INSPIRATION
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The Norwegian Ole Brude worked as a deckhand from an early age, but the ship where he worked was wrecked under his first voyage. He saw how the wooden lifeboats were smashed to smithereens against the rocks, and this was where he got an idea that would save countless lives across the world.

The young Brude designed a revolutionary lifeboat way ahead of his time; A closed lifeboat made of steel, shaped like an egg. To prove that closed lifeboats was the future Brude decided to sail from Ålesund, straight across the Atlantic Ocean, and end the journey in Boston.

The voyage became a huge success despite severe storms and hurricanes, and the crew was celebrated as heroes. Ole Brude even received an audience with President Roosevelt.

This status was however short lived, and closed lifeboats did not become the standard before the ‘70s. The originator never received the recognition he deserved, even though his construction kept four grown men safe for five months at sea.

What the Norwegian Weekdays means:

Monday (Mandag) is the day of the Moon. “Måne” is a Norse god, and the brother of “Sol”. The gods did not like that Måne’s father Mundilfare named him after the moon. Therefore they sentenced Måne to drag the moon across the sky every night.

Tuesday (Tirsdag) is named after Tyr, the son of Odin and the god of War. Tuesdays were considered the best day for battles.

Wednesday (Onsdag) is named after the Allfather, Odin. Odin was the wisest and most powerful of all the gods. After the norse mythology was replaced by christianity, it was hard for the christian priests to accept that one of the days was named after a pagan god. They tried to rename the day “Midtuke” which means “Middle of week”. This was unsuccessful, however.

Thursday (Torsdag) is named after Tor, perhaps the most famous Norse god. This was the most sacred of all the days. Important meetings and assemblies should preferably begin at Thursdays. Thursdays were also believed to be the most powerful day for magic.

Friday (Fredag) is the day of Frigg and Frøya. They were goddesses of love and faith - Friday was the day of love.

Saturday (Lørdag) is a modernization of Laugardagr which means “Washing day”. Saturday was traditionally the correct day for ritualistic cleaning ceremonies.

Sunday (Søndag) is the day of the Sun, and traditionally the first day of the week. “Sol” was Måne’s sister and was named after the sun. Just like with Måne, the gods did not approve of her father’s choice of name and thus sentenced her to pull the real sun across the sky every day