Unraveling the Mythological Roots of Days: Etymology and Culture

Explore how ancient civilizations, including Roman and Nordic gods, shaped modern weekday names (Mon.

Why Etymology of Days of the Week Matters

This episode explores the fascinating intersection of mythology, classical history, and the etymology of the English days of the week.

Etymology of Days of the Week: Fast Recap

This episode explores the fascinating intersection of mythology, classical history, and the etymology of the English days of the week.

the conversation and guest Damian discuss Damian’s new book, Oh My God La Mitología, highlighting how ancient Roman and Nordic gods shaped the vocabulary we use every day.

Understanding classic culture is essential to understanding the structure of our modern world.

What to Practise

• First, understanding classic Greek and Roman culture is essential to comprehending the structure of our modern world.
• Next, the English and Spanish days of the week are etymologically based on the seven visible planets and their corresponding ancient gods.
• Also, english weekdays heavily feature Nordic gods, such as Tuesday coming from Tui, a one-handed god of war.
• However, wednesday derives from Odin, the Nordic god of the dead and wisdom, contrasting with the Spanish Miércoles. This comes from Mercury.
• Therefore, thursday is named after Thor, the god of thunder, who mythologically traveled in a goat-drawn chariot rather than on horses.

Etymology of Days of the Week: Episode Roadmap

The episode uses ‘tackle a different topic’ and ‘I’m all ears’

Introduces common conversational idioms and explicitly prompts the listener to think about the Spanish equivalent, encouraging active bilingual learning.

the lesson explains ‘freaking blew my mind’ and ‘roped him in’

Breaks down colloquial slang and phrasal verbs in context, showing how native speakers express extreme amazement and the act of convincing someone.

‘Straight from the horse’s mouth’ and ‘Thanks for having me’

Teaches an advanced idiom for getting information directly from the source, followed by a natural, native-sounding podcast greeting and response that learners can easily adopt.

Translating ‘the big picture’

Provides a direct bilingual gloss by connecting the English idiom ‘the big picture’ to its Spanish equivalent ‘el panorama total’.

Connecting Wednesday, Mercury, and ‘Market’

Uses etymology to connect seemingly unrelated words, giving learners a powerful mnemonic device for remembering vocabulary related to commerce.

Highlighting ‘judge a book by its cover’

This episode explicitly flags this phrase as an ‘expression’, making it a clear, direct teaching moment for a widely used English idiom.

Key Ideas to Remember

• First, understanding classic Greek and Roman culture is essential to comprehending the structure of our modern world.
• Next, the English and Spanish days of the week are etymologically based on the seven visible planets and their corresponding ancient gods.
• Also, english weekdays heavily feature Nordic gods, such as Tuesday coming from Tui, a one-handed god of war.
• However, wednesday derives from Odin, the Nordic god of the dead and wisdom, contrasting with the Spanish Miércoles. This comes from Mercury.
• Therefore, thursday is named after Thor, the god of thunder, who mythologically traveled in a goat-drawn chariot rather than on horses.
• Finally, friday is named after Frigga, the Nordic goddess of maternity. Meanwhile, the Spanish Viernes comes from Venus, the Roman goddess of sensuality.
• Saturday retains the Roman influence in English from Saturn, but the Spanish Sábado stems from the Jewish Sabbath, meaning a day of rest.
• Sunday literally translates to the day of the sun in English, whereas the Spanish Domingo originates from Domenica, meaning the day of the Lord.
• September and October highlight structural calendar anomalies, as their names etymologically imply they should be the seventh and eighth months.
• Learners are exposed to a variety of practical English idioms in context, such as ‘scratch the surface’, ‘the big picture’, and ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’.

