Mark Daniels

One of the most notable influences of Norse mythology is found in the English names for the days of the week. Monday and Sunday were named after the moon and sun respectively, with Tuesday to Friday dedicated to a different Norse god. It was in fact the Romans who first named the days of the week after the sun, the moon and five deities: Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. You can still hear the remnants of those Roman names in the Spanish and French days of the week. The Nordics, however, took those Roman names for each day and simply switched their own corresponding god onto each one. The day named after the Roman god of war Mars changed names to the Norse god of war Tyr. It is the Norse versions that seem to have stuck in the Germanic languages, including English.

DAY

OLD NORSE

DEDICATED TO

Monday

Mánadagr

The moon

Tuesday

Týsdagr

Tyr, god of justice and war

Wednesday

Óðinsdagr

Odin, god of war, wisdom and poetry

Thursday

Þórsdagr

Thor, god of protection and thunder

Friday

Frjádagr

Freyja, goddess of love

Saturday

Laugardagr

Saturn, god of harvest

Sunday

Sunnudagr

The sun

The parallels can be heard in the order in which the world came into existence

From the life-giving mollusc and soil of the Yoruba people in West Africa, to the Rainbow Serpent of many of Australia’s First Nations, to the debate between the gods of grain and cattle that the Ancient Mesopotamians retold, no two stories are quite the same