History History of Weekdays: Anglo-Saxon Version

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The discussion explores the etymology and historical significance of the names for the days of the week across various languages. In Anglo-Saxon tradition, days are named after celestial bodies and Norse gods, such as Sunday (Sun's day) and Tuesday (Tiw's day). Many modern languages, including French and Polish, retain similar naming conventions, often rooted in Latin or local traditions. The conversation also touches on how different cultures have adapted these names, with some languages like Finnish borrowing from Germanic origins. Overall, the thread highlights the fascinating interplay between language, mythology, and cultural practices in naming the days of the week.
  • #31
Borek said:
S: Niedziela - Sunday is a day when you don't work, you don't have to do anything - "nie działać" means "don't act". Sure, "nie działać" is in Polish and word is much older, it is very similar in most Slavic languages, so the original root was present in proto-slavic language and must have been different from contemporary, but the idea was the same.
Russian uses nedlya for week and is otherwise very similar to Polish:
S: voskrisenya - resurrection
M: ponedlya - after no work (sunday)
T: vtronik - dva is 2
W: sreda - middle
Th: chetverk - chetery is 4
F: pyatsnitsa - pyats is 5
Sat: subota - sabbath
src
 
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  • #32
story645 said:
Russian uses nedlya for week and is otherwise very similar to Polish:
S: voskrisenya - resurrection
M: ponedlya - after no work (sunday)
T: vtronik - dva is 2
W: sreda - middle
Th: chetverk - chetery is 4
F: pyatsnitsa - pyats is 5
Sat: subota - sabbath

I know enough Russian to confirm. But the way days are written in English makes my eyes watering.
 
  • #33
Borek said:
I know enough Russian to confirm. But the way days are written in English makes my eyes watering.

Russian Weekdays

Sunday - воскресенье (vos-kre-senye)
Monday - понедельник (po-ne-del-neek)
Tuesday - вторник (vtor-neek) - although dva is 2. I think this word probably stems from the form второй (vto-roy) which means 'second' (like first, second etc. not the unit of time).
Wednesday - среда (sre-da)
Thursday - четверг (chet-verg). Same as tuesday but probably more like четвертый (chet-vyor-tiy) which means 'fourth.'
Friday - пятница (pyat-nee-tsa)
Saturday - суббота (soo-bo-ta)

Better?
 
  • #34
I thought Tsuesday was named after Tsu.

And Moonday was named after Moonbear.

If not, then they should be. We should have a day named after each of the PF sisters.
 
  • #35
Borek said:
I know enough Russian to confirm. But the way days are written in English makes my eyes watering.
:( Sorry my transliteration skills are so lousy.

Thanks Yanick!
 
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  • #36
Yanick said:
Better?

Much better :smile:
 
  • #37
Ok...

How about the Entomology of weekdays?

Sunday (Scorpionfly Sunday) = [PLAIN]http://insects.tamu.edu/images/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/mecoptera/panorpidae/panorpa_nuptialis_adult_lateral_m_02.jpg

Monday (Moth Monday) = [URL]http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos/others/emperor-moth-22235.jpg[/URL]

Tuesday (Tick Tuesday) = [PLAIN]http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/Pictures/Wood_Tick_040307.jpg

Wednesday (Wasp Wednesday) = [URL]http://www.naturfoto-cz.de/photos/krasensky/wasp-0071.jpg[/URL]

Thursday (Thrip Thursday) = [PLAIN]http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/images/Biosecurity_GeneralPlantHealthPestsDiseaseAndWeeds/Sunflower-Thrips-500.jpg

Friday (Flea Friday) = [URL]http://hardinmd.lib.uiowa.edu/pictures22/flea.jpg[/URL]

Saturday (Silverfish Saturday) = [PLAIN]http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/images/DK1018_1.jpg
 
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  • #38
That's totally awesome.
 
  • #39
nismaratwork said:
Ok...

How about the Entomology of weekdays?

Sunday (Scorpionfly Sunday) = [PLAIN]http://insects.tamu.edu/images/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/mecoptera/panorpidae/panorpa_nuptialis_adult_lateral_m_02.jpg

Neat picture. What's extra weird is that what looks to the stinger, is actually the male genitalia (at least according to wikipedia). CRAZY.

Kinda offtopic, but I found it funny.
 
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  • #40
I was feeling punnish. :-pNorman: You're right and wrong... in a male it's genitalia, and in a queen it's an ovipositor. However, in an infertile female (akin to a drone bee) it's a modified ovipositor we call a stinger. I believe the evolution from ovipositor to stinger is fairly well established from wasps through ants (their descendants).

I will say this however... the term "scorpion bug" is a catch-all for a family of insects, some of which do NOT have a sting, but are grouped by the obvious morphology. It may be the picture I used is of a stingless specimen.
 
  • #41
BobG said:
I thought Tsuesday was named after Tsu.

And Moonday was named after Moonbear.

If not, then they should be. We should have a day named after each of the PF sisters.

I guess Everyday for Evo? :biggrin:
 
  • #42
And then there are weeks that don't have 7 days. I can't even find the concept of week for most American Indian tribes, they just used a lunar calandar with ceremonial days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Week
 
  • #43
drizzle said:
I guess Everyday for Evo? :biggrin:
<sticks more GOOBF cards into Drizzle's computer for thinking of poor old Evo>
 
  • #44
Evo said:
And then there are weeks that don't have 7 days. I can't even find the concept of week for most American Indian tribes, they just used a lunar calandar with ceremonial days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Week

Yep, and before the Greek week (rimshot), you had Proto-Phoenician, which came from Egyptian... and that was a 10 day week. Really, you have to appreciate the Hebrew and Gregorian calenders.