Divine judgement

The saga of Tyr and Fenrir helped engrain a sense of justice into Norse culture

The importance of stories and sagas, especially about the exploits of the gods, was deeply ingrained into Viking society. The tales inspired and guided them as to how they should live their lives. The story of Tyr and Fenrir is a good example of the Viking sense of justice.

It was prophesised that the giant wolf Fenrir would devour the god Odin, so the gods set out to capture him. They instructed dwarves to create magical chains, each stronger than the last, to bind Fenrir, telling the wolf that they would test his strength. But upon seeing them, the cunning wolf became suspicious.

Then Fenrir, son of the trickster god Loki, had an idea. He said that he would only allow himself to be bound if one of the gods placed their hand in the wolf’s mouth as an act of good faith. Tyr, the god of war, law and order, was the only one brave enough to volunteer. As expected, when Fenrir realised he could not escape the magical bonds, he promptly bit off Tyr’s hand.

Tyr’s actions were the embodiment of truth and justice to the Vikings. The gods had pledged an oath to the beast that had to be fulfilled and, as grisly as it may have been, Tyr saw his sacrifice as the only way in which justice could be served. In Viking society, the breaking of an oath was held in great contempt. The story of Tyr and Fenrir was the foundation of their unwavering belief in the strength of fairness and justice. Whether it was because of the legend or a reason the detail was added to the story, it was also forbidden to bind another person unless they had committed a crime.