What giant is the father of the god Tyr?

What giant is the father of the god Tyr? The answer is Hymir.

Hymir is a jötunn, or giant, who is identified as the father of the god Týr in the Poetic Edda poem Hymiskviða. This genealogy is unusual because Týr is one of the Æsir, while his father is described as a giant. Another tradition, preserved in Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, names Odin as Týr’s father, so the sources do not agree completely.

Hymir is best known for owning a huge cauldron that the gods need for a feast hosted by Ægir. Thor and Týr travel to Hymir’s home to obtain it. The poem also includes Thor’s famous fishing expedition with Hymir, during which Thor uses the head of Hymir’s ox as bait and catches Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent.

Hymir’s exceptional skull even withstands Thor’s attempt to break a cup against it. These episodes make him more than a genealogical footnote: he is a major giant in one of the Poetic Edda’s best-known adventure narratives. The answer is Hymir specifically under the Hymiskviða tradition.