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The seven-day week came from the Roman Empire to the Germani, with days named after planetary gods. The Germani translated these names into their own pantheon – a classic case of the interpretatio Romana in reverse.
So dies Martis (Mars's day) became the day of Tiwaz/Ziu: English Tuesday, German (southern) "Ziestag" → Dienstag. Mercury's day became Wednesday (Woden's day) = day of Wodan. Jupiter's day became the day of Donar: Thursday/Donnerstag. Venus's day became the day of the goddess Frija: Friday/Freitag.
In German "Mittwoch" (instead of Wodan's day) and "Samstag/Sonnabend" (instead of Saturn's day) stand out – that is Christian influence. The weekdays are thus a quiet, everyday testimony to how deep the old belief in the gods sits in our language.
"Mercury they worship most … also Hercules and Mars."after Tacitus, Germania 9 (public domain, own translation)
The weekdays show the gods in everyday life. Continue with Frija and the interpretatio Romana.
Interpretatio Romana · Tiwaz · Wodan, Donar & Ziu · Donar · Frija – Goddess of the Week.
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