It’s Friday the 13th and if you are the superstitious type, then you are aware of what this just means. Today is considered an unlucky day. Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the medical term given to this condition if you are still fearful of this day.
Yes, it’s an actual word that was coined in the nineties by a doctor who claimed that if you were able to pronounce the word, then you’d get cured of this phobia.
There are a number of myths that are considered to be the reason behind this ‘unlucky day’ that make people go as far as staying put in their homes.
Be the judge and decide whether this day gives you the chills after going through all the myths.
The Last Supper had 13 guests
By now, we all know that during the last supper, Jesus and his 12 disciples were in attendance. That brings to 13 the total number of people present with Judas believed to be among them. As it is written, he betrayed Jesus and later on committed suicide.
The god of mischief and disorder was the 13th guest
If you are familiar with The Nose mythology, then you know the story of how 12 gods sat down together for a feast and had an uninvited guest joining them. His name was Loki. Loki was the god of mischief and disorder. It is believed that one of the gods died because they were 13 people present. It is due to this that to this day, some people can’t have 13 people on a table for the fear of one of them dying.
The biblical meaning for number 13 isn’t good
In case you are not aware, number 13 is feared by many as it is associated with suffering, misery and death. So bad is this phobia that some people completely refuse to associate themselves with this number and it goes as far as not booking a room with the number 13. In the Bible, the number 13 is often associated with rebellion and lawlessness. In the book of Mark, Jesus says 13 things defile a person. Some of these things include evil thoughts, murders, thefts, wickedness, pride, and an evil eye.
Friday is an unlucky day of the week
We all exhale when it’s Friday maybe because we have had a long week at work. TGIF, right? In case you are not aware, this day is considered the most unlucky day of the week. This goes back to the 14th century when Geoffrey Chaucer wrote Canterbury Tales. Chaucer wrote, “And on a Friday fell all this mischance.” In Britain, Friday was the day when criminals were hung. For this reason, Friday became known as Hangman’s Day.
The arrest of the Knights of Templar began on Friday the 13th
The Knights of Templar were a Catholic military order founded in 1119. They were also known for being proficient bankers. After losing the war to England, King Philip IV of France became heavily indebted to the Knights. On Friday the 13th, the king ordered the arrest of all Templars. Following a trial in Paris, some of the Templars were burned at the stake.
The curse of 13 letters in a name
While many laugh out loud at it, you are apparently cursed if your name has 13 letters. If you think about it, it makes a bit of sense with the example of Adolf Hitler whose baptismal name happens to be Adolfus. Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden are more examples of this myth.
An Italian composer died on Friday the 13th
This might not seem like such a big deal. There are probably a lot of people who die on Friday the 13th. However, the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, regarded Fridays as an unlucky day. He also regarded the number 13 as an unlucky number. He died on November 13th, 1868. It was a Friday.
