most nearly resembled them in their peculiar attributes, and hence the derivation of the names now in use. VERSTEGAN, in his Restitution of Decayed Intelligence, 4to, Lond. 1634, thus describes the Saxon deities who presided over each day of the week. The characters sometimes employed to denote each day are prefixed.

• Sunday.

'Unto the day dedicated to the idoll of the SUN, they gave the name of Sunday, as much as to say as the Sunsday, or the day of the Sun. This idoll was placed in a temple, and there adored, and sacrificed unto, for that they beleeved that the Sun in the firmament did with or in this idoll correspond, and co-operate. It was made like halfe a naked man, set upon a pillar, his face, as it were, brightened with gleames of fire, and holding, with both his armes stretched out, a burning wheele upon his breast; the wheele being to signifie the course which he runneth round about the world; and the fiery gleames, and brightnes, the light and heat wherewith he warmeth and comforteth the things that live and grow.'-(Verstegan, pp. 68, 69.)

> Mondap.

'The next, according to the course of the dayes of the week, was the idoll of the Moone, whereof we yet retaine the name of Monday, instead of Mooneday. The forme of this idoll seemeth very strange and ridiculous, for, being made for a woman, shee hath a short coat like a man: but more strange it is to see her hood with such two long The holding of a Moone before her breast may seeme to have beene to expresse what she is; but the reason of her chapron with long eares, as also of her short coat and pyked shooes, I do not finde.'-(Verstegan, pp. 69, 70.)

eares.

↑ Tuesday.

Tuisco, or Tuiscon [was], the father and conductor of the Germans, who after his name, even unto this day, doe in their owne tongue call themselves Tuytsh, and their country of Germany Tuytshland: and the Netherlanders using herein the D for the T, doe make it Duytsh and Duytshland, both which appellations of the people and country I doe here write right according as we, in our English orthography, would write them, after their pronunciation.'-(Verstegan, p. 9.)

! Wednesday,

'The next was the idoll Woden, who was made armed, and, among our Saxon ancestors, esteemed and honoured for their god of battell, according as the Romans reputed and honoured their god Mars.-(Verstegan, p. 72.)

* Odin [or Wodin] is believed to have been the name of the one true God among the first colonies who came from the east, and peopled Germany and Scandinavia, and among their posterity for several ages. But at length a mighty conqueror, the leader of a new army of adventurers from the east, over-run the north of Europe, erected a great empire, assumed the name of Odin, and claimed the honours which had been formerly paid to that deity. From thenceforward this deified mortal, under the name of Odin, or Wodin, became the chief object of the idolatrous worship of the Saxons and Danes in this island, as well as of many other nations. Having been a mighty and successful warrior, he was believed to be the god of war, who gave victory and revived courage in the conflict. Having civilized, in some measure, the countries which he conquered, and introduced arts formerly unknown, he was also worshipped as the god of arts and artists. In a word, to this Odin his deluded worshippers impiously ascribed all the attributes which belong only to the true God: to

him they built magnificent temples, offered many sacri. fices, and consecrated the fourth day of the week, which is still called by his name in England, and in all the other countries where he was formerly worshipped. Notwithstanding all this, the founders of all the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy pretended to be descended from Wodin, and some of them at the distance only of a few generations.'(Henry's History of Great Britain, vol. iii, pp. 175, 176.)

4 Thursday.

The next in order was the idoll Thor, who was not onely served and sacrificed unto of the antient PaganSaxons, but of all the Teutonicke people of the septentrionall regions, yea, even of the people that dwelt beyond Thule or Island, for in Greeneland was he knowne and adored; in memory whereof a promontory or high poynt of land lying out into the sea, as also a river which falleth into the sea at the said promontory, doth yet beare his name. This great reputed god, being of more estimation than many of the rest of like sort, though of as little worth as any of the meanest of that rabble, was majestically placed in a very large and spacious hall, and there set as if he had reposed himselfe upon a covered bed. On his head he wore a crowne of gold, and round in compasse above, and about the same, were set or fixed twelue bright burnished golden starres. And in his right hand he held a kingly scepter. He was of the seduced Pagans beleeved to be of most maruelous power and might, yea, and that there were no people through out the whole world that were not subjected unto him, and did not owe him divine ho nour and seruice. That there was no puissance comparable to his: his dominion of all others most farthest extending it selfe, both in heaven and earth. That in the aire he governed the winds and the cloudes; and, being

displeased, did cause lightning, thunder, and tempests, with excessiue rain, haile, and all ill weather. But, being well pleased, by the adoration, sacrifice, and seruice of his suppliants, he then bestowed upon them most faire and seasonable weather, and caused corne aboundantly to growe, as also all sorts of fruites, &c. and kept away from them the plague and all other evill and infectious diseases. Of the weekly day which was dedicated unto his peculiar seruice, we yet retaine the name of Thursday, the which the Danes and Swedians doe yet call Thors-day. In the Netherlands, it is called Dunders-dagh, which, being written according to our English orthography, is Thunders-day; whereby it might appeare that they antiently therein intended the day of the god of Thunder; and, in some of our old Saxon bookes, I find it to have beene written Thunres-deag. So as it seemeth that the name of Thor, or Thur, was abbreviated of Thunre, which we now write Thunder.'-(Verstegan, pp. 73-75.)

'Thor, the eldest and bravest of the sons of Odin and Frea, was, after his parents, the greatest god of the Saxons and Danes while they continued heathens. They believed that Thor reigned over all the aërial regions, which composed his immense palace, consisting of five hundred and forty halls; that he launched the thunder, pointed the lightning, and directed the meteors, winds, and storms. To him they addressed their prayers for favour. able winds, refreshing rains, and fruitful seasons; and to him the fifth day of the week, which still bears his name,' was consecrated.'—(Henry, vol. iii, p. 177.)

? Friday,

'In her right-hand she [Frea, or Frigu] held a drawne sword, and, in her left, a bow; signifying thereby that women, as well as men, should, in time of neede, be ready to fight. Some honoured her for a god, and some for a

D

goddesse, but she was ordinarily taken rather for a goddesse than a god; and was reputed the giver of peace and plenty, as also the causer and maker of love and amity; and of the day of her especiall adoration we yet retaine the name of Friday; and as, in the order of the dayes of the weeke, Thursday commeth betweene Wednesday and Friday, so (as Olaus Magnus noteth) in the septentrionall regions, where they made the idoll Thor sitting or lying in a great hall upon a covered bed, they also placed on the one side of him the idoll Woden, and, on the other side, the idoll Friga. Some do call her frea and not friga, and say she was the wife of Woden; but she was called Friga, and her day our Saxon ancestors called Frige-deag, from whence our name now of Friday in deed commeth.'-(Verstegan, pp. 76-77.)

"Next to Odin, Frea, or Frigga, his wife, was the most revered dignity among the heathen Saxons, Danes, and other northern nations. As Odin was believed to be the father, Frea was esteemed the mother of all the other gods. In the most ancient times Frea was the same with the goddess Herthus, or Earth, who was so devoutly worshipped by the Angli and other German nations. But when Odin, the conqueror of the north, usurped the honours due only to the true Odin, his wife Frea usurped those which had been formerly paid to mother Earth. She was worshipped as the goddess of love and pleasure, who bestowed on her votaries a variety of delights.'-(Henry, vol. iii, pp. 176, 177.) .'

1⁄2 Saturday.

The last, to make up here the number of seven, was the idoll Seater, fondly of some supposed to be Saturnus, for he was otherwise called Crodo. First, on a pillar was placed a pearch, on the sharpe prickled backe whereof stood this idoll. He was leane of visage, having long