Days of the week names history

The names of the days of the week are rooted in a blend of astronomical observation, mythology, and cultural adaptation that spans thousands of years and several civilizations.

:

• The seven-day week originates from ancient Babylonian astronomy, where each day was named after the seven celestial bodies visible to the naked eye: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. This system was adopted by the Romans, who associated each of these bodies with a deity from their pantheon1475.

:

• The Romans named each day after a planet and its corresponding god:

  • Sunday: Sun (Sol)

  • Monday: Moon (Luna)

  • Tuesday: Mars (Mars)

  • Wednesday: Mercury (Mercury)

  • Thursday: Jupiter (Jove)

  • Friday: Venus (Venus)

  • Saturday: Saturn (Saturn)673.

• This planetary pattern followed the order of days from Sunday to Saturday — a tradition spread throughout the Roman Empire14.

Germanic and Norse Substitution:

• When the seven-day week reached Germanic and Norse cultures, the planetary gods were sometimes replaced with similar figures from local mythology:

  • Sunday: Sun’s day (Sol)

  • Monday: Moon’s day (Mani/Mona)

  • Tuesday: Tiw's (or Tyr’s) day — Norse god of war, equivalent to Mars

  • Wednesday: Woden’s (Odin’s) day — chief Norse god, equivalent to Mercury as a psychopomp

  • Thursday: Thor’s day — Norse god of thunder, equivalent to Jupiter

  • Friday: Frigg’s/Freya’s day — Norse goddess associated with love, equivalent to Venus

  • Saturday: Retained its original Saturn’s day from Roman tradition2576.

:

English	Latin (Roman)	Meaning/Deity	Germanic/Norse Equiv.
Sunday	dies Solis	Sun (Sol)	Sun
Monday	dies Lunae	Moon (Luna)	Moon
Tuesday	dies Martis	Mars (god of war)	Tiw/Tyr
Wednesday	dies Mercurii	Mercury (messenger god)	Woden/Odin
Thursday	dies Iovis	Jupiter (king/thunder god)	Thor
Friday	dies Veneris	Venus (love/fertility goddess)	Frigg/Freya
Saturday	dies Saturni	Saturn (god of agriculture/time)	Saturn

(such as French, Spanish, Italian), the days more closely retain their Latin (Roman) origins—for example, martes (Spanish for Tuesday) from Mars, jueves (Thursday) from Jupiter, viernes (Friday) from Venus673.

:

• The seven-day week structure spread via Roman influence and early Christianity. Emperor Constantine officially established it in the Roman calendar in 321 CE, making Sunday a day of rest in Christian tradition17.

• In some regional traditions, other deities or concepts were used, but the essential structure and planetary association remained a unifying theme5.

:
The seven-day week as we know it is the result of an ancient blend of Babylonian astronomy, Roman planetary gods, and Germanic superstition, reflected in the way modern languages name their days—a vivid example of cultural continuity and adaptation175.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_the_days_of_the_week
2. https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/professions/education/viking-age-people/the-names-of-the-weekdays
3. https://englishlive.ef.com/en/blog/language-lab/origins-behind-english-weekday-names/
4. https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-connection-between-the-seven-days-of-the-week-astronomical-objects.html
5. https://worldwideinterpreters.com.au/2023/05/14/names-of-the-days-of-the-week/
6. https://www.almanac.com/origin-day-names
7. https://www.britannica.com/science/week
8. https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/p8wv4h/days_of_the_week_etymology_am_a_correct/
9. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/32293
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Week
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_hours
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Week
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Week