told in the 13th-century Prose Edda. The gods wished to bind the monstrous wolf Fenrir with a magic fetter. The wolf agreed to be tied only if one of them would lay a hand in his mouth as a pledge that he would be freed. In Arthur Brodeur's 1916 translation, "Týr stretched out his right hand and laid it in the Wolf's mouth." The fetter held, the gods "would not loose him," and the wolf bit the hand off. The same text calls Tyr "most daring, and best in stoutness of heart."
It is a hard story. Tyr is brave, and he pays; but the oath he stood surety for was one the gods did not mean to keep. Modern books that make Tiwaz a rune of simple, clean justice smooth this over.
The Old English poem, written in a Christian setting, avoids the god. Its Tiw is a star: "Tiw is a guiding star; well does it keep faith with princes; it is ever on its course over the mists of night and never fails." Keeping faith is the thread that ties the English star to the Norse god.
Tiwaz in a modern rune reading
These readings are modern practice, built on the sources above.
As a rune of the day, Tiwaz is taken as a nudge to do the fair thing, even where it is the harder one.
In a three-rune cast:
- The situation. A question of fairness or of a promise is at stake.
- The challenge. The right course has a price. The task is to decide whether you are willing to pay it.
- The likely outcome. Self-respect and a clear conscience more than an easy win. It is a direction, not a verdict.
In a yes-or-no question Tiwaz is read as a yes. It is not advice on any dispute or legal matter; for those, consult a qualified professional.
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How the symbol was misused
The Nazis appropriated this rune, and white supremacists took it up after them. For that reason the Anti-Defamation League lists it in its hate symbols database. The entry adds that the rune continues to be used by non-racists, and that the sign should be judged carefully in its specific context. The letter was in use for many centuries before that. On this site it appears only in its historical meaning.
Tiwaz upright and its place in the alphabet
Our rune reading reads all runes upright, Tiwaz included.
Tiwaz opens the third and last ætt, the group of eight that is often named Tyr's ætt after it. It follows Sowilo, the sun, and is followed by Berkano, the birch. For the full row, see the guide to the Elder Futhark runes.