Days of the Week: Thursday

The Romans devoted the fifth day of the week to Jupiter, also known as Jove. Jupiter/Jove was the same as the famous Greek god, Zeus, and was the king of the gods. For the Vikings, though, the powerful, protective lord of the skies and wielder of thunderbolts was Thor, in which Thursday is named after (Thor’s Day).

Thor was known to the Anglo-Saxons as Thunar and to other Germanic tribes as Donar. While Thor was not the king of the gods in the Viking pantheon, he was probably the most powerful and the most popular. Interestingly, Tacitus equated Thor not with Jove but instead with Hercules because of the god’s strength, bravery, and conspicuous humanity. For many, Thor still retains this superhero aura.