From the cold and frozen fjords of Scandinavia, to heavily forested Germania, and west to the fertile, temperate British Isles, came the men and women of the North. Forged into hardy and resourceful tribes by necessity; they wandered far in search of riches, fame, and new places to call home. It is from this most noble and courageous stock, many of us claim descent.

In Chapter 1 we'll explore some of the more notable tribes of our forefathers, such as the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and the Normans.

We'll also have a look at some aspects of everyday life, and some of their nearly forgotten origins.

 

Viking Traders circa 800 CE

Just Another Day?

One of the most overlooked legacies of our Northern Ancestors is codified in the Days of the Week in the English Language; all but Saturday, are named for one of our old Germanic gods and goddesses.
When I first discovered this, I was perplexed that such an obvious piece of our culture was never taught in school to my generation, or that of my children. We learn about Roman and Greek Mythology in most North American schools (which I thoroughly enjoyed as a child), but not about Germanic/Norse mythology, when approximately 65% of the population of America is of North Western European descent.

In the Preface of his 1897 version of the “Younger Edda”, Rasmus B. Anderson, LL. D. has the following to say:

The records of our Teutonic past have hitherto received but slight attention from the English-speaking branch of the great world-ash Yggdrasil. This indifference is the more deplorable, since a knowledge of our heroic forefathers would naturally operate as a most powerful means of keeping alive among us, and our posterity, that spirit of courage, enterprise and independence for which the old Teutons were so distinguished.

Lets walk through some of the fascinating lore behind our “everyday” lives.

Sunday

In Old English Sunday was Sunnandæg (pronounced [sun.nan.dæg], meaning "Sun's Day". This is a translation of the Latin phrase Dies Solis. English, like most of the Germanic languages, preserves the original pagan/sun associations of the day. Many other European languages, including all of the Romance languages, have changed its name to the equivalent of "the Lord's day" (based on Ecclesiastical Latin Dies Dominica). In both West Germanic and North Germanic mythology the sun is personified as a goddess; Sunna/Sól.

Monday

Old English Monandæg (pronounced [mon.nan.dæg], meaning "Moon's Day". This is likely based on a translation of the Latin name Dies Lunae. In North Germanic mythology, the moon is personified as a god; Mani.

"The Wolves Pursuing Sol and Mani" (1909) by J. C. Dollman

 

Tuesday

Old English Tiwesdæg (pronounced [ti.wes.dæg],  meaning "Tiw's day." Tiw (Norse Tyr) was a god associated with law, justice and pledges in Norse mythology and also attested prominently in wider Germanic paganism.; Tyr is also known for being one-handed, after he lost his hand to the Fenris wolf in order to save his people.  The name of the day is based on Latin Dies Martis, "Day of Mars" (the Roman war god).

Wednesday

Old English Wodnesdæg (pronounced [wo?d.nes.dæg], meaning the day of the Germanic god Wodan (later known as Odin among the North Germanic peoples), and a prominent god of the Anglo-Saxons (and other Germanic peoples) in England until about the seventh century. It is likely based on the Latin Dies Mercurii, "Day of Mercury". The usual explanation is that both Wodan and Mercury were considered psychopomps, or leaders of souls, in their respective mythologies; both are also associated with poetic and musical inspiration. German Mittwoch and Finnish keskiviikko both mean 'mid-week'.

Thursday

Old English Thunresdæg (pronounced [Thu?n.res.dæg], meaning the Thunor's day. Thunor is commonly known in Modern English as Thor, the god of thunder in Germanic Heathenism. It is based on the Latin Dies Iovis, "Day of Jupiter". In the Roman pantheon, Jupiter was the chief god, who seized and maintained his power on the basis of his thunderbolt.

Friday

Old English Frigedæg (pronounced [fri.je.dæg], meaning the day of the Anglo-Saxon goddess Fríge, and is attested among the North Germanic peoples as Frigg. It is based on the Latin Dies Veneris, "Day of Venus". Venus was the Roman goddess of beauty, love and sex.

Saturday

The only day of the week to retain its Roman origin in English, named after the Roman god Saturn associated with the Titan Cronus, father of Zeus and many Olympians. Its original Anglo-Saxon rendering was Sæturnesdæg (pronounced [sæ.tur.nes.dæg]. In Latin it was Dies Saturni, "Day of Saturn". The Spanish and Portuguese Sábado, the Romanian Sâmbata, and the Italian Sabato come from Sabbata Dies (Day of the Sabbath).

The Germanic peoples adapted the system for the days of the week introduced by the Romans, but replaced the Roman deities (with the exception of Saturday) with their indigenous gods - in a process known as Interpretatio germanica. According to Rudolf Simek, this occurred around the 1st century CE when both cultures came into closer contact, and the only reliable insight into interpretatio germanica can be found in the Germanic translations of the Roman names for the days of the week:

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