Calendar, Anglo-Saxon Frigedaeg

(Frigedaeg, an Anglo-Saxon name for Friday)

Frigg's day

She was known as Frigga, Frigg, Frija, and Fri, but Frigedaeg (Frigg’s day) became Friday in the English calendar.

  • The Roman name for this sixth day was dies Veneris, “day of Venus”.
  • In old German, she was called Frija; in Anglo-Saxon, Frig; and in old Norse, Frigg.
  • According to Teutonic mythology, she was the second and principal wife of Odin and goddess of the clouds and sky, of married love, and housewives.
    • Frigg, wife of Odin and Nordic goddess of the sky, married love and housewives
    —Word Info image © ALL rights reserved.

  • A bunch of keys, symbolizing housewives, always hung from her girdle or waist.
  • There are ancient poems which say that Frigga and Odin had seven sons who founded the seven Saxon kingdoms in England.
  • With her eleven handmaidens, she took care of mortals, smoothing the paths of lovers, presiding over married love, spreading knowledge, and administering justice.
  • In Germany, Frigga was identified with, or became confused with Freya, but no such confusion or identity took place in Scandinavian or Icelandic mythology.
  • Freya is one of the Vanir (singular, van), a group, or class, of early Teutonic deities who later became associated with the aesir.
  • Originally they were fertility gods and later became associated more specifically with weather, crops, and commerce. Frigga was always considered one of the Aesir, or of the Teutonic gods.
  • Generally, European folk belief considered Friday to be an unlucky day because Christ was crucified on a Friday.
  • It was bad to be born or to get married on a Friday. It was bad luck to take a new job, cut one’s nails, or to visit the sick on a Friday.
  • It was thought that if one were to turn in his/her bed on a Friday, there would be no sleep that night.
  • Sailors hated to begin a voyage on a Friday; and criminals expected a hard sentence if they were unlucky enough to be tried on a Friday.

I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours.

—Bernard Berenson

Silence words. Sources of information for this page are located at this Calendars Bibliography Unit.


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