Wednesday (that's what day it is today for those of you reading this in the future!!) is the day that most makes me think about the history of days. It's because, almost invariably, sometime today someone will wish me a Happy Hump Day.
I know how wednesday got the title of Hump day, being in the middle of the work week and all, but it often makes me think of how Wednesday came to be called Wednesday.
Wednesday is Woden's day. Woden is the old-school name for Odin, the all-father. To put it in modern context, he was played by Sir Anthony Hopkins in the recent movie, Thor.
It seems that most of the English names for days come from Old English words for Norse deities. Tuesday is Tiws, or Tyr's day, the Norse god of War. Thursday is Thor's day, the Norse god of Thunder (and Marvel superhero), Friday is Frigg's day, the Norse goddess of married women, Odin's wife, and Thor's mom.
Saturday is the only really concrete departure. Saturn was the Roman god of Agriculture. His major holiday, Saturnalia, is thought to have been the reason that Christmas is in December.
Sunday and Monday are also technical departures, but it is thought that the Norse may have named solidified they modern English names as well. They are simply days dedicated to the Sun and Moon respectively.
Also, I commonly think of this Nursery Rhyme:
Mondays child is fair of face,
Tuesdays child is full of grace,
Wednesdays child is full of woe,
Thursdays child has far to go,
Fridays child is loving and giving,
Saturdays child works hard for his living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
The only major issue I see is that Sunday is not the Sabbath. The Sabbath starts Friday night at sundown and goes through Saturday night at sundown.
Otherwise, happy Odin's day everyone.
I am loving this blog. It makes me want to just sit around and discuss things to the point where most people get bored and depart.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I was a Tuesday's child, and wanted to be a Monday more than anything on Earth when I first heard that rhyme. A friend was born on Wednesday, and loved it in a dark, pseudo-goth sort of way.
Thank you, Jamie. That means a lot.
ReplyDeleteand please, feel free to discuss.
I was a Sunday's child, so if I take the intent of the poem, I feel like I'm not quite living up to it