View source for Tyrfing

== 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 ''[[Týr|Tyr]]'', Norse god of war, and ''fingr'', an Old Norse spelling of the word finger, to literally mean "the finger of the war god."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Föll |first=Helmut |title=Swords with Names |url=https://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/iss/kap_2/illustr/i2_1_1.html#:~:text=Tyrfing%20combines%20Tyr%2C%20Norse%20god,the%20rock%20where%20they%20dwelt.}}</ref> A third theory instead poses the suffix -''ing'' as denoting a sense of ownership, in the vein of other Scandinavian 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Malone |first=Kemp |date=1928 |title=Hunlafing |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2914137 |journal=Modern Language Notes |volume=43 |issue=5 |pages=303 |doi=10.2307/2914137 |jstor=2914137 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>