Do you ever think about what day of the week it is? Probably every day, but do you know why we call the days of the week what we call them?
The Romans have long used a calendar with eight weekdays, but when the Julian calendar was introduced in the first century BC, they had to make do with seven days. Rome had adopted that system from Babylonia, but because those seven days still needed a name, they looked at the planets and gods.
From roughly the fifth century AD, more and more Germanic people began to settle in Western Europe. The Germanic languages soon gained the upper hand over Latin. The Germanic gods also had a day of the week named after them. Since then, the Dutch weekdays have been a combination of Roman and Germanic names.
Let’s start at the beginning, because for most people Monday is the start of the week. It seems pretty obvious, Monday-Day. In Latin dies lunae. But why exactly? The Romans copied the Greeks and decided to name the days after celestial bodies. Hence the moon. But the sun and five planets also pass by. The planets were then named after gods. In the case of Monday, the day is named after the celestial body the moon, but also after the moon goddess.
On Tuesday we will visit the Germans. Because the Germans took four of those Roman gods’ names and converted them into their own gods. Tuesday is named after the Germanic god Thingsus, the god of the people’s assembly. He is also called Thyr. Another possibility is a connection with thing in the meaning ‘appointed time for the court hearing’. Possibly in earlier times justice was held on Tuesday. In Latin it was called Tuesday that’s Martis: the day of Mars, the god of war.
Wednesday is named after Wodan, the Germanic supreme god. He is also called Odin in Norse mythology. Odin is the god of knowledge, wisdom, battle, war, the afterlife, magic, medicine and runic writing. For the Romans, Wednesday was the dies Mercurii: the day of Mercury, the god of trade and profit. In French it is still Wednesday mercredi named.
Then Thursday. Storm! Thunder! Lightning! Thursday is named after the Germanic god Donar. Also known among comic and action film fans as Thor, the god of thunder. Donar was identified with the Roman god of thunder, Jupiter. That is why the that’s Lovis (‘the day of Jupiter’) was named after Donar by the Germans.
In Nordic and Germanic mythology, Donar, or Thor, is the god of thunder. He was the son of Wodan (or Odin), the supreme god. He was already a difficult little boy as a child, so his father called in two lightning spirits to help raise him. And with that the thunder started.
Thor grew into quite a man. His hobby was killing giants, which is why we don’t see them anymore. He rode through the air in his chariot pulled by two goats and used the famous hammer Mjölnir. This hammer was forged by dwarves and had special properties. When he threw that hammer away, lightning struck and the hammer returned on its own. The hammer is the symbol of bringing order.
On Friday we arrive at the second goddess in the list. We are talking about Freya, the Germanic goddess of fertility, love and lust. Freya’s Roman counterpart was Venus, and the Romans therefore called it Friday dies Veneris.
Freya was beautiful and powerful. She was also a fighter at the same time. From time to time she fought in one or another battle. When push came to shove, she threw herself into battle with as much fervor as a Valkyrie. That is also why Freya is sometimes considered the leader of the Valkyries (battle goddesses from Norse mythology). According to the Germans, Freya was the most beautiful of all gods and goddesses, and this is reflected in many stories.
Finally the weekend is here! Saturday is derived from the Roman dies Saturni, or the day of Saturn. ‘Saturday’ is a corruption of Saturn. Saturn was the Roman god of time, wealth and agriculture and sown grain.
His Latin name was explained in ancient times from the word satus (sown). The planet Saturn is named after the god, and later also that one nice day of the week.
Sunday, like Monday, is the easiest to guess. It is a translation of the Latin dies Solisor the day of the sun.
In the year 321, the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great declared the day of the sun an official day of rest in the Western Roman Empire. Sunday is named after this day, which in Roman times was dedicated to the sun and to the Goddess Sól or Sunna.
In the vast majority of the Christian world, this day is celebrated as the ‘Day of the Lord’. In Latin: dies Domenicus, which is reflected in the French dimanche and the Italian domenica.
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