Etymology of Days of the Week: Vocabulary

English	Español	Note / Uso
the big picture	el panorama total	Used by The episode to describe looking at historical context as a whole rather than isolated puzzle pieces.
I’m onto something	aquí tengo algo	Transcribed as ‘akitengo algo’. Used when describing an ‘aha moment’ or making a new discovery.
market	mercado	Mentioned when explaining the etymological link between Wednesday/Miércoles and Mercury, the god of commerce.
the crop	la cosecha	Transcribed as ‘la coceta’. Discussed when explaining the domain of the Roman god Saturn.
venereal disease	enfermedades venéreas	Transcribed as ‘enfermedades venerias’. Explained etymologically in relation to Venus, the goddess of sensuality.
Monday	lunes	Explicitly compared; both derive etymologically from the Moon/Luna.
Tuesday	martes	Compared etymologically: the Latin root comes from Mars. Meanwhile, the English comes from the Nordic god Tui.
Wednesday	miércoles	Compared etymologically: Miércoles from Mercury, Wednesday from Odin.
Thursday	jueves	Transcribed phonetically as ‘juabes’. Compared etymologically: Jueves from Jupiter, Thursday from Thor.
Friday	viernes	Transcribed as ‘albertness’. Compared etymologically: Viernes from Venus, Friday from Frigga.
I’m all ears	soy todo oídos	Used by The episode to tell the audience he is eager and ready to listen to their ideas for future podcast topics.
blew my mind	me voló la cabeza / me dejó alucinado	Used to express extreme amazement at the guest’s discoveries regarding the etymology of the calendar.
roped him in	lo lié / lo convencí	Used to explain how he convinced his friend Damian to come and record the podcast episode.
straight from the horse’s mouth	de primera mano / de la fuente original	Used to introduce the guest so the audience can hear the research directly from the author instead of a summary.
chock full	repleto / lleno hasta los topes	Used to describe Damian’s book as being completely full of useful information and facts.
scratch the surface	rascar la superficie	Used to describe how the traditional school system only teaches the very basic, superficial elements of classic culture.
the big cheese	el jefazo / el pez gordo	Used colloquially to refer to Zeus, emphasizing his status as the most important god in Greek mythology.

Practice Ideas

Concept	Explanation	Why it matters
Classic Culture Foundation	The structure of the modern world, including language, brands, and systems of time, is fundamentally based on the knowledge of ancient Greeks and Romans. Understanding this history allows one to see the ‘big picture’ rather than just isolated puzzle pieces.	If people do not understand classic culture, they cannot truly comprehend the world they live in and risk repeating historical mistakes.
Evolution of Symbols and Meanings	The meanings of words and symbols drastically change over time depending on the context, such as the swastika representing a religious temple in Japan rather than a hate symbol. Similarly, the Roman concept of a ‘dictator’ was simply a temporary leader given full power to resolve a crisis, unlike modern permanent tyrants.	Knowing the original meanings of words and symbols changes how we interpret modern events, preventing extreme misunderstandings and providing a more accurate view of history.
Mythological and Planetary Origins of the Week	The days of the week in both English and Latin languages are named after the seven ‘roving stars’ (planets) visible to ancient people and their corresponding Roman or Nordic gods. For example, Monday stems from the Moon. Meanwhile, Tuesday comes from Tui, the Nordic god of war.	It highlights the deep cross-cultural connections between ancient practical needs, such as tracking time for planting crops, and modern everyday vocabulary.
Structural Calendar Anomalies	There are etymological inconsistencies in our standard calendar, such as September and October deriving from the numerical roots for seven and eight despite actually being the ninth and tenth months. The guest also theorizes that Wednesday is structurally misplaced in the English week.	These anomalies serve as catalysts or ‘aha moments’ that encourage people to investigate historical errors and question the logic of systems that society blindly accepts as normal.

Examples From the Episode

Source / Moment	Why it helps	Review cue
it’s like if you saw matrix you can see the materials the matrix in english	Film reference: The Matrix is used as a metaphor to explain how learning the mythological origins of words allows you to see the hidden historical structure of the modern world.	Use this as context while reviewing the video.
it’s good to watch marvel movies they are totally inspired in nordic gods uh especially when they’re talking about thor	Film reference: Marvel movies are cited as a modern pop culture touchstone that familiarizes people with Nordic mythology, specifically the characters of Thor and Odin.	Use this as context while reviewing the video.
we all know sabbath in the united states well. Therefore, we have a lot of jewish populations and the group black sabbath	Music/Cultural reference: The British rock band Black Sabbath is casually mentioned to illustrate how the word ‘Sabbath’ (the root of Sábado) is common in pop culture.	Use this as context while reviewing the video.
i remember when i went to japan i saw swastikas everywhere that’s a symbol for a temple a religious place	Cultural anecdote: A personal story from Kyoto demonstrating how symbols drastically change meaning across different cultures and eras.	Use this as context while reviewing the video.
we know that zeus is the king of kings the you know the god the big god the big cheese no he’s the richard vaughn of mythological gods	Name/Cultural reference: Zeus is humorously compared to Richard Vaughan, a highly famous English teacher and media entrepreneur in Spain.	Use this as context while reviewing the video.
we gave him full power to pedro sunset [Sánchez] for six months all leaders are they were look at australia for six months they have been dictators right and that doesn’t mean they are franco	Historical/Political fact: The Roman concept of a temporary ‘dictator’ during a crisis is compared to modern emergency COVID-19 powers given to contemporary leaders like Pedro Sánchez.	Use this as context while reviewing the video.
greeks called her aphrodite and that’s why we have aphrodisiacs right oysters for example	Fact/Cultural reference: Connects the Greek goddess of love to the modern English vocabulary word ‘aphrodisiac’, using oysters as a practical culinary example.	Use this as context while reviewing the video.
again guys they didn’t have an apple watch so they knew when to plant the seeds based on where the moon was	Cultural reference: Modern technology (the Apple Watch) is used anachronistically to emphasize the practical, agricultural need ancient people had to track time using planets.	Use this as context while reviewing the video.

