So I was playing this new Norse mythology game last weekend, right? And it hit me – why do people always mix up Tyr and Thor? Figured I’d dig into the old stories myself.
Getting Started With Research
First I grabbed my beat-up copy of the Prose Edda from college days. Dusty thing smelled like my grandma’s attic. Flipped straight to the part where Tyr’s story begins – dude’s got way less chapters than Thor, which explains why he’s not as famous.
Then I hit YouTube hard. Watched like six hours of Norse mythology breakdowns while cooking dinner. Burnt my grilled cheese sandwich because this one video had an epic Tyr vs Thor animation.
The Big Showdown Findings
Turns out they never actually fought in the myths! Total surprise. Found three key differences instead:
- Tyr’s the strategy guy – sacrificed his hand to bind Fenrir wolf
- Thor’s all about brute force – smashing mountains with Mjolnir
- Tyr handles war treaties while Thor just wrecks giants
Remembered seeing them together in that Marvel movie and went “Nope, totally wrong!”. Real myths show them teaming up exactly once against a giant named Hrungnir. Thor took the lead while Tyr mopped up the smaller guys.
My Lightbulb Moment
Here’s the kicker – Tyr was the original war god before Thor stole his thunder (pun totally intended). Found this crazy Roman historian account from 100AD calling Tyr “Mars of the North”. Thor doesn’t show up in writings until centuries later.
Finished my research at 3am realizing modern pop culture flipped everything. Game studios put Tyr in armor looking serious while Thor’s partying with his hammer. Truth is Tyr’s more like a general making tough calls, Thor’s that friend who solves arguments by flipping tables.
Whole thing made me remember college finals week – I tried Thor’s approach pulling all-nighters with energy drinks while my roommate used Tyr tactics scheduling study sessions. Guess who crashed and burned? Me. Maybe we all need both gods in our lives.
