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From: bpc@netcom.com (Benjamin P. Carter)
Subject: Re: Discard Religious Relics in Language?
Message-ID: <bpcCwtM3G.5Gv@netcom.com>
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Date: Wed, 28 Sep 1994 03:38:03 GMT
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moylek@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca (Ken Moyle) writes:

>	This brings to mind something I've often wondered: how did 
>English (and other Germanic languages?) and French (and other Romance 
>languages?) come to use similar the same type of God for the days of 
>the week, while drawing the names from different pantheons?  Did the 
>Franks just convert their Germanic god-names to Roman?  I find it hard to 
>think that Saxon England would have picked up the idea but not the names 
>from Christian Rome.  Ideas?  Answers? References?

Eviatar Zerubavel, in _The Seven Day Circle_ (1985), page 12, writes:

In the case of most of the Germanic languages, ... , there was an actual
process of "translation", which involved some association between the
original Roman gods and goddesses and their Nordic "counterparts".
The day of Mars could thus become the day of the war god Tyr, ...
[and similarly for other days and other gods].

Zerubavel also cites an article by Udo Strutynski, "Germanic Divinities
in Weekday Names," _Journal of Indo-European Studies_ 3 (1975) 364,
372-75.  
-- 
    Ben Carter                  internet address: bpc@netcom.com
