The Naming of the Days: Part Two

There is no need to fear! I have found my mythology notes and I am ready to introduce you to the last two gods. After you have been properly introduced, I will explain how the days came to be named. First, however I must introduce you.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is probably one of the more popular goddesses. People both young and old would prey to her. They would pray to her asking for someone’s admiring eye. They ask for the courage to tell a person that they love them. Aphrodite was also known for watching over sailors as they were at sea. Her Roman equivalent is Venus–Release the goddess in you. (Sorry I just could not resist doing that.)

Last but not least, by far, is Cronus. He is the father of time. Cronus also has a very interesting story. Years after he was born Cronus castrated his own father then disposed of him. When he married Rhea, Cronus was told a prophecy. That prophecy stated that one of his own sons would over throw him. Fearing this, Cronus swallowed each child as they were born. Rhea however managed to save one child, Zeus. Later, Zeus forced his father to throw up the rest of the children. After this, Zeus and Cronus waged a war of the gods vs. the Titans. Cronus is Saturn in Rome.

Now that you have become familiar with the gods, we need to have a brief astronomy lesson. We know now that the Earth is not the center of the universe. This however is not true for the ancient Greeks and Romans. Back then, they believed the Earth to be the center of the universe. They often used this belief in relation to important cultural ideas. In this case, they used it to name the days of the week.

Here is where it gets a bit tricky. Just remember that the Earth is the center of the universe. If you lined the planets up in the order of how close they are to the sun what would it be? The closest is the Moon, which is where Monday comes from. Next is Mars who represents Tuesday. Third is Mercury who is Wednesday. After that is Jupiter who stands in for Thursday. Then comes Venus, which is Friday. After Venus is Saturn who is Saturday. Finally comes the Sun who is Sunday.

All of the planets either kept their English names or were changed into Nordic in order to get the names we have today. That is how the days of the week got their names.

Danielle Patterson

(photo credit: julesstoop)

April 14th, 2009 by admin | Posted in History | (0)