The origins of the theophoric week in the Germanic languages

Abstract

The Germanic terms for the days of the week that contain the names of Germanic deities are often taken to result from Romano‐Germanic interactions in the fourth century AD. Yet this need not be the case: the linguistic arguments underpinning this view are not decisive. A reassessment of these names suggests that an early medieval process of transfer in scholarly Christian contexts may be equally, if not more, plausible.

Germanic animal art and symbolism

“…Even the early date for the Germanic names of the days of the week has now been disputed. 101 Kristoffersen 102 and Magnus 103 both focus on the role of the animal style (Style I) in the particular context in which it is found on the Scandinavian peninsula, south-western Norway in particular. Zoomorphic ornamentation is closely linked to large ornate brooches found in well-furnished female burials.…”

Mercury – Wotan – Óðinn: One or Many?

“…Maier 1994:231. 28. For the question of the week day names we can refer to Strutynski 1975; and for a critical evaluation of the traditional dating of the acceptance of the theophoric week among the Germanic peoples, Shaw 2007, who proposes a much later dating, namely in the 7 th and 8 th centuries (Shaw 2007:387).…”