The Story of How the Days of the Week Got Their Names
曜日（ようび）は、七曜（7つの天体）が守護するとされる日を表す語句である。曜日が循環する7日の組を週という。7つの惑星や神々の名称を一定順に並べて規則的に巡回させる「週と曜日」は、古くは古代バビロニアの粘土板に記され、月は月神シン、火星はネルガル神、水星は書記の神ネボ（ナブー）、木星はマルドゥーク神、金星は女神イシュタル、土星はニニブ神（ニヌルタ）、太陽は太陽神シャマシュとされた。古代エジプトのパピルスでも記されているが、七曜の概念はバビロニアで発祥し、さまざまな経路を経て世界に伝播した。(English) The word "day of the week" describes the days that are supposed to be guarded by the seven days of the week (the seven celestial bodies). The pair of seven days in which the days of the week circulate is called a week. The "weeks and days of the week," a regular cycle of the names of the seven planets and gods in a particular order, was written on ancient Babylonian clay tablets, with the moon being the moon god Sin, Mars the god Nergal, Mercury the scribe god Nebo (Naboo), Jupiter the god Marduk, Venus the goddess Ishtar, Saturn the god Ninib (Ninurta) and the sun god Shamash. The concept of the seven days of the week originated in Babylonia and spread worldwide through various routes, as recorded in ancient Egyptian papyri.
The Story of How the Days of the Week Got Their Names
A)
The Babylonians, who ruled modern-day Iraq between about 4,000 and 2,500 years ago, named the days of the week after the sun, the moon, and the five planets they knew Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn.
The Babylonians believed each of these celestial bodies was a god. Mars, for example, was Nergal, the god of death and war, and Venus was Ishtar, the goddess of love.
B)
When the ancient Greeks adopted the Babylonians' seven-day week, they changed these names to match their gods: Tuesday became the day of Ares, the Greek god of war, and Friday became the day of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.
The Romans then conquered the Greeks and again adapted the names of their gods: Tuesday became the "Day of Mars," and Friday became the "Day of Venus."
Later, as Christianity took over Rome, the old "Day of the Sun" became the "Day of the Lord" - dies Dominicus.
C)
The Romance languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian, still mostly use versions of these names. For example, in Spanish, Tuesday is Martes, and Sunday is Domingo.
However, Britain was abandoned as the Western Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century, after which various groups, now known as the Anglo-Saxons, came in from northern Europe.
D)
The Anglo-Saxons again adapted the names of the days to their gods and language - except for the Roman "Day of Saturn," which we now know as Saturday.
The old Roman "Day of the Sun" became Sonnandaeg - which is now Sunday. And the "Day of the Moon" became Monandaeg - now Monday.
E)
The Roman god Mars was replaced with Tyr, the Anglo-Saxon god of war, who was also called "Tiu" or "Tiw." Tiwesdaeg eventually became Tuesday.
Mercury was replaced by Odin, who was also called "Woden." Wodnesdaeg later became Wednesday.
And Thursday was named after Thunor, or "Thor" - the god of thunder, replacing Jupiter.
Finally, Venus was replaced by Freya, the goddess of love, also called "Frigg" or "Frigga" - which is how Frigadaeg eventually became Friday.
Discussion
1)
What are your thoughts on the story behind the names of the days of the week?
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I think it's a beautiful origin.
If we know how the name came to be, we will be able to understand the culture and history more deeply.
They are quite different from country to country.
I believe that these differences should be respected.
2)
What do you know about how the days of the week got their names in your language?
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The origin of the days of the week in Japan is as follows.
Monday = month
Tuesday = Fire
Wednesday = water
Thursday = Tree, Forest
Friday = Money
Saturday = soil, land
Sunday = day, sun
Spanish has its origins in the following:
Domingo (Sunday) is the main
lunes (Monday) is the month
martes (Tuesday) is Mars, the god of war
miércoles (Wednesday) is Mercury, the god of commerce
jueves (Thursday) is Jupiter, king of the gods
viernes (Friday) is Venus, the goddess of love
sábado (Saturday) is the Jewish Sabbath
Germanic languages such as English, German, and Dutch also use the names of Norse mythological gods, which are equivalent to Roman mythological gods.
Sunday is the Sun
Monday is the Moon
English originates from as follows:
Tuesday (Tuesday) is the Norse mythological sky god Thule.
Wednesday (Wednesday) is the Anglo-Saxon chief god Wodon.
Thursday (Thursday) is Thor, the Norse god of thunder.
Friday (Friday) is the Norse goddess of love, Floia.
Saturday (Saturday) is Saturn, from Roman mythology.
3)
Do you know much about the history of your language?
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It's an area of great interest.
Initially, it did not have Japanese characters.
Kanji characters were imported from China.
After that, I broke down the kanji and made cursive and hiragana.
We Japanese are good at transforming foreign things so that they are easy for us to use.
4)
Would you be more interested in studying history or linguistics? Why?
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I am very interested in both.
I would instead study linguistics.
Written language and spoken language are different.
The characters of the past and the characters of today are different.
The origins of foreign languages and Japan are different.
I would like to know the difference between each.
5)
What's your favorite day of the week? Why?
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Of course, I like Fridays.
The next day, Saturday and Sunday is a holiday.
I like the feeling that the holiday starts from now on.
I always wish I had three days off normal lifestyle.
Further Discussion
6)
Have you come across any good history books or documentaries recently?
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Yes, the conversation with super neurosurgeon Dr. Yoko Kato was wonderful.
It is because she doesn't see her job as a job.
She is trying to fulfill her destiny.
Her pure feelings touch me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iIN4_cMMNo&t=1234s
A conversation between super neurosurgeon Yoko Kato and Osamu Hayashi, during the recording of which she received a phone call from a patient. - Why do people work?
https://president.jp/articles/-/23698?page=2
How to stay focused as a super doctor
The composure of the "Hand of God" that saved the lives of over 2,000 people
7)
What periods of history did you learn about in school? Did you find them attractive at the time?
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I learned about Japanese and world history in general.
I wouldn't say I liked memorizing wars and war years for the test.
But now I enjoy knowing the real stories and life behind the war.
I am also interested in modern Japanese history and European history.
8)
What ancient civilizations would you like to learn more about?
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I would like to know Japanese Himiko and famous historical figures among women in the world.
I am interested in the queens of England, France, and Russia.
9)
What parts of the world would you like to visit for their history?
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I want to go to castles in England, France, and Germany.
I am also interested in Roman and Greek ruins.
10)
Language and culture cannot be separated. - Buffy Sainte-Marie. What are your thoughts on this statement?
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Yes, I think so.
Because to value the language is to value the culture of the country.
I am interested in the formation, changes, and differences of words.
Words are also associated with beliefs.
We need to respect each other's way of thinking.