The Viking influence in the days of the week starts with Tuesday and goes through Friday. Saturday maintains its name from the Roman god Saturn. Monday (Moon) and Sunday maintain their references to celestial bodies. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday get their names from Viking gods.
When Did this Begin?
When the Romans adopted a seven-day week in the first century A.D., they were borrowing from Ptolemy and the Greeks. (Before that, the Romans had an eight-day week.) The Germanic people probably adopted the seven-day week from the Romans sometime after the first century. Professor Jackosn Crawford admits the possibility that the Germanic people could’ve adopted the seven-day week directly from the Greeks. The weekdays were likely named between that adoption and the 300s or 400s while German and English were still the same language, according to Crawford. The Roman’s used the sun and the planets to name the days, and the planets were named after the Roman gods.
Tuesday Is Tyr’s Day
Tyr was the Norse equivalent of Mars, which represented the third day of the week. (Sunday was the first day.) In some traditions, Tyr is the son of Odin; in others, Tyr is the son of a Giant.
Wednesday Is Woden’s (Odin) Day
For reasons that are unclear, Odin was equated with Mercury. He became the namesake for the fourth day of the week. Odin has many names, including Wotan and Woden.
Thursday Is Thor’s Day
Thor took up Jupiter’s mantle and the fifth day of the week. Jupiter and Thor are both gods of thunder and lightning.
Friday is Frigg’s Day
The Romans honored Venus with the sixth day of the week. Her Norse equivalent was Frigg or Freya, depending on the source. Some say that Frigg and Freya may have been the same goddess.
Hot Water Day
The Vikings had Saturday as Laugurdagr, “hot water day” or “bath day.” Vikings bathed one a week according to John of Wallingford, and their hygiene set them apart from their neighbors and conquests.
The Viking influence in the days of the week reminds us that there was a time when Vikings held sway over much of the known, and some of the unknown, world. What day is your favorite day and did the Vikings influence your choice? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price (2022).
