BOO! It's Friday the 13th!

What makes Friday the 13th so darned unlucky?

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, a word derived from the the Greek Paraskeví, meaning Friday, and dekatreís, meaning thirteen, attached to phobía (fear).

Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century's The Canterbury Tales. It has long been considered bad luck to begin projects or sail or get married on Fridays. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.

As for the number 13, primitive man feared anything in the realm of the unknown, and having ten fingers and two feet (apparently they didn't count their toes)--which added up to 12--13 became part of the vast "unknown," and hence something to be feared.

Also, there are 12 months of the year, 12 zodiac signs, 12 hours on the clock, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles of Jesus, 12 gods of Olympus, etc.--making 12 a complete, perfect number. 13 kind of upset the balance.

The ancient Egyptians saw life as a spiritual quest of 13 stages--12 in this life, with the 13th being the afterlife. Therefore, for them, 13 represented death.

The number 13 also held significance to the Hindus, who believed it unlucky for 13 people to gather in one place — say, at dinner. Ironically, the same superstition has been attributed to the ancient Vikings:

Twelve gods were invited to a banquet at Valhalla. Loki, "the Evil One", and god of deceit and mischief--uninvited--showed up too, making 13. At Loki's prodding, Hod, the blind god of winter, hurled a spear of mistletoe offered by Loki at Balder the Good, a favorite of the gods--and son of Frigg--killing him instantly. Not very good luck, eh?

The word "Friday" derives from the Norse goddess Frigg, who is associated with the 13 moon cycles and, like the moon, believed to have the ability to control the weather. She is also associated with cats, which I imagine is where the fear of black cats crossing your path comes from. She also possessed a knowledge of the future. Like all pagan deities, when Christianity spread, she fell out of grace. Actually, she was labeled a witch, hence Friday, in general, fell out of favor.

All of this, of course, correlates to The Last Supper--13 people at dinner--where Judas betrayed Jesus Christ, prompting the Crucifixion. On Good Friday, no less.

Perhaps this is where the two separate myths of Friday and 13 weave together, although there remains barely a mention of the two together before the 20th century, most notably a book by Thomas W. Lawson in 1907 titled Friday, the Thirteenth. The superstition took hold at that time, and gave us what we call today Friday the 13th--an extremely unlucky day, with the dual forces of Friday and 13th--both considered unlucky--working in tandem. Although there was a reference in an 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini, suggesting that he, like many Italians, regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and 13 as an unlucky number. It goes on to say that ironically, he died on--what else?--Friday the 13th.

And, interestingly enough, the Knights Templar, whose mission was to protect Christan pilgrims during the Crusades, were arrested on Friday the 13th.

Probably just coincidence, but the superstition took hold. Even today, many hotels and office buildings skip the 13th floor, and many people refuse to number their houses 13.

Am I superstitious? Well, I don't go walking under ladders--any day of the month! That's just commonsense. But just be a little extra careful on Friday the 13th, okay? Just in case.

Make it a good one!


Links:

Wikipedia article on Fruday the 13th
Fiday the 13th Superstition
More on Friday the 13th superstition
History and Folklore
Freaky Friday
Snopes