Have you ever wonder where the names of the days of the week come from?

The names of the days of the week come from the names of the seven classical planets (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). During the late antiquity, the system of naming the days of the week after deities was introduced in the Roman Empire.
The Greeks call these days the days of the gods (Theon Hemrai) and so named them after their gods Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronus. The Greeks had named these days after the classical planets before naming them after their deities. The Romans however replaced the names of the Greek gods with the names of their own gods. The Germanic peoples replaced the names of the Roman deities with their own also.

Sunday
Sunday come from Old English “Sunnandæg," which is derived from a Germanic interpretation of the Latin dies solis, "the day of the sun." Germanic and Norse mythology personify the sun as a goddess named Sunna or Sól.

Monday
Monday as well come from Old English “Mōnandæg,” named after Máni, the Norse personification of the moon (and Sól's brother).

Tuesday
Tuesday comes from Old English “Tīwesdæg,” after Tiw, or Tyr, a one-handed Norse god of dueling. He is considered equal with Mars, the Roman god of war.

Wednesday
Wednesday is "Wōden's day." Wōden, or Odin, was the ruler of the Norse gods' realm and associated with wisdom, magic, victory and death. The Romans connected Wōden to Mercury because they were both guides of souls after death. “Wednesday” comes from Old English “Wōdnesdæg.”

Thursday
Thursday, is dedicated to Thor, the Norse god of thunder, strength and protection. The Roman god Jupiter, as well as being the king of gods, was the god of the sky and thunder.

Friday
Friday is named after the wife of Odin. Some scholars say her name was Frigg; others say it was Freya; other scholars say Frigg and Freya were two separate goddesses. Whatever her name, she was often associated with Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility. “Friday” comes from Old English “Frīgedæg.”

Saturday
Germanic and Norse traditions didn’t assign any of their gods to this day of the week. They retained the Roman name instead. The English word “Saturday” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “Sæturnesdæg,” which translates to “Saturn’s day.”



Sources :
William Morris, editor, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, New College Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1976

Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language , Portland House, New York, 1989

William Matthew O'Neil, Time and the Calendars , Sydney University Press, 1975

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