The Disclaimer: First, I do not practice any form of Native American spirituality. My practice is derived from my understanding of ancient northern Eurasian practices. Second, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of any Asatru or Heathen group. I do not identify as Asatru or Heathen. I am a northern-tradition Pagan, which is a religious tradition that is reconstructionist-derived, rather than a reconstructionist religious tradition such as Asatru and/or Heathenry. The views espoused in these pages may or may not reflect the views of most Asatru and/or Heathen people or religious groups. They are derived from the personal gnosis of myself and other people whom I trust and respect. I do not claim that they are provable by academic sources, nor that they are anything other than what I say they are. Read at your own risk.

Tyr's Hand

Supposedly, the ancient Nordic peoples saw the great V-shape that the Greeks labeled Taurus, the face of a great Bull, as the wide-open jaws of Fenrir the Raging Wolf, the son of Loki and Angrboda. For the Greeks, the great red star on one end of the V-shape was the Eye of the Bull, and the Arabs called it Aldebaran. When I looked at Taurus's head, though - one of the most obvious and visible constellations in the autumn sky - Tyr stood forth and claimed that red star, saying that it was his bitten-off hand in Fenrir's jaws, of all the things that the Wolf devoured the most sacred. This is Tyr's star, the star of war and military honors and sorrow. Tyr's color is red, and so are the two stars associated with him.

Aldebaran is said to gift those influenced by it with worldly success ... but only if they stick to a strict definition of integrity. This star sends tests of one's integrity when it is in a paran era of one's life, and this links it to the God who is not only the Lord of Swords but the God of Honor. When the Gods tried to bind raging Fenrir, the Wolf-God of Destruction, with a magic chain, Fenrir said that they could lock it on him as a game but only if one of them put their hand into his mouth. None of the other Gods would step forward, but Tyr did so knowing that they were doing a dishonorable thing - even if it was for desperate ends - which had begun with the dishonorable act of stealing Fenrir from his mother in the beginning. The God of Honor knew that a sacrifice needed to be made as payment for this collective dishonor, in order to keep everyone safe, and he stepped forward to make the sacrifice. This is the perfect example of Aldebaran's tests of integrity - how far will you go for your honor? Tyr knows, and he can help you with these decisions. 

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