graphic of mythology, norse gods in days of the week

Mythology, Gods and days of the week

Mythology, Gods and days of the week is an episode in the series “A Conversation with Simon Roper”. In our exchange, we consider the history and mythology in the days of the week.

We use the names of the days of the week everyday! Of course we do! Maybe we know that the words relate to old and ancient gods. perhaps we can even name some of them. But how much do we actually know about the mythology behind words we use all the time?

Simon is an archaeologist and loves old language. He has a YouTube channel devoted to untangling Saxon roots within our words today. We discussed the meaning of the mythology, gods and days of the week in our conversation about mythology, landscape and history in January 2021. You can see our chat about Saxon, Norse and Roman names within our calender here: 

7: A Conversation with Simon Roper: The Mythology in the Names of the Days of the Week

 

days
Of all the days.

Saturday is a day of concern because it appears that it is named after the Roman God ‘Saturn’. But who was Saeter? Did he or she actually exist? Is Saturday really ‘Saeter’s Daeg’?

Once you start digging into the days of the week you start to discover all sorts of things about words you use all of the time. As we discussed the various implications of different names and Simon gave us a taste of the liguistic sounds of the past, we both realised new things about the weeks of our lives.

How is it that we use words that are so obvious in their meaning but we have forgotten of whom they speak? What exactly have we lost when we lose touch with this old history? Mythologies are a treasure for the enquiring mind.