The Names of the Days of the Week
The mythic roots of some common words
There are two basic origins for weekday names. In many languages, like French and Spanish, the days are named for the planets. In Japan, for instance, the days of the week are named for the five classical elements (which are associated with the planets). A common exception is that many languages name Sunday after the Latin dominus, or Lord, since it's the day people go to church.
The other common basis is to number the days, so they would be Day 1, Day 2, etc. Depending on the country's history, Day 1 can be Monday or Sunday.
In Germanic countries, they used the Roman tradition of the planetary names. But, they were replaced with the Germanic counterparts to the Roman gods from which the planets got their names, e.g. Mars became Tyr/Tiw.
See also Greek and Roman Mythology and Norse Mythology
| Latin | Old English | English | German | French | Italian | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dies Solis | Sunnandaeg | Sunday | Sonntag | dimanche | domenica | domingo |
| Dies Lunae | Monandaeg | Monday | Montag | lundi | lunedì | lunes |
| Dies Martis | Tiwesdaeg | Tuesday | Dienstag | mardi | martedì | martes |
| Dies Mercurii | Wodnesdaeg | Wednesday | Mittwoch | mercredi | mercoledì | miércoles |
| Dies Jovis | Thunresdaeg | Thursday | Donnerstag | jeudi | giovedì | jueves |
| Dies Veneris | Frigedaeg | Friday | Freitag | vendredi | venerdì | viernes |
| Dies Saturni | Saeternesdaeg | Saturday | Samstag | samedi | sabato | sábado |
| The Names of the Months | Seasons, Months, Days | The Seasons |
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