How to Learn about the Pagan Origins Behind the Days of the Week

All seven days of the week have unique characteristics. Each day is named after a particular God or Goddess, and is associated with a particular planet. These characteristics hold true even across languages, as we shall demonstrate in the following steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Curiosity
• The Ability to Read

1. SUNDAY. Sunday is named after the Germanic sun goddess Sunne, and is the day of the Sun, obviously. In Thailand, it is associated with the color Red, and Norse mythology associated the day with elves. The Sanskrit term for Sunday is Ravivar, as Ravi is the Sanskrit term for the Sun.

2. MONDAY. Monday is the day of the Moon, and the day is named after Mani, the Germanic Moon God. All of the Latin based languages name Monday as the day of the moon, as does the Sanskrit, Japanese and Thai.

3. TUESDAY. Tuesday is the day of Tyr, Norse God of single combat and heroic glory. He is also sometimes referred to as the God of Justice. His Roman equivalent is Mars, God of War. As such, the Latin based languages reflect Tuesday as the day of the planet Mars. The Spanish term "martes" is a good example.

4. WEDNESDAY. Wednesday is the day of Woden, also known as Odin. His Roman and Planet counterpart is Mercury. Odin and Mercury had many roles in their respective myths, although both were travelers and had a role in poetry, bards and thieves, they are not viewed as equivalent. In German, Wodenstag has been replaced by Mittwoch, which, as in many other languages around the world, means "middle of the week."

5. THURSDAY. Thursday is Thor's Day. The Norse God of Thunder, Thor is synonymous with the Greek Zeus and the Roman Jupiter, also known as Jove. For this reason, the Spanish term for the day is "Jueves."

6. FRIDAY. Friday is named after the Germanic Goddess Frigga, also known as Freyja in Norse mythology. Freyja's Roman counterpart is Venus, the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

7. SATURDAY. Saturday is the only day to be named after its Roman God, while all the other days of the week take after their German deities. Saturday is named after the Roman God Saturn, the God of the Harvest.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that not everyone uses the same terms for the days of the week. Many languages and ethnicities refer to them simply by number, for example, the First Day, the Second Day...

[kjv4thee]

on 12/9/2007 Great little known information. Your article on the months of the year is great also. Thanks