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A little excerpt of how the week, the day and the hours was thought in 1793 in Germany

submitted by germ22 to books 2.9 yearsJun 28, 2022 21:36:43 ago (+6/-0)     (files.catbox.moe)

https://files.catbox.moe/g9q8b5.jpg

The first chapter of this book is how the world is a spherical shape, a little squished on top and bottom, like a pomegranate.
https://files.catbox.moe/fl101i.jpg


28 comments block

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[ - ] GloryBeckons 6 points 2.9 yearsJun 28, 2022 23:07:16 ago (+6/-0)*

Doesn't do people here much good without a translation:

The week is a period consisting of seven days, beginning with Sunday. The days have their German names partly from the names of the planets, which were once thought to reign over these days, such as Sunday by the Sun, Monday by the Moon, Thursday [lit. in German: Thunderday] by the Thunderer [Thor] aka Jupiter, Friday by Freya aka Venus, and partly from other circumstances, such as Tuesday [lit. German: Serviceday] from happenings or procedures which were held; Wednesday [lit. German: Midweek] from the middle of the week, and Saturday [lit. German: Sun-evening] because it precedes Sunday. They are therefore also commonly denoted by the symbols of the planets, such as [list of days with symbols]. The year has 52 weeks.

Bit of trivia: In English, the name of Wednesday is derived from Woden (Wodensday), which in turn is the Germanic name for Odin. Ironically, in German this association was lost and replaced. Perhaps it was too obviously heretical to the Christian church. It likely survived in English only because the meaning is not so obvious... I doubt it would have remained if it was called Odinsday. Curious that Thorsday survived almost unchanged in both languages though.

[ - ] SecretHitler 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 28, 2022 23:42:11 ago (+1/-0)

Oh wow I just posted something similar about Wednesday and then I scroll down and this is the first thing I see

Edit: Also don't forget Tyr's day and Frig's day

[ - ] GloryBeckons 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 28, 2022 23:56:50 ago (+1/-0)

Well, imagine Christians celebrating Ash Odinsday or Holy Odinsday. Wouldn't go over too well, I guess.

Wednesday is sufficiently obscure for most (except Quakers, who call it Fourth Day) but, in German, Wotanstag would be painfully obvious.

[ - ] SecretHitler 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:07:19 ago (+1/-0)

Hmmm Ash Odinsday...

Now that sounds glorious!

[ - ] germ22 [op] 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 28, 2022 23:11:01 ago (+0/-0)

I was nerding out to much with the other old books to think of a translation. One is from 1661, a travel guide for Germany.

[ - ] deleted 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 28, 2022 23:22:43 ago (+1/-0)

deleted

[ - ] Empire_of_the_Mind 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:07:04 ago (+0/-0)

Wednesday is Mercury's day

[ - ] GloryBeckons 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:36:29 ago (+1/-0)

The Romans equated Odin to Mercury. Hence the same day typically references Odin in Germanic languages and Mercury in Romance languages.

[ - ] SecretHitler 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:14:54 ago (+0/-0)

In some places it is

[ - ] Empire_of_the_Mind 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 02:56:34 ago (+1/-0)

it is in every place. the seven days have been named after the seven planets since forever.
Sunday = The Sun
Monday = The Moon
Tuesday = Mars
Wednesday = Mercury
Thursday = Jupiter
Friday = Venus
Saturday = Saturn

there are different names for the planets/gods associated with them in different cultures but they all refer to the same thing.

[ - ] SecretHitler 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 09:17:41 ago (+0/-0)

Oh ok you were referencing the planet not the Roman god. Yeah that's true even if oversimplified.

[ - ] boekanier 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:32:16 ago (+0/-0)

Woden=Wodan

[ - ] SecretHitler 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 01:05:47 ago (+0/-0)

Not only are there a bunch of different spellings, he goes by a bunch of different names too.

[ - ] PotatoWhisperer 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 03:39:53 ago (+0/-0)

It's always interesting to see how intertwined Aryan societies were. I know that early Celtics, Vikings, and German tribes were incredibly difficult to tell apart just from what they left behind.

[ - ] SecretHitler 2 points 2.9 yearsJun 28, 2022 23:40:35 ago (+2/-0)

Beautiful book. My German is just barely good enough to understand it and I love the font.

Interesting that the Roman gods are called out for the naming of the days since they were obviously named after the German ones.

Always wondered how "Woden's Day" made it to English while German ended up with Mittwoch. Seems like it would have more likely been the opposite.

[ - ] GloryBeckons 4 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:09:21 ago (+4/-0)*

Always wondered how "Woden's Day" made it to English

English is a Germanic language. It started as German and gradually drifted away, mainly due to influence from French and Latin.

Anglo-Saxons are Germans who forgot they are German. It's literally in the name:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglia_(peninsula)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxony

It's quite a tragic case of racial amnesia, especially in the context of WW2 and its aftermath.

[ - ] SecretHitler 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:20:50 ago (+1/-0)

Factual. And I agree about the tragedy of it. Lots of Americans are like that too but the more I look the more I find people who still feel close ties to their German heritage. Small towns where people still speak German, stuff like that. In surprising places too, there's one in Texas I saw a video about that was really interesting I wish I could find it again.

[ - ] spasswerk 2 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:22:03 ago (+2/-0)

Fractur makes things difficult similar to old English.

[ - ] SecretHitler 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:28:46 ago (+1/-0)

Yes it definitely does! I love the aesthetic though.

[ - ] boekanier 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:33:06 ago (+1/-0)

it's not difficult, just a little practice and there you go...

[ - ] i_hate_sodomites 2 points 2.9 yearsJun 28, 2022 22:04:50 ago (+2/-0)

Dude, everyone here speaks the master race which is English. Comply or die....

[ - ] germ22 [op] 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 28, 2022 22:41:36 ago (+1/-0)

The real superior race, is the German race! \o

[ - ] SecretHitler 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 28, 2022 23:21:05 ago (+1/-0)

o/

[ - ] boekanier 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:39:18 ago (+0/-0)

english is a combination of Germanic and french words, and thanks to the English world domination in the 18th and 19th centuries it reached the status it has today.

[ - ] SecretHitler 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 01:08:30 ago (+0/-0)

I've always considered English to be German's drunk cousin.

(Cousin is one of the French words you mentioned, which made it's way into German too)

[ - ] Empire_of_the_Mind 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:06:03 ago (+1/-0)

Yes I can definitely read German from the 18th century

[ - ] boekanier 1 point 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 00:41:09 ago (+1/-0)

piece of cake.

[ - ] Wahaha 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 05:03:21 ago (+0/-0)

Do Wednesday and Friday have the same sign? Or which is the one from Wednesday.

[ - ] germ22 [op] 0 points 2.9 yearsJun 29, 2022 09:03:33 ago (+0/-0)

Wednesday has the sign for the planet Mercury, it has little horns on i'ts sphere.