Tyrfing
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Tyrfing, also rendered as Tirfing or Tyrving, was a
Description
As described in its legends, Tyrfing was
the keenest of all blades; every time it was drawn a light shone from it like a ray of the sun. It could never be held unsheathed without being the death of a man, and it had always to be sheathed with blood still warm upon it. There was no living thing, neither man nor beast, that could live to see another day if it were wounded by Tyrfing, whether the wound were big or little; never had it failed in a stroke or been stayed before it plunged into the earth, and the man who bore it in battle would always be victorious, if blows were struck with it.[1]
Certain stories seem to imply that Tyrfing is capable of deicide, as shown when King Heidrek recognizes the god Odin in a disguise and strikes at him, forcing Odin to transform into a hawk to escape the blow.[2]
The Tyrfing Cycle
when they had left the rock where they dwelt. Then he forced them to forge a sword with a golden hilt that would never miss a stroke, would never rust and would cut through stone and iron as easily as through clothes.The dwarfs made the sword, and it shone and gleamed like fire. However, in revenge they cursed it so that it would kill a man every time it was drawn and that it would be the cause of three great evils. They finally cursed it so that it would also kill Svafrlami himself.
When Svafrlami heard the curses he tried to slay Dvalinn, but the dwarf disappeared into the rock and the sword was driven deep into it, though missing its intended victim.
Svafrlami was killed by the
Angantyr's daughter,
Heidrek became king of the Goths. During a voyage, Heidrek camped at the Carpathians (Harvaða fjöllum, cf. Grimm's law). He was accompanied by eight mounted thralls, who eventually entered his tent and slew him in his sleep, the third and final of Tyrfing's evil deeds. Heidrek's son, also named Angantyr (the third), caught and killed the thralls and reclaimed the magic sword, finally satisfying the dwarfs' curse.
The curse on Tyrfing is comparable to that placed on the ring Andvaranaut in the Völsung Cycle.
For links to source text in English translation and Old Norse and for general commentary see Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks.
Etymology
Scholars have not come to a definitive conclusion as to the origins of the name Tyrfing, but there are several theories. One maintains that it is possibly connected to the Thervingi (or Tervingi), a Gothic tribe recorded by Roman sources in the 4th century. Another reads the name as a combination of Tyr, Norse god of war, and fingr, an Old Norse spelling of the word finger, to literally mean "the finger of the war god."[4] A third theory instead poses the suffix -ing as denoting a sense of ownership, in the vein of other Scandanavian sword names such as Hoeking ("sword owned by Hoekr") or Hunlafing ("sword owned by Hunlaf"), which would thus render the name "sword of Torfi," though who "Torfi" is in this context is not clear.[5]
Influence on modern Fantasy
The theme of a cursed sword which causes evil deeds whenever drawn was taken up by several modern writers of Fantasy – notably
In popular culture
Tyrfing has been referenced in a variety of modern contexts that reference Norse mythology. Tyrfing has been used as the name of a hot sauce on Hot Ones,[6] the name of a "demon sword" in High School DxD,[citation needed] a holy weapon in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War,[7] and a cursed sword in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.[8]
See also
- Fornsigtuna
References
- ISBN 9780007416967.
- JSTOR 1259546– via JSTOR.
- JSTOR 1258785– via JSTOR.
- ^ Föll, Helmut. "Swords with Names".
- JSTOR 2914137– via JSTOR.
- ^ Todd, Annie (2022-06-22). "First South Dakota hot sauce to be featured on popular YouTube talk show 'Hot Ones'". Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ Kaliroff, Marc (2021-06-25). "Fire Emblem Armory Collection gets new products, including Awakening's Binding Shield". Nintendo Wire. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
- ^ Fontes, Renan (2019-11-29). "Castlevania: 10 Worst Weapons In The Series, Ranked". TheGamer. Retrieved 2022-08-04.