A look back into the dark ages and the lives of the pagan Anglo-Saxon

How the days of the week were named


The days of the week were first written down by the Romans and Greeks who named them after their gods.

After the Romans left England for the final time in 410 ad, the Anglo-Saxons kept the structure of the week but, for the most part, substituted the names of their own gods.


ROMAN

ANGLO-SAXON

MODERN ENGLISH

dies Lunae

Named for the Moon

Monandaeg

Named for the Moon

Monday

dies Martis

Named for Mars

Tiewsdaeg

Named for Tyr, god of war

Tuesday

dies Mercuri

Named for Mercury

Wodensdaeg

Named for Woden, the anglo-saxon name for Odin
the most powerful of the gods

Wednesday

dies Jovis

Named for Jupiter

Thuresdaeg

Named for Thor, the god of thunder

Thursday

dies Veneris

Named for Venus

Frigedaeg

Named for Frigga, the chief norse goddess and Wodens wife

Friday

dies Saturni

Named for Saturn

Saeterdaeg

This day was originally called laugardaeg, and literally
meant the day of washing, it was later changed back to
something more like the Romans "Saturns day"

Saturday

dies Solis

Named for the Sun

Sunandaeg

Named for the Sun

Sunday