Grove of fetters


A grove of fetters is mentioned in the Eddic poem "Helgakviða Hundingsbana II":


The description is often compared with a section by Tacitus on a sacred grove of the Semnones:


Due to the resemblance between the two texts, some scholars have identified the deity of the Semnones with an early form of Odin. Others suggest an early form of Týr may have been involved, as he is the Germanic continuation of Proto-Indo-European sky-father '*dyeus', whose cognates are Jupiter and Zeus. Furthermore, Tacitus reports that the Germanic peoples of his age regarded a "Tuisco" or "Tuisto" as the progenitor of mankind, which is sometimes surmised to be a Latinisation of Proto-Germanic '*Tiwaz', which later became "Týr" in Old Norse. Ultimately, evidence is insufficient for certain identification.