Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: mike@unmvax.cs.unm.edu (Michael I. Bushnell) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Christmas Message-ID: Date: 11 Sep 89 05:24:32 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of No Money, Albuquerque, New Mexico Lines: 45 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article geoff@pmafire.UUCP (Geoff Allen) writes: > Thursday = "Thor's day" > January = named after Janus > March = named for the god Mars > (there are several more, but memory fails me) Days of the week come from Norse mythology--all of them-- Sunday = Sun Day Monday = Moon Day Tuesday = Tiw's day Tiw was the northern god of war Wednesday = Odin's day Odin was the chief god Thursday = Thor's day Thor was the god of thunder (armed with a hammer) Friday = Freya's day Freya was the goddess of love and beauty Saturday = Saturn's day (ok, not ALL Norse...) Months come from Latin: January: from Janus, the god of doors February: from Februa, the feast of purification held in this month March: from Mars, the god of war April: In Latin, Aprillus, but nobody knows the origin of that word May: from the goddess Maia June: from Jupiter, the chief god July: from Julius Caesar. Prior to Augustine's naming of this month and the next, this was called Quinctilis, from quintus, fifth. August: From the Emperor Augustus (Octavian). Prior to his renaiming of these two months, this was Sextilis, from sextus, sixth. September: From septimus, seventh. October: From octavus, eighth. November: From nonus, ninth. December: From decimus, tenth. As for why the numbering of the later months is off by two, the original Roman calendar didn't have any January or February, it only ran during the non-winter months. It started with March and went to December. The reason the first month was name for Mars, is because when the calendar started, there was again good enough weather for military campaigns. -- Michael I. Bushnell \ This above all; to thine own self be true LIBERTE, EGALITE, FRATERNITE \ And it must follow, as the night the day, mike@unmvax.cs.unm.edu /\ Thou canst not be false to any man. Telephone: +1 505 292 0001 / \ Farewell: my blessing season this in thee!