Pagan Meanings of the Seven Days

The Seven-Day Week and the
Meanings of the Names of the Days

I think you'll be amazed by the days of the week and what their true meanings were to the world centuries ago. Here's a brief history of The Seven Day Week

Sunday -- Sun's day
Monday -- Moon's day
Tuesday -- Tiu's day
Wednesday -- Woden's day
Thursday -- Thor's day
Friday -- Freya's day
Saturday -- Saturn's day

Remember that the world was quite Pagan when names were given to each day, below is an in depth description.

Sunday -- Sun's day
Middle English sone(n)day or sun(nen)day
Old English sunnandæg "day of the sun"
Germanic sunnon-dagaz "day of the sun"
Latin dies solis "day of the sun"
Ancient Greek hemera heli(o)u, "day of the sun"

Monday -- Moon's day
Middle English monday or mone(n)day
Old English mon(an)dæg "day of the moon"
Latin dies lunae "day of the moon"
Ancient Greek hemera selenes "day of the moon"

Tuesday -- Tiu's day
Middle English tiwesday or tewesday
Old English tiwesdæg "Tiw's (Tiu's) day"
Latin dies Martis "day of Mars"
Ancient Greek hemera Areos "day of Ares"

Tiu (Twia) is the English/Germanic god of war and the sky.
He is identified with the Norse god Tyr.
Mars is the Roman god of war.
Ares is the Greek god of war.

Wednesday -- Woden's day
Middle English wodnesday, wednesday, or wednesdai
Old English wodnesdæg "Woden's day"
Latin dies Mercurii "day of Mercury"
Ancient Greek hemera Hermu "day of Hermes"

Woden is the chief Anglo-Saxon/Teutonic god. Woden is the leader of the Wild Hunt. Woden is from wod "violently insane" + -en "headship". He is identified with the Norse Odin.
Mercury is the Roman god of commerce, travel, theivery, eloquence and science. He is the messenger of the other gods.
Hermes is the Greek god of commerce, invention, cunning, and theft. He is the messenger and herald of the other gods. He serves as patron of travelers and rogues, and as the conductor of the dead to Hades.

Thursday -- Thor's day
Middle English thur(e)sday
Old English thursdæg
Old Norse thorsdagr "Thor's day"
Old English thunresdæg "thunder's day"
Latin dies Jovis "day of Jupiter"
Ancient Greek hemera Dios "day of Zeus".

Thor is the Norse god of thunder. He is represented as riding a chariot drawn by goats and wielding the hammer Miölnir. He is the defender of the Aesir, destined to kill and be killed by the Midgard Serpent.
Jupiter (Jove) is the supreme Roman god and patron of the Roman state. He is noted for creating thunder and lightning.
Zeus is Greek god of the heavens and the supreme Greek god.

Friday -- Freya's day
Middle English fridai
Old English frigedæg "Freya's day"
composed of Frige (genetive singular of Freo) + dæg "day" (most likely)
or composed of Frig "Frigg" + dæg "day" (least likely)
Germanic frije-dagaz "Freya's (or Frigg's) day"
Latin dies Veneris "Venus's day"
Ancient Greek hemera Aphrodites "day of Aphrodite"

Freo is identical with freo, meaning free. It is from the Germanic frijaz meaning "beloved, belonging to the loved ones, not in bondage, free".
Freya (Fria) is the Teutonic goddess of love, beauty, and fecundity (prolific procreation). She is identified with the Norse god Freya. She is leader of the Valkyries and one of the Vanir. She is confused in Germany with Frigg.
Frigg (Frigga) is the Teutonic goddess of clouds, the sky, and conjugal (married) love. She is identified with Frigg, the Norse goddess of love and the heavens and the wife of Odin. She is one of the Aesir. She is confused in Germany with Freya.
Venus is the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
Aphrodite (Cytherea) is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

Saturday -- Saturn's day
Middle English saterday
Old English sæter(nes)dæg "Saturn's day"
Latin dies Saturni "day of Saturn"
Ancient Greek hemera Khronu "day of Cronus"

Saturn is the Roman and Italic god of agriculture and the consort of Ops. He is believed to have ruled the earth during an age of happiness and virtue.
Cronus (Kronos, Cronos) is the Greek god (Titan) who ruled the universe until dethroned by his son Zeus.

What is a Pagan?

Labels can be misleading, hurtful and unfair. The term Pagan is from the Latin word paganus, an adjective originally meaning "rural", "rustic" or "of the country." A Paganus was a country dweller or villager in the eyes of the three largest, organized faiths. Both pagan and heathen have historically been used as a label by those who follow Judaism, Christianity and Islam to indicate a disbeliever of their religion.

Today, Pagans enjoy freedom to follow and practice their faith in the manner most comfortable and meaningful to them. Being a Pagan is a blanket term for many faiths like Historical Polytheism (such as Celtic polytheism, Norse paganism, and Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism also called Hellenismos), Folk/ethnic/Indigenous religions (such as Chinese folk religion and African traditional religion), and Neopaganism (such as Wicca and Germanic Neopaganism).

Yes, it IS confusing, but there are specific names for different faiths, just like Catholic and Protestants are Christian...then Wicca and Native Americans are considered Pagans. Labels, that's all the words are...Labels. It is the deeds, history and the people of a faith that should be considered, not a label.

If you ask any Pagan what the word means to them, you may be surprised to hear many different definitions. People will express themselves in unique ways and their faith is an expression of their inner soul. So leave the labels on the jar of peaches and try to reach out with your heart to understand what is new to you.

For centuries, Gypsies, Pagans, Wiccans and others have had to bear terrible repercussions as other developing faiths tried to strip the "villagers" from their personal beliefs. Now is a time of mending, to live side-by-side in the light and forget the past grievances. Each soul has a right to choose how to reach Summerland or wherever you desire to find peace. Blessed Be )O(

The Pagan & The Pen

CH Scarlett is a wonderful author and owner of The Pagan & The Pen. This blog is so much more, as authors, artists and other talented people have pooled their experience. I've joined them and will be writing a monthly, maybe bimonthly column and adding more as time permits. I'm half Wiccan and half Gypsy, this intriguing blog explains the pagan lifestyle, holidays and offers ways to be at peace with yourself and the planet. This appeals to me on so many levels. I'm drawn to talented people; musicians, artisans and writers for their ability to see outside the box. To be able to see the world in a different perspective and not belittle anyone else for their beliefs. I hope you'll join me on June 20th where I'll be talking about the Summer Solstice that will happen on June 21st this year. I plan to participate in a celebration on Summer Solstice so the day before worked for me. See you there!

Pagan meaning of the Summer Solstice

I've always been drawn to the moon as summer lovers are drawn to the sun. I prefer to walk in the twilight hours or night when a blanket of stars surround a full moon. To stand skyclad (au natural) on a beach or deep in the forest to commune with nature charges me with a snap of electric energy. My birthday is on July 18th, I'm a Cancer, the crab and find comfort in all things from the sea and sand. I've had the honor of joining Wiccan covens in the forest for ceremonies surrounding the natural celestial occurrences of mother earth. The one time I walk in the sunlight is during Litha.

Litha, or Midsummer, is one of the four solar festivals observed by many Wiccan and Pagan traditions on June 21st. Litha is an ancient Solar celebration when the sun reaches its zenith in the sky. It is the longest day of the year and the point at which the sun seems to just hang there without moving – in fact, the word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.” Stone circles such as Stonehenge were oriented to highlight the rising of the sun on the day of the summer solstice.