What day is it, today?

Origin of the Days of the Week

In ancient Greece, each day of the week was to honour a certain god. The Greeks named the days week after the sun, the moon and the five known planets, which were in turn named after the gods Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronus. The Greeks called "days of the Gods". 

Romans took over the custom, but used the names of their own gods: Mars, Mercury, Jove (Jupiter), Venus, and Saturn. 

The Germanic peoples generally substituted roughly similar gods for the Roman gods, Tiu , Woden, Thor, Freya, but did not substitute Saturn.

Exercise

Sunday -- Sun's day

Middle English....sun(nen)day

Old English....... sunnandæg 

Germanic .............sunnon-dagaz "

Latin ...........dies solis 

Ancient Greek ..........hemera heli(o)u, 

Monday -- Moon's day

Middle English...................s

monday or mone(n)day

Old English....... 

mon(an)dæg 

Germanic .............sunnon-dagaz "

Latin ...........

dies lunae

Ancient Greek ..........hemera selenes  

Tuesday -- Tiu's day

Middle English tiwesday or tewesday

Old English tiwesdæg "Tiw's (Tiu's) day"

Latin dies Martis "day of Mars"

Ancient Greek hemera Areos "day of Ares"

Tiu  is the English/Germanic god of war and the sky. 

Wednesday -- Woden's day

Middle English wodnesday, wednesday, or wednesdai

Old English wodnesdæg "Woden's day"

Latin dies Mercurii "day of Mercury"

Ancient Greek hemera Hermu "day of Hermes"

Thursday -- Thor's day

Middle English thur(e)sday

Old English thursdæg

Old Norse thorsdagr "Thor's day"

Old English thunresdæg "thunder's day"

Latin dies Jovis "day of Jupiter"

Ancient Greek hemera Dios "day of Zeus".

Friday -- Freya's day

Middle English fridai

Old English frigedæg "Freya's day"

composed of Frige (genetive singular of Freo) + dæg "day" (most likely)

or composed of Frig "Frigg" + dæg "day" (least likely)

Germanic frije-dagaz "Freya's (or Frigg's) day"

Latin dies Veneris "Venus's day"

Ancient Greek hemera Aphrodites "day of Aphrodite"

Saturday -- Saturn's day

Middle English saterday

Old English sæter(nes)dæg "Saturn's day"

Latin dies Saturni "day of Saturn"

Ancient Greek hemera Khronu "day of Cronus"

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Days of the week song