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Learn about where the 7 days of the week come from and who named the days of the week. Also see how the planets and different gods relate to the days of the week.Updated: 11/21/2023
Table of Contents
- Seven Days of the Week Origin
- How Were the Days of the Week Named?
- Lesson Summary
- FAQs
- Activities
Days of the Week Nomenclature: True or False Activity
This activity will help you assess your knowledge of the connection between the days of the week and astronomical objects.
Directions
Determine whether the following statements are true or false. To do this, print or copy this page on a blank paper and underline or circle the answer.
1. Sunday is the only day of the week that maintains its authentic Roman origins.
True | False
2. The Anglo-Saxon culture and language have provided influence in the naming of the days of the week.
True | False
3. The Roman god Zeus is the equivalent of the Greek god Jove.
True | False
4. Tuesday's ruling planet is Mercury, which in Roman mythology is referred to as the god of commerce.
True | False
5. Frigg was the wife of Woden and was associated with the Roman goddess Venus.
True | False
6. Dies Lunae became moon's day, or in present times, Monday.
True | False
7. Venus was regarded as the goddess of love, beauty, and natural productivity.
True | False
8. Both the sun and moon had deities of similar names associated with them in Roman mythology.
True | False
9. The Anglo-Saxons associated Tiw as the god of war, swordplay, and the sky.
True | False
10. In Germanic mythology, the deity identified as Thunor (better known as Thor) is associated with Jupiter.
True | False
Answer Key
- False, because the correct statement is, Saturday is the only day of the week that maintains its authentic Roman origins.
- True
- False, because the correct statement is, The Greek god Zeus is the equivalent of the Roman god Jove.
- False, because the correct statement is, Wednesday's ruling planet is Mercury, which in Roman mythology is referred to as the god of commerce.
- True
- True
- True
- False, because the correct statement is, Both the sun and moon had deities of similar names associated with them in Germanic mythology.
- True
- True
How did the days of the week get their names?
The days of the week were originally named after Roman gods and goddesses. When the Anglo-Saxons began utilizing the same calendar, they assigned their gods to the days of the week. The names that we use today are based on those Anglo-Saxon deities. The only exception is Saturday, which is still named after the Roman god Saturn.
When did man name the days of the week?
The ancient Babylonians named the days of the week. The 28-day lunar cycle was broken into four weeks, each consisting of seven days. The days of the week were named after the celestial bodies which the Babylonians observed: the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, and Jupiter.
Table of Contents
- Seven Days of the Week Origin
- How Were the Days of the Week Named?
- Lesson Summary
The Babylonians, an ancient people who lived in what is now Iran, are largely responsible for how time is viewed today. It was the Babylonians who came up with the days of the week that we now observe. The Babylonians determined that it would be beneficial to break down the 28-day lunar cycle. Since they had observed seven significant bodies in the heavens, they felt it was appropriate to divide the month into four weeks with seven days per week. Each day of the week was given a name that was associated with a specific celestial body.
The Babylonian influence was significant throughout the Near East and the surrounding areas. This led to the adaptation of the Babylonian calendar into the Jewish, Greek, and Roman cultures.
 |
Why Are There 7 Days in a Week?
The Babylonian month was based on the lunar cycle. They observed that it takes seven days for the completion of each of the four moon cycles: full, waning half, new, and waxing half. This is congruent with the seven heavenly bodies which the Babylonians considered to be significant:
- the Sun
- the Moon
- the planets Venus, Mars, Saturn, Mercury, and Jupiter
The days of the week were related to the planets that the Babylonians were able to see in the night sky as the Earth completed its annual rotation around the Sun.
Who Named the Days of the Week?
The Romans had observed the same seven celestial bodies as the Babylonians, and they decided to name the days of the week after the gods and goddesses associated with them. The Romans provided the Latin basis for the name of each day. The names of the days as we now know them have been influenced by various Anglo-Saxon cultures, including Danish and German.
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The way that the names of the days of the week are now pronounced in English has been largely based on the Germanic, or Anglo-Saxon, pronunciations. The table below lists the Latin origins of each name:
| Day | Celestial Body | Latin Name |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Moon | Lunae |
| Tuesday | Mars | Martis |
| Wednesday | Mercury | Mercurii |
| Thursday | Jupiter | Jovis |
| Friday | Venus | Veneris |
| Saturday | Saturn | Saturn |
| Sunday | Sun | Solis |
Where Do the Days of the Week Come From?
These Latin equivalents show the influence of the Roman gods in the names of the week; however, their translation into English is a bit more complex. Early Germanic spellings and pronunciations have evolved over time to become the names of the days of the week as we know them today.
Dæg is the Anglo-Saxon word for "day." It was added as a suffix to each of the names of the days of the week to indicate that the days were being discussed rather than the gods the days of the week are associated with.
Monday and Tuesday
Monday was named after the moon and in Anglo-Saxon, the moon is called mona. Monandæg translates to "Moon's day." We now pronounce Monandæg as Monday.
Mars was the Roman god of war. The Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Mars is Tiw. Therefore, Martis became Tiwesdæg and is now pronounced as Tuesday.
Wednesday and Thursday
 |
Wednesday was named for the Roman god Mercury, the messenger of the gods. The Anglo-Saxon semi-equivalent was Woden, the god who served as a guide to the dead. Wodensdæg eventually became Wednesday.
Jupiter is the Roman god of the sky and thunder. Thor is the Anglo-Saxon equivalent, so Thursday was originally called Thunresdæg.
