Krigsguden Tyr och Tissø

• The War god Tyr and Tissø This article discusses the archeological site Tissø on western Zealand, Denmark, and some possible interpretations of it, from a perspective of comparative religion. It includes an empirical and comparative analysis of the Old Norse source material and, to some extent, the continental Germanic and other Indo-European material. The place name has been interpreted as “The lake of Tyr”, i.e. “The lake dedicated to Tyr”, and deposited weapons have been found in the lake. Some of the previous interpretations of the god Tyr have built their arguments upon the etymological connection to Indo-European words for “heaven/ celestial” and “god”, but the Old Norse sources have not been taken satisfactory into consideration; the Old Norse material only speaks of Tyr as a god of war. The comparative Indo-European etymological material indicates that his function as sky god is archaic, while the martial traits shared with the continental Germanic and Celtic counterparts, prove that this characteristic must have evolved at an early stage. The presence of weapons in the lake and the place name show congruence with the character of the god, who’s name is given to the lake.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Religionshistoria (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- History of Religions (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Tyr

war god

Old Norse religion

Old Norse mythology

archaeology

nature mythology

comparative religion

History of Religion

religionshistoria

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