Common Learner Traps

Watch out for	Why it matters	Better move
Classic Culture Foundation	The structure of the modern world, including language, brands, and systems of time, is fundamentally based on the knowledge of ancient Greeks and Romans. Understanding this history allows one to see the ‘big picture’ rather than just isolated puzzle pieces.	If people do not understand classic culture, they cannot truly comprehend the world they live in and risk repeating historical mistakes.

Try It Yourself

Use these prompts after reading the article. They are designed for active recall: say the answer aloud first, then check the tables above.

1. Explain this in your own words: Understanding classic Greek and Roman culture is essential to comprehending the structure of our modern world.
2. Explain this in your own words: The English and Spanish days of the week are etymologically based on the seven visible planets and their corresponding ancient gods.
3. Explain this in your own words: English weekdays heavily feature Nordic gods, such as Tuesday coming from Tui, a one-handed god of war.
4. Make one original sentence with “the big picture” without starting from “el panorama total” in Spanish.
5. Make one original sentence with “I’m all ears” without starting from “soy todo oídos” in Spanish.
6. Make one original sentence with “I’m onto something / aha moment” without starting from “aquí tengo algo” in Spanish.

Etymology of Days of the Week: Glossary

Term	Meaning / Spanish
the big picture	el panorama total
I’m all ears	soy todo oídos
I’m onto something / aha moment	aquí tengo algo
wherever fine books are sold	en las mejores librerías (implied)
this book is the milk	el libro es la leche
venereal disease	enfermedades venéreas
the crop	la cosecha
market	mercado
Monday	lunes
Tuesday	martes
Wednesday	miércoles
Thursday	jueves

Questions Learners Ask

What is the mythological origin of the days of the week in English?

The English days of the week are named after the seven celestial bodies visible to ancient people and their corresponding ancient gods. While Latin languages primarily use Roman gods, English incorporates Nordic deities like Tui for Tuesday, Odin for Wednesday, Thor for Thursday, and Frigga for Friday.

Why are Spanish and English days of the week different?

Spanish days of the week derive largely from Roman gods and planets, such as Mars for Martes and Venus for Viernes. English replaces several of these Roman figures with their Nordic equivalents, using gods like Tui instead of Mars, and Frigga instead of Venus.

Which Nordic god is Wednesday named after?

Wednesday originates from Odin, the Nordic god of the dead and wisdom. This contrasts with the Spanish equivalent, Miércoles. This is named after Mercury, the Roman messenger god and god of commerce.

What is the mythology behind Thursday in English?

Thursday is named after Thor, the Nordic god of thunder. According to the mythology mentioned in the episode, Thor uniquely traveled in a chariot pulled by goats. This he would consume for food and then resurrect using his magic hammer.

Why does Saturday not follow the Nordic god pattern in the English calendar?

Unlike most English weekdays that are based on Nordic gods, Saturday retains its Roman etymological root and is named after Saturn. Interestingly, the Spanish equivalent, Sábado, does not come from Saturn but from the Jewish Sabbath, meaning a day of rest.

Why are the calendar months September and October considered structurally misplaced?

The etymological prefixes of September and October imply they should be the seventh and eighth months, respectively. However, they are currently the ninth and tenth months of the year, a structural calendar anomaly that inspired the podcast guest to deeply research the origins of our timekeeping systems.

Etymology of Days of the Week: Quick Quiz

Review Cards