Friday and Saturday
The Romans named Friday after their goddess of fertility and love, Venus. The Anglo-Saxon equivalent is Frigg, the wife of Woden. Friday was initially named Frigedæg.
Saturday is the only day of the week that still goes by its Roman name. Saturday is "Saturn's Day," named after the god of agriculture, specifically sowing, or planting seed. Many cultures view Saturday as the final day of the week.
Sunday
The Roman Emperor Constantine made Sunday a public day of rest in 321 BCE. This contradicts the Christian and Jewish tradition that Saturday is a sabbath, or rest day. Regardless of whether it is viewed as the first or last day of the week, Sunday was named after the Sun god Solis. Its Anglo-Saxon name is Sonnandæg.
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The 7 days of the week were originally created by the Babylonians. The Babylonians divided the 28-day lunar cycle into four weeks, each consisting of seven days. The number seven was significant as it represented the seven major celestial bodies that had been observed by the Babylonians. The Romans adapted the Babylonian timekeeping system, then named the days of the week after seven of their deities. When the Anglo-Saxons began using the same calendar, they attributed their own gods and goddesses to each day. These designations resulted in the Germanic names of the days that provide the basis for the names in use today:
- Monday was named for the Roman Moon goddess Luna, also known as Mona in Anglo-Saxon lore. Monandæg translates to "Moon's day."
- Tuesday was Mars' day in Rome. Tiw is the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Mars. Martis became Tiwesdæg.
- Wednesday was originally Mercury's day in Rome, but was then named after Woden, the Anglo-Saxon guide of the dead. Wodensdæg eventually became Wednesday.
- Thursday was named for the Roman and Anglo-Saxon gods of thunder, Jupiter and Thor, respectively. Thursday was called Thunresdæg.
- Friday was associated with the goddesses of fertility and love, the Roman goddess Venus and Anglo-Saxon goddess Frigg. Frigedæg became Friday.
- Saturday was named after the god Saturn, and is the only day of the week to retain its Roman name.
- Sunday, the day of the Sun, was called Solis in Latin and Sonnandæg in Anglo-Saxon.
The suffix dæg is the Anglo-Saxon designation for "day." It was used to indicate that the days of the week were associated with specific entities.
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Video Transcript
The Names of Our Days
Did you ever wonder why Wednesday is called Wednesday or Friday is called Friday? Where in the world did these names even come from? While there are many nuances to help answer this question, we'll stick to the basics.
The answer to all of this is: it's a mix of Roman gods, their Anglo-Saxon adaptations, and astronomical objects. Ancient people knew of several celestial bodies. The sun would be the obvious one. It's really hard to miss it every single morning at sunrise. The moon is another clear-cut one, also hard to miss when there's a full moon.
But besides those two, ancient people were also aware of five other planets, which look like bright stars in our sky. These five planets, named for Roman deities, are:
- Mercury
- Venus
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
Sunday and Monday
Happily for us, Sunday and Monday are days that are easy to understand in terms of their nomenclature. In Latin, Dies Solis is the Saxon sun's day, or Sunnandæg, which is our Sunday.
Dies Lunae in Latin, is named for the moon. The Anglo-Saxon equivalent for the moon is mona. So, we get Monandæg, or moon's day, our Monday. Both the sun and moon had deities of similar names associated with them in Germanic mythology.
Tuesday and Wednesday
Tuesday's ruling planet is Mars, the Roman god of war. The Anglo-Saxon equivalent of this was the god Tiw, the god of war and justice. The Latin Dies Martis, for Mars' Day, became Tiwesdæg, for Tiw. With time, Tiw's day, became 'Tuesday.'
Wednesday's ruling planet is Mercury. Mercury was the Roman god of commerce. The Latin Dies Mercurii became Wodnesdæg, or Woden's day, our Wednesday. It is unclear what Woden's godly realm was truly all about and how it related to Mercury. Speculations are rife as to their true connection.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
Thursday, Dies Jovis, has Jupiter as its planet. Jupiter (Jove) was the Roman god of sky and thunder. He was the king of the gods. He's like the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Zeus.
Anyways, thunder was another aspect associated with Thunre, Thuner, or Thunor, which are alternate names for the Germanic sky god, god of thunder. A god you probably know better as Thor. From that we get Thunresdæg, or Thor's day, which became Thursday.
The day after that, Friday, or Dies Veneris, is tacked to the planet Venus. Venus was the Roman goddess of love and fertility. Frigedæg, or Friga's day, refers to Frigg, the goddess of fertility and wife of Woden.
Finally, we come to Dies Saturni, day of Saturn, or Saturday, which is associated with the planet Saturn. Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture, among other things. Unlike the other days of the week, the Roman name was not replaced. Therefore, Saturday is the only day of the week that retains its true Roman origins.
Lesson Summary
Now you know where the names of our days came from.
In Latin, Dies Solis is the Saxon sun's day, or Sunnandæg, which is our Sunday.
Dies Lunae became Monandæg, or moon's day, our Monday.
Dies Martis turned into Tiwesdæg, or Tuesday.
Dies Mercurii became Wodnesdæg, or what we call now Wednesday.
Dies Jovis transformed into Thunresdæg, or Thursday.
Dies Veneris morphed into Frigedæg, or Friga's day, our Friday.
Finally, Dies Saturni, day of Saturn, or Saturday, remained essentially the same.
Learning Outcome
Once you are finished with this lesson you should be ready to explain where the names for the days of the week come from.
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