This custom was later adopted by the Romans. Wednesday - Mercury the messenger God. These names come to us originally from the Greeks and Romans, who named the days of the week after their gods. Saturn is the Roman name for Cronus. The origins of our days of the week lie with the Romans. The names of the 7 days of the week in most Latin-based languages come from the Roman calendar, which related each day with 7 celestial bodies considered to be gods: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Tuesday - Tyr or Tiw was the Norse God of War. The early Romans, around the first century, used Saturday as the first day of the week. The names of the days are derived from Teutonic, Norse, and Roman pagan deities. It’s the only day of the week that retains its Roman origin in English and is named after the Roman god Saturn. dies Mercurii , “the day of Mercury”. As the worshipping of the Sun increased, the Sun's day (Sunday) advanced from position of the second day to the first day of the week and Saturday became the seventh day. Monday was known as ‘the day of the moon’, that’s how it became Monday. Saturday is named after Saturn, a Roman god. In Norse mythology Monday came from Old English “Mōnandæg”, named after Máni, the Norse personification of the moon known as the brother of sunna, the sun goddess in Norse mythology. The Latin names for the days of the week, and the Roman gods for which they were named, still live on in all the European Romance languages, like French, Spanish and Italian. Many centuries later, the Romans, upon beginning to use the seven day week, adopted the names of the week to fit their own gods. Tuesday comes from Tiu, or Tiw, the Anglo-Saxon name for Tyr, the Norse god of war. The Anglo-Saxons, who invaded Britain hundreds of years ago, adopted this idea but substituted their own gods. Also known as Martius Roman God of War. Also, emperor Constantine did not like the faith the Israelites had and worshiping God on their Sabbath of … Every culture follows the same week method which recycles after seven days. Explainer: The Gods Behind the Days of the Week. dies Lunae “the day of the moon”. Sunday became the first day of the week. The days of the week were named by men, not god or gods. Think of French lundi , mardi , mercredi , jeudi and vendredi , for example, and you will find the Latin Luna , Mars , Mercurius , Iovis and Venus hidden behind them. Some were named after gods, such as Wednesday (Woden / Wotan's day), Thursday (Thor's day) and Friday (Frigga / Freya's day). dies Martis, “the day of Mars”. In a culture where days were consumed by religion, it is unsurprising that the days of the week were made in homage to the gods believed to rule the lives of mortals. In this video, I will explain their origins. dies Martis , "day of Mars" (Roman god of war) dies Mercurii, "day of Mercury" (Roman messenger of the gods and god of commerce, travel, thievery, eloquence, and … The concept of the week, that is, a cycle of seven numbered or named days with one of them (usually Sunday or Monday) fixed … The Romans named the days of the week after their gods. The names of the week were then adopted by Germanic peoples. Latin : translates from dies solis, or “Day of the Sun”. Before Babylonians, Romans used to have a eight day week for market days, named A to H. The Babylonians first started the use of a seven day week in 6th century BC. Since then, it has been the standard time period for most part of the world. The days of the week were named after Norse gods and giant objects in the sky. dies Solis “the day of the sun (then considered a planet)”. This is the seventh day of the week. dies Martis , “the day of Mars”. The Germanic people adapted the Roman system and gave us the English names of the days. dies Solis , "day of the Sun". The names of the days are based on the seven celestial bodies (the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn), believed at that time to … dies Iovis , “the day of Jupiter”. dies Veneris , “the day of Venus”. The Romans named their days of the week after the planets, which in turn were named after the Roman gods: dies Solis “the day of the sun (then considered a planet)”.