The Stories of the Months and Days

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

The Stories of the Months and Days

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

Explore the fascinating origins of our calendar's months and days, uncovering the myths and histories that have shaped how we measure time. This book reveals the gods behind the names of January through December and Sunday through Saturday, blending Roman and Norse mythology with the evolution of the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

Summary up to 500 words

Reginald C. Couzens invites readers to look beyond the modern calendar to the ancient deities and natural phenomena that originally defined our divisions of time. The text begins by explaining how early humans measured time through the rotation of the earth (day), the phases of the moon (month), and the changing seasons (year). Couzens details the chaotic early Roman calendar, which consisted of only ten months, and the subsequent reforms by Numa Pompilius, Julius Caesar, and Pope Gregory to align the lunar and solar years, culminating in the leap year system and the dropping of ten days in 1582. The narrative then delves into the specific mythology of each month. January honors Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings and endings, whose temple gates were closed only in times of peace. February is linked to the Lupercalia festival, a ritual of purification involving the god Lupercus, and the myth of Pan and Syrinx. March is dedicated to Mars, the god of war, while April celebrates Venus. The text also covers the Angles and Saxons' names for months, such as Wulfmonath (Wolf month) for January and Windmonath for November. December is explored through the Saturnalia festival honoring Saturn, the Titan who was overthrown by his son Jupiter. Couzens recounts the myth of Prometheus stealing fire for humanity and his eternal punishment, as well as the story of Pandora and the box that released evil and hope into the world. He connects the Roman Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Birthday of the Unconquered Sun) to the Christian celebration of Christmas on December 25th, noting the adoption of the Yule wheel tradition. The book shifts focus to the days of the week, tracing them back to the Norse gods worshipped by the Angles and Saxons: Sunday (Sun), Monday (Moon), Tuesday (Tiw/Tiu), Wednesday (Woden/Odin), Thursday (Thor), Friday (Freya/Frigg), and Saturday (Saturn). Couzens provides a vivid description of Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods, detailing the final battle where the world is destroyed by fire and flood before being reborn. He argues that these myths were not childish fancies but serious attempts by ancient peoples to explain natural phenomena like the seasons, eclipses, and the changing of the leaves. Throughout the text, Couzens compares Greek and Roman myths with Norse legends, highlighting their similarities, such as the parallel between Jupiter and Odin, or Hel and Hades. He concludes by reflecting on how these ancient stories, though their religious context has faded, remain preserved in the very names we use daily, serving as a bridge to the imaginative world of our ancestors.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/ebooks/reginald-c-couzens_stories-of-the-months-and-days.epub

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Categories

• Folklore
• Mythology