The debate is that of Wednesday. Is it 1/6th of a week or 1/7th of a week? I take the first position and this is my opening argument. Thank-you.
Wednesday is the third or fourth day of the week, depending on whom you ask. According to Wikipedian sources, certain Europeans have Monday as the first day of the week. Let us, however, look at the German word for Wednesday. They call this day Mittwoch, which literally means "Midweek" or "Middle of the Week." This is only possible within the 7 day weekly cycle if Wednesday is the fourth day. This document will therefore look at a week that begins with Sunday, where Wednesday accurately plays its role as the middle of the week.
Some may believe that by saying this I am arguing in favour of my opponent, however, take heed to this warning not to make assumptions! Do not make the assumption that all days are equal!
Is then my argument that Wednesday could be greater than other days? The theory that Wednesday is 28 hours long and Thursday is only 20 hours long has some merit and was a pioneer in this field, however it has become somewhat obsolete in light of information that provides a much more plausible explanation for Wednesday's mysticism.
Let us then start this journey at its roots. What does Wednesday mean? What are its roots? The English roots of the word are that of Wēdnes dæg, or "Woden's day." Who then is Woden? In Proto-Germanic, Woden's name is written Wōđanaz. This is also the Proto-Germanic equivalent of the Norse god, Odin. It is interesting to note that the Lombards worshipped a god, whose Proto-Germanic name is the same Wōđanaz, whose name was Godan, which may help us understand the pagan origins of the English word "god."
Odin was the head of the Norse pantheon of gods and we've named Wednesday after him. Wednesday is the middle of the week (Mittwoch), the center of attention and who is it centered upon? Odin. It is not this argument's intention to argue the existence of this god, but rather to investigate the reasons why Wednesday is given such special attention.
The following image may give us a few clues that we can then build upon in a manner that is appropriate for an opening argument.
Click to view
Odin rides Sleipnir, the 8-legged horse (and an ancient moderator of this forum)! This image gives us a few clues as to why Wednesday may be 28 hours long, but we'll have to do a bit of math. In order to do this math, we need to establish the number of completeness. The number of completeness, that is rightfully symbolic of such a deity as Odin, is 10. Odin's right leg is hidden by the horse, however, this image clearly shows two legs.
Here comes the math:
- //Evidence that 10 is the number of completeness (apart from the obvious that we have 10 fingers and ten toes)
The total amount of legs in the above image is 10. (8 + 2)
//Because Odin's legs are godly legs, his legs must each reflect the complete number and be multiplied by it, that is they are tenfold in value to us
2 * 10 = 20
//Add the legs of Sleipnir
20 + 8 = 28
This is a bit of mathematical evidence, clearly demonstrating that Odin's day, Wednesday is worthy of no less than having the length of 28 hours.
This is the end of this opening. Auriel may now present her opening.
*Disclaimer: This author does not believe that Odin deserves any worship at all or that Wednesday ought to be dedicated to him. The author of this document only seeks to understand the reasoning of the worshippers of Odin and provides a detailed investigation of the reasons why Wednesday was given this apparent honour by believers in the pagan god, Odin.