Myths and Legends: Journeys Through Time

Myths and Legends: Journeys Through Time

There are 12 months, 365 (366 when February gains an extra day), and 52 weeks in a year. There are roughly 4 weeks in a month and always 7 days in a week. Every day of the weeks and every one of the 12 months of the year have a name. We know these names as surely as we know our own. They’re taught to us from a young age and surround us constantly. However…one thing that isn’t taught much is the origin of these names. With the exceptions of February, July, August, September, October, November and December the months were named either for gods or in honor of gods or goddesses. The days of the week were named for gods or in the case of Saturday, a titan. So with that being said let’s start with the origins of the months. Since  it’s May we’ll start with that. May was named for the Greek goddess Maia, her Roman counterpart was the goddess of fertility, Bona Dea. May also has a second name which is maiores or elders in Latin. Generally May is a spring month although in some parts of the world, winter still holds it albeit weakly, or the autumn season is just beginning. Next up is June. June is named for the Roman Goddess Juno who’s counterpart is the Greek Goddess Hera. June, like May also has a second name which is iuniores which is Latin for younger ones. In a way..May and June are opposites, not only in name but also seasonally. May is warm but sometimes a bit chilly whereas June starts off the season of summer and tends to be hot and rarely ever chilly. July… July is where things start to become interesting. Originally, with the old Roman calendar (We use the Gregorian Calendar hence the 12 months/365-366 days. The Roman Calendar was more lunar based and started in March as opposed to January.) July was the 5th month and known as Quintilus. When the change was made to the Gregorian calendar, July was renamed in honor of Julius Caesar who by the Gregorian calendar was born in that month. After July comes August. August was named for Augustus who named July in honor of Julius Caesar’s being born in that month. Unlike Julius Caesar, Augustus didn’t name his month after the month of his birth..he was born in September. Rather he named in it honor of Cleopatra who although was defeated, was a queen and born in August. The next four months; September, October, November and December are all named for their numerical place in the old Roman calendar. September was originally the 7th month..it is now the 9th, October originally the 8th month, now the 10th, November originally the 9th month, now the 11th, and December..the last month of the year was originally the 10th month and is now the 12. These four months were move two ahead of their numerical name, yet their numerical name was kept. January which is the first month of the year was named after Janus who is the Two Faced God and God of Doorways. January is most often perceived as opening a new year hence the name. February is the second month and also the shortest. It has only 28 days, 29 in a leap year and is the ONLY month with a perfect 4 weeks. February was named for februum which is Latin for purification. It was named for a ritual of purification held on the old Roman calendar on February 15. March..an angry month sometimes and aptly named. March is when winter begins to loosen it’s grip and spring starts to show it’s face. March is named for the Roman god Mars who’s greek counterpart is Aries..both are the God of War. March also tends to be the most windy of months which is why the name suits it so well. There is no other tempermental force like the wind. Last we have April. April is interesting. It was named in honor of Venus..who in Greek mythology is Aphrodite. Originally April was Aprhilis in honor of her. Also it may be from the Etruscan name Apru. The origins of the days of the week are more divine in nature. Sunday..the seventh day of the week was name for the Sun…translated it means “Sun’s Day” or “Day of the Sun”. The Greek god of the sun Helios is associated with this day. Monday was named for the moon. It’s derived from Old English M?nandæg which literally means “Moon’s Day” or “Day of the Moon”. It’s also associated with Greek Selene the goddess of the moon who’s counterpart the Roman Goddess Luna. Tuesday is named after the Norse God Tyr..although originally it was known as “dias Martis” or Day of Mars who is the Roman God of war…through translation it became to be known as Teiwaz, or Tuesday. Tyr was the Nordic God of War. Wednesday is the middle of the week,  and is named for the Norse God-king Odin…also referred to as Woden. Thursday was named for Thor, Norse god of Lightening and Thunder also the son of Odin. Friday was named in honor of three goddess. Frigg, Freyja and Venus. In Old English Friday was fr?gedæg which meant Day of Frigg/Freyja. Venus figures into it due to the Latin translation of “dies veneris ” or Day of Venus. Last we have Saturday which isn’t the last day of the week but the 6th day. Saturday is named after Saturn who is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Titan Cronus. As you can see..the origins behind the names of the months and the names of the days of the week, span different time periods and different cultures. Pretty interesting isn’t it?