Most of us never stop to think about where the days of the week got their names. We just take them for granted and use them without giving them a second thought. But at a second glance, you might be surprised to learn that there is a lot of history and culture behind the names of the days of the week. So where did our days get their names? Keep reading to find out!
In most languages, they are named after a variety of different gods, goddesses and planets and their origins can be traced back to ancient civilizations. Interestingly, the order of the days of the week has remained mostly the same over the years, with only a few cultures deviating from the “norm”.
Originally, the Romans did not adhere to weekdays in the same sense as we do with our named days (Monday, Tuesday, etc.) though they did set markers within months, based on the activity of the moon. Around the 6th century BC, the 8-day week, known as “nundinum”, used by the ancient Etruscans, was adopted. A decisive influence in changing the way of counting days, was Constantine the Great, who was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337. He favored Christian ideas regarding the calendar and was keen on a 7-day week where the first day would be devoted to rest and worship.
In the Burmese version of Theravada Buddhism, Wednesday is split into two parts, making the week an 8-day one, according to astrology. Burmese Buddhists are keen on knowing on which day of the week they were born, as this would serve to identify their planetary post, of which posts there are eight. Each day is connected to an animal and Wednesday, depending on the time of day, either relates to a tusked elephant (morning hours) or a tuskless elephant for the afternoon.
The Celts calculated time based on periods of darkness (namely, night and winter) which meant that the first marker of time in a “week” was a night. Then, came a day and so on. They also marked the end of a specific period in the same fashion, meaning that there were definitely more nights than days in any defined period of time.
Shifting focus on what we call the days of the week in English, nowadays, …why “Monday”? We’ve all cursed it since it signals the beginning of the workweek for many of us. As it turns out, Monday is named after the Moon, which was traditionally worshipped as a goddess. The word “Monday” is rooted directly to the Old English word “monandaeg” which means “day of the Moon”. This is equivalent to the Latin name “diēs Lūnae”. Sounds familiar since we have “Lundi” in French, “Lunedi” in Italian and “Luni” in Romanian.
Tuesday is named after the Norse god Tyr (or Tiw), who was the god of war. Tyr is also quite prominent in Germanic paganism. The Old English word at its root is “Tiwesdaeg” which means “Tiw’s day”. Sticking with gods of war, the Latin name diēs Mārtis (Day of Mars) refers to the Roman god of war and it sounds just like “Mardi” in French, “Marți” in Romanian, “Martedi” in Italian, “Martes” in Spanish and so on.
Wednesday comes from the Germanic “Woden’s day”, named after the god Odin. In wider Germanic mythology and paganism, this god was also known in Old English as Wōden, in Old Saxon as Uuôden, and in Old Dutch as Wuodan. He appears as a prominent god throughout Northern Europe’s recorded history. We do have the Latin counterpart diēs Mercuriī, “Day of Mercury”, as both are important deities, known for their wisdom.
Interestingly, many languages use words for “mid-week” when referring to Wednesday. Throughout the 20th century, Wednesday has especially been referred to as “hump day” so as to appease the boredom or negative vibes of a work week. The “hump” part refers to the middle of the week because as the days carry on, we can imagine that “making it over the hump” would mean that we are well on our way to coast towards the end of the workweek and finally enjoy the weekend ahead!
Thursday comes from the Anglo-Saxon “Thor’s day”, named after the Norse god known in Modern English as Thor; essentially, it’s Þūnresdæg in Old English, meaning “Þunor’s day”, where “Þunor” actually means “thunder” or its personification. Similarly, we have the Dutch “Donderdag” and the German “Donnerstag”, which tracks just fine with “Donar”, the Germanic god of thunder.
Thor is reminiscent of Jupiter, as both deities represent lightning and thunder, thus, tying it all very nicely with the Latin diēs Iovis, “day of Jupiter”. And that’s why we call Thursday “Jeudi” in French, meaning “the day of Jupiter”.
Meanwhile, our lovely Friday takes its name from the goddess “Freyja”, aka the Anglo-Saxon goddess “Fríge”. Freyja was a Norse goddess associated with love, beauty, and fertility, and she rode a chariot pulled by two cats. And here is where the planet Venus and the namesake goddess of beauty come in, as the Norse name for the planet Venus was Friggjarstjarna, ‘Frigg’s star’. Based on the Latin “diēs Veneris”, namely “Day of Venus”, we can clearly see this influence in “Vendredi” for the French and “Venerdi” for Italians.
Saturday is a bit up for grabs, seeing that there are strong deviations in how different languages ended up with a word for this day. For example, The Nordic root derives from Old Nordic “laugardagr”, literally meaning “washing-day”, while the German option older generations opt for highlights that it’s Sunday Eve. Interestingly, Samstag is rooted in the Old High German “sambatztag”, referencing Sabbath or “rest”. And the same thing goes for the French “Samedi”.
In English, Saturday borrows its name from the Roman god Saturn, and of course the planet. A fun fact is that in Japanese, Saturday is connected to “soil day”, in Korean to “earth day” and in Chinese astrology and philosophy, Saturn, as a planet, was connected to a strong element of “earth”.
“Sunday” derives from “sunedai”, which itself developed from the Old English name “Sunnandæg”, the day of the sun. It’s interesting that English, like most of the Germanic languages, has maintained the day’s association with the sun, while many other European languages have changed its name to the equivalent of “day of the lord”.
To wrap up, learning about the origins of words we often use can be a fun way to learn languages, retain vocabulary, and solve the mysteries and treasures of culture and heritage. So, next time you glance at that calendar on your desk, remember; a lot of work and history is hiding behind those little squares!
