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The seven-day week -

Most of us organize our lives based on time. Days, weeks, months, years, etc. are the basis of our time management. But have you ever questioned why weeks have seven days?

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Origins of the seven-day week -

The history of the seven-day week can be traced back to calendars of the ancient Sumerians and then the Babylonians. 

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The Moon's influence on the seven-day week -

These calendars were based on the lunar phases. Essentially, it takes about seven days for a cycle to occur. In other words, during this period, the Moon transitions from one phase to another.

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The Romans -

In 321 CE, Emperor Constantine converted the eight-day Roman calendar to the seven-day week.

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Previous labels -

Their previous days had letter labels (A to H), but when this was changed for a seven-day week the names also changed.

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Not the first -

While the Romans were the ones to name the days of the week, the seven-day week had already been adapted by others who followed the example of the Babylonians, namely Jews, Persians, and Greeks.

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How the Romans named the days -

When it came to naming the days of the week, the Romans went for the names of seven celestial bodies, most of which had been named after Roman gods.

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How the Romans named the days -

The Romans organized the week from Sunday to Saturday and they named the days in that specific order.

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The Roman names -

The names were: Dies Solis ("Sun's Day"), Dies Lunae ("Moon's Day"), Dies Martis ("Mars' Day"), Dies Mercurii ("Mercury's Day"), Dies Jovis ("Jupiter's Day"), Dies Veneris ("Venus' Day"), and Dies Saturni ("Saturn's Day").

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Romantic languages -

Many romantic languages still use a variation of these names to this day. If you speak Spanish, for instance, you will be familiar with many of these.

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English -

English, on the other hand, doesn't have its roots in Latin, so these Roman names don’t all ring a bell.

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English -

English is a Germanic language. As such, it has days of the week named after the mythology of the Germanic peoples of northern Europe, aka Norse mythology.

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Old English -

However, three of the week days in the language that would become modern English were borrowed from the Romans.

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Roman heritage -

You’re probably familiar with them: Dies Solis ("Sun's Day"), Dies Lunae ("Moon's Day"), and Dies Saturni ("Saturn's Day").

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Sunday -

Dies Solis was translated into Old English as "Sunnandæg," which means "Sun's Day."

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Sunday -

In Germanic mythology, a goddess named Sunna was the personification of the Sun, so the word in modern English became "Sunday."

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Saturday -

Dies Saturni ("Saturn's Day") was translated to "Sæturnesdæg" in Old English, which then became "Saturday" in modern English. The connection to Saturn (both the Roman deity and the planet) was therefore maintained.

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Monday -

Dies Lunae ("Moon's Day") was translated into "Monandæg" in Old English. The Moon was personified in Germanic mythology by the deity Mani. So the day of the week became "Monday" in modern English.

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More than planets -

Okay, so Sunday, Monday, and Saturday were named after the Sun, the Moon, and Saturn. Now, let’s learn more about how the remaining days of the week were named.

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Tuesday -

Dies Martis ("Mars' Day") became “Tiwesdæg" in Old English. It was named after the deity Tiw, also known as Tyr.

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Tuesday -

Mars was the Roman god of war, and Tyr was his equivalent in Germanic mythology. Tiwesdæg eventually became "Tuesday" in modern English.

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Wednesday -

The same goes for Wednesday. Dies Mercurii ("Mercury's Day") became "Wodnesdæg," which was named after the Germanic deity Woden, better known as the chief Norse mythology god, Odin.

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Wednesday -

Woden (or Odin) is the equivalent of Mercury in Roman mythology. “Wodnesdæg'' then became "Wednesday" in modern English.

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Thursday -

Dies Jovis ("Jupiter's Day") was adopted in Old English as "Thunresdæg." This day of the week was named after the god Thunor, better known as Thor.

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Thursday -

The god of thunder, Thor was the equivalent of Jupiter in Roman mythology. "Thunresdæg" became known as "Thursday" in modern English.

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Friday -

Dies Veneris ("Venus' Day") became "Frigedæg" in Old English. As you can imagine, the name came from an equivalent Germanic mythology deity.

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Friday -

Though it is unknown whether it was the goddess/goddesses Frigg or Freya (both names are usually used to describe the wife of Odin, but there is some confusion on whether or not they are indeed the same goddess). "Frigedæg" became “Friday” in modern English.

Sources: (Grunge)

See also: What's so special about Leap Day?

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