SCRIPT: ORIGINS OF THE DAYS OF THE WEEK [May 7, 2019]
The story behind Monday to Sunday
Voice 1: The days of the week are named after celestial bodies and different mythological figures from history. Let’s take a look at the seven days of the week and how they came to be named.
Voice 2: Let’s start at the beginning of the week. The first day is Sunday, also known as the day of the sun. This is an easy one. The ancient Romans came up with the idea for this name. The sun was one of the gods that the Romans worshipped so it was important that a day was named in honour of this powerful god.
Voice 1: Next is Monday. This name comes from the old English word “monan”, which means “moon”. Monday is the day devoted to the moon goddess. Are you starting to see a pattern here? The names of the days of the week are derived from the name of an ancient god or goddess.
Voice 2: We move to Scandinavia, the region in Northern Europe that includes Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, for the names of the next four days. Tuesday is named after Tyr, the Norse god of law and justice. The original name was “Tyr’s Day”, and it gradually became “Tuesday”.
Voice 1: Wednesday comes from “Woden”, one of the many names for Odin, the all-powerful father of the Norse gods, and of course, Thor’s father. He’s the god with a spear and an eye patch. Odin is a great warrior god, and he only has one eye. If you’ve seen the first Thor film, you would have met Odin.
Voice 2: Next, Thor, the god of thunder, and one of the many superheroes in the recent Avengers: Endgame film. For those who are not familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor is the god holding a magical hammer, and is played by the popular Australian actor Chris Hemsworth.
Voice 1: Odin’s wife, the Mother of the Norse gods, is the goddess Frigg. If Odin had a day named after him, she had to have one too! Friday comes from ‘Frigg’s Day’. According to myth, Frigg wears a large blue cape that symbolises the sky. The goddess represents family, and is seen as a symbol of devoted love. As such, some people believe Friday is the best day to get married.
Voice 2: We go back to the ancient Romans for the origins of the final day of the week. Saturday is named after the Roman god, Saturn. In Roman mythology, Saturn is the god of farming and time. He even has a planet named after him. Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system and the sixth planet from the Sun.