Here we are. Right now. Your feet are on Earth. And so are mine.
But have you ever wondered who named this place? Who named Earth?
I mean. We are curious. All the other planets are named for gods.
Mercury: Named after Mercury, the Roman god of commerce, travel, and communication, known as Hermes in Greek mythology.
Venus: Named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, known as Aphrodite in Greek mythology.
Mars: Named after Mars, the Roman god of war, known as Ares in Greek mythology.
Jupiter: Named after Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods, known as Zeus in Greek mythology.
Saturn: Named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and time, known as Cronus in Greek mythology.
Uranus: Named after Uranus, the Greek god of the sky, who was the father of the Titans.
Neptune: Named after Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, known as Poseidon in Greek mythology.
And Pluto? I still think Pluto is a planet. And, of course, it was named after the American god, Pluto, of Disney fame.
Back to Planet Earth.
The term “earth” originates in the Old English word “eorþe.” Eorþe had multiple meanings like “soil,” “dirt,” “ground,” “dry land,” and “country.”
Yet the story about the name didn’t begin there. Because other languages also used this term. Like German. It is part of the same linguistic family. The German word is “Erde.” Not only is this the German language’s name for our home planet, but it can also be used to refer to dirt and soil.
It goes on and on. Old Saxon “ertha.” The Old Frisian “erthe.” The Dutch word “aarde.” All point to Earth.
So. Back to my question. Who named our planet, then?
The answer is disappointing.
Nobody knows. That’s right. Nobody knows when people started using words like “Earth” or “Erde” to refer to the planet as a whole and not just the ground they walked on.
They say it’s unlikely a single person gave the planet its English name. But someone had to say it first. Someone had to exclaim, “Ah. Earth it is.” Yet we will never know if Randolph McGowen or Lynda Wiggins said it first. His or her identity has been lost to the mysteries of history.
Oh. And Pluto? The dog from Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse cartoons? Well, good old Pluto went by “Rover” until 1931. Then his name switched. And he is not a planet, but a star, in my book.
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“The Earth is what we all have in common.” — Wendell Berry
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“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” — Robert Swan
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“The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for.” — Ernest Hemingway
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Who said it first? “Well this must be Earth.”
