♂ Tuesday — The Day of Mars
Tuesday is the first day of the week in English whose name is openly pagan. In the planetary system inherited from Babylon, Tuesday was the day of Mars.
In Akkadian, Mars was associated with Nergal, a god of war, plague, and destruction. In Greek, Tuesday was the day of Ares. In Latin, dies Martis.
In the Germanic languages, Mars was translated: Tiw (Tyr), the god of war and law. Tuesday comes from Tiwesdæg.
Names Across Languages
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Latin | dies Martis | Day of Mars |
| English | Tuesday | Tiw's day |
| French | mardi | From Mars |
| Spanish | martes | From Mars |
| German | Dienstag | From Thing (assembly) |
| Sanskrit | Maṅgalavāra | Day of Mars |
| Japanese | 火曜日 (Kayōbi) | Fire day |
| Hebrew | יום שלישי (Yom Shlishi) | Third day |
| Arabic | الثلاثاء (ath-Thulāthāʾ) | The three |
| Russian | вторник (vtornik) | Second working day |