Tyr
Tiwas, The Maimed God, The One-Handed. LG intermediate power of justice, courage, strategy (He/Him)
Pantheon: Norse, Faerûnian
Realm: Mount Celestia / Lunia / The Althing (the Court) & Ysgard / Asgard
Proxies: Unity of Rings (movanic deva proxy [he/him], LG), Sigurd (planar human proxy [he/him], LG warrior).
Tyr the One-Handed is a once-mighty Norse power known for his unwavering commitment to justice, fairness and righteousness. His followers include judges, lawyers, paladins and members of the Mercykillers and Fraternity of Order factions; basically he appeals to anyone who has a strong moral sense of what’s right and wrong. He has the ability to see all invisible things and recognise any thief.
He typically manifests as a bearded, fierce-looking warrior missing one hand. Tyr is called the Maimed God because of the legendary sacrifice he made to bind the monstrous wolf Fenrir. The story goes that the Norse gods were trying to trick Fenrir into letting them chain him up, but Fenrir was suspicious and insisted on security. Tyr put his hand in the beast’s mouth, saying Fenrir could bite it off if it was a trick. Well, the joke was on Fenrir because a trick it was, and the Norse gods entrapped an enemy of the pantheon. But loyal Tyr paid the price for this, his selfless act symbolising his willingness to make personal sacrifices for the greater good.
Tyr’s holy symbol is a balanced set of scales resting on a warhammer, symbolizing the application of justice through strength. His followers often wear or carry items depicting this symbol. Temples of Tyr are often places of law and order. They serve as centres for legal proceedings, and his clergy provide guidance and counsel to those seeking justice. Indeed, Tyr’s own realm, the Althing, is one of the most important courts in the Upper Planes.
As well as earning the respect of the entire Norse pantheon, Tyr has many natural allies among other lawful good deities like Heironeous from the Oeridian pantheon. This might be one of the reasons he’s so well known across the planes; Tyr is also a member of the Faerûnian pantheon. The other reason is that recently his power has been waning, since Thor took his portfolio as god of War, ever-strategic Tyr has been looking to diversify his worship to new places.
Canonical References:
- Deities & Demigods (3e) p195-197 (stats, gives a LN alignment)
- On Hallowed Ground (2e) p38 (on being in dual pantheons), 47 (faction opinions), 141-149 (Norse Pantheon, Tyr overview, proxy).
- Planes of Chaos: Book of Chaos (2e) p112 (mention)
- Planes of Law: Mount Celestia (2e) p9 (mention)
- Planes of Conflict: Liber Malevolente (2e) p57 (mention)
- Planescape Campaign Setting: DM’s Guide (2e) p62 (mention)
- Uncaged Faces of Sigil (2e) p105 (proxy)
