If you are named after any of the days of the week from the global Gregorian calendar, and you think you have a Christian name, sorry to inform you that you have been named in honour of a pagan god or deity.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Avengers (Image: ancient-origins.net)
Why most people name their children or bear names from the days of the week is based on the assumption that, being originated from the West or Europe (the home of modern Christianity), the calendar must be of Christian origin – which it is in some ways, but the name of the months and days in the calendar are all of pagan origin and has nothing to do with Christianity.
The calendar was brought into Nigeria by the British colonialists: who arrived as traders, adventurers, missionaries and administrators. As it was assumed then and as it is today, everything European is Christian, and the calendar was taken as such. But the western/Christian calendar officially known as the Gregorian Calendar, has its very origin in pagan Rome and adopted by the Catholic church.
As many people were converted to Christianity, most began to view the calendar as divine, and the names of the months and the days as godly – which is true – but of a different gods of a different belief system. Today, Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday have become common names among many Nigerians, some of who have no clue about the origin of such names, not anymore!
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I published an article earlier wherein I discussed the origin of the Christian calendar(Gregorian Calendar), and revealed how the months in every calendar years was name after a pagan god or deity, these names were mostly Anglicized from their Latin and Greek roots. But in naming the days of the week, the English referred to their indigenous gods and deities are equivalent of the Roman gods and deities of whom these days where named after.
It should be noted that English is an old language, which originated in mainland Europe among a Germanic group of people – English, German, Dutch shared same language ancestor. The ancestors of modern day English migrated to the British Isles and consummated with the Irish, Welsh, Angles and Saxons and produced a language that was the ancestor of the modern English which you and I speak, and which is spoken billions of people across the world. You will observe that the names of the days of the week date back to their names in Old English.
You should also note that, languages that originated from Latin, which are also known as the Roman Languages i.e. French, Italian, Spanish, etc – still retain clearly the Latin roots name of the deities and gods that inspired the names of the days.
Mars, the Roman God of War
Monday: The name was derived from Latin as “Dies Lunae” or day of the moon. The English who were influenced by the Roman tradition in ancient times translated the name into Old English as Mondaeg, meaning Moon’s day, which in turn is translated in modern English as Monday. In French, it is called Lundi – see the Latin root Luna or moon; in Spanish it Monday is known as Lunes, and as Lunedi in Italian.
Tuesday: It is derived is derived from Old English Tiwesdaeg or Tiws’day. Tiw is the name of an ancient Germanic god called also known as Tiwaz or Tyr. In Latin, the day is referred to as the day of Mars or dies Martis and Mars is the Roman god of War. Languages that originated from Latin still bear the Latin root word i.e. Tuesday in French is Mardi, Martedi in Italian and Martes in Spanish.
Wednesday: Derived from Woden – a Germanic god who also known as Wodanaz or Odin, its equivalent in Roman mythology is Mercury, the god of financial gains. Old English dedicated the day as “Wodnesdaeg” ot Woden’s day. In French, Italian and Spanish, the name of the day equivalent to Wednesday is rooted in Mercuri i.e. Mercredi in French.
Thursday: If you have watched the movie Avengers then you must or should know Thor, the hammer carrying protagonist, he is the God of Thunder in old Germanic mythology, the equivalent of Jupiter in Latin. The day dedicated to him which in Old English was known as Thuresdaeg or Thor’s Day, hence the modern English name Thursday. The Romance languages maintain the Roman root of the name, Jupiter’s Day or Lovis/Jovis Day hence: Spanish Jueves, French Jeudi.
Friday: In the mythology of ancient Germania, Frige or Frigg was a goddess and the day dedicated to her was known as Frige day, translated today in modern English Friday. The goddess equivalent in Latin was Venus, the Roman goddess of Love, who inspired the French name for Friday as Vendredi, Italian Venerdi, and Spanish Vierness.
Venus, the goddess of Love
Saturday: The origin is in ancient Rome, known in Latin as Saturni dies, the day of Saturn. Saturn is the Roman god of wealth and agriculture. It influenced the West Germanic languages during the time of the Roman campaigns and conquest in Germania, and the English had in Old English dedicated a day as Saterndaeg which in today’s English is known as Saturday.
Sunday: The name, like Saturday had its root in Latin dies Solis or day of the Sun, it was adopted in Old English as Sunnandaeg literarily meaning “Sun’s Day”, which in today’s English is Sunday.
Having studied the above, you will realize that the names of days of the week are inspired by Roman grand pagan tradition: they are either named after extraterrestrial bodies which had great significance in Roman pagan rituals i.e. the Sun and Moon (Sunday and Monday), or they are named after gods or deities worshiped by ancient Romans, whom the English found the equivalent in their mythology and names such days accordingly.
Tyr, by Lorenz Florich, 1895
These days as we had seen, had no origin in Christianity and should not be considered as such, even thou they are captured in a calendar known as a Gregorian calendar, named after Pope Gregory XIII who through a Papal Bull promulgated in 1592 AD endorsed it for Christendom.
But let not your heart be troubled if your name is Sunday, Monday, Friday or any other day, it may have its origin in pagan tradition which is alien to Africa and inimical to Christianity, consider it as just a name which has no effect in your person, salvation or destiny.
Or, do you still think otherwise?
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