King Tiwaz was the king of the Vanir gods. Ólafur Darri Ólafsson voiced him in Twilight of the Gods and he became a major player in the plot of the series after his second appearance in the fourth episode.
Biography[]
Tiwaz fights in the first war.
Tiwaz was the king of the Vanir and an old god who long represented the Vanir's interests. When Odin came to the Vanir to request their seidr magic, he was turned away, for which he proclaimed war. This became the first war, waged between Aesir and Vanir in Vanaheim. The losses were great on both sides and Odin eventually offered a truce. In exchange for Freya and the golden apples of immortality, the Aesir would give the Vanir Hoenir and swear never again to set foot in Vanaheim.[1][2]
The ravaged borderlands of Vanaheim.
Finding Thyra in their borderlands, Tiwaz took her in as his servant. When Loki Laufeyson put plans in motion to take down Thor Odinson, Freya got in contact and Tiwaz agreed to allow Loki's champion, Sigrid, the chance to prove herself. Thyra was sent out into the lands ravaged by the Bolverkrs where she was found by Hrafnkel's family and taken as an offering to Odin. Only if Thyra judged Sigrid's group worthy would she show them the way to the hidden kingdom, and though Sigrid chose to abandon her, Leif saved her, making the overall group worthy.[3]
Sigrid's group approaches King Tiwaz.
Thyra brought the group before Tiwaz so they could finally make their request in person. Leif made his plea, seeking not to encourage the Vanir to fight for them, but only for their support of the cause. Tiwaz refused. Loki appeared to Sigrid as an earthworm to offer a suggestion: If Sigrid's group could retrieve the apples of eternal life from Fafnir's orchards in Asgard, where the Vanir could not enter, the Vanir would reward them with support in their efforts against Thor Odinson.[4]
| Expand! This section is incomplete. |
Appearances[]
Norse origins[]
Tiwaz was likely named for the Luwian sun god of the same name. "Tiwaz" translates to "glow" from the Proto-Indo-European language. However, Tiwaz shares little with this potential namesake. He bears more similarity to the Vanir god Freyr. Freyr was the twin brother of Freyja who rode a boar named Gullinbursti. Tiwaz was also a Vanir god, brother to Freya, who rode a great boar into battle. "Gullinbursti" means "golden bristles" in Old Norse and Tiwaz's boar was patterned with gold.
Though the production team hasn't confirmed it, Tiwaz was likely given his name to better match the unique aesthetic style of the Vanir compared to their mythical origins. The Vanir of lore, including Freyr, are far more human-like than Tiwaz and many of the Vanir presented in Twilight of the Gods. By presenting Tiwaz as an original character instead of as Freyr, this design choice could be made without necessarily conflicting too intensely with Norse mythology.
References[]
- ↑ Caitlin Parrish (writer) & Jay Oliva (director). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 2, "Heretic Spear."
- ↑ Peter Aperlo (writer) & Tim Divar, Andrew Tamandl (directors). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 5, "The Scapegoat God."
- ↑ Peter Aperlo (writer) & Tim Divar, Andrew Tamandl (directors). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 3, "You Will Gladden His Ravens."
- ↑ Eric Carrasco, Caitlin Parrish (writers) & Dave Hartman, Andrew Tamandl (directors). September 19, 2024. Twilight of the Gods episode 4, "The Worm."