The son of Odin and Frigg, Tyr was the war god, renowned for strength and valor. Like Odin, he received sacrifices of hanged men. His story is bound to that of Fenrir, the wolf-son of Loki. Tyr was assigned the difficult task of feeding Fenrir, but Odin perceived that Fenrir was growing ever more powerful and dangerous. The gods chose to bind Fenrir underground, where he could do no harm. To convince him that a magic chain around his neck was harmless, Tyr had to place his right hand in the wolf’s mouth. When Fenrir realized the chain was unbreakable, he bit off Tyr’s hand. The loss of his hand reduced Tyr in the eyes of the other gods, who laughed at his pain. He was destined to fight the great hound Garm, watchdog at the gates of Hel, during Ragnarok. In this final confrontation, Garm was to leap at Tyr’s throat and both would die in the struggle. The god Tyr was petitioned before battle and his rune was engraved on swords. Tyr may have been the chief god in early Norse pantheons, but his importance diminished as worship of Odin increased. The Anglo-Saxons called him Tiw and gave his name to the third day of their week, Tuesday.