Friday the 13th - superstitions run wild and the world seems just a tad more ominous. Whether you’re the type to side-step ladders and hold on to a lucky rabbit’s foot, the origins of Friday the 13th are steeped in bad luck and powerful women. The two are not connected. Let’s get into it.

Let’s start with the obvious: the number 13 itself. Did you know that fear of the number 13 has a name? It’s called triskaidekaphobia. It sounds like the perfect Scrabble game word to win a triple word score, but it’s actually Greek for “fear of the number 13”. If you want to be hella fancy, “paraskevidekatriaphobia” and “friggatriskaidekaphobia” are specific to fear of Friday the 13th; the first using the Greek word for Friday, and the second adding the Norse goddess Frigg whom Friday is named after.

The origins of this superstition are murky, with some origins pointing to the Biblical Last Supper (NOT depicted at the Paris Olympics) and Judas being the 13th Apostle who betrayed Jesus, who was crucified on a Friday. Fridays in general seem to be pretty unlucky days for Christians. Friday is said to be the day that Eve takes a bite from an apple picked from the Tree of Knowledge, convinces Adam to do the same and becomes the first woman to be blamed for everything evil in the world, the day Cain murdered his brother, Abel; the day the Temple of Solomon was toppled, and the day Noah’s ark set sail in the Great Flood.

Another option has its origins in British culture where public hangings were held on Friday’s and the thirteen steps that led people to the gallows. Want more Norse mythology? Here you go. In his book “Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things,” Charles Panati traces the origin of Friday the 13th back to a tragic dinner party. There were 12 guests invited to dinner in Valhalla, including the guest of honor, Balder, the god of light, joy, and goodness. And then there was Loki, the Viking god of mischief and chaos or evil and death (depending on which scholar you ask). Loki shows up as the 13th, uninvited guest. Loki deceives the blind god Hodr into shooting his brother Balder, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow, killing him instantly.

It wasn’t until the 20th century however, that Friday the 13th really cemented its evil ways, and became synonymous with misfortune. In the popular Edwardian novel, “Friday the 13th”, by Thomas W. Lawson, an unscrupulous broker named Bob takes advantage of the superstitions around the date to deliberately crash the stock market. Ironically, after the novel's success, stock brokers around the world allegedly refused to trade on any Friday the 13th, and Lawson, who was rich from his publishing, as well as his own manipulation of the stock market, died a poor man in 1925, four years prior to the Great Crash.

Fast forward to the 1980’s and Jason Voorhees makes everyone’s sleep-away camp nightmares come true, when the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer somehow manages to murder a bunch of teenagers without breaking into a sweat or even a jog.

But not everyone considers Friday the 13th unlucky. In Spain and in Greece, Tuesday the 13th is unlucky. Tuesday is connected to Ares, the God of War, who in Roman mythology is known as Mars, who gives his name to 'martes', or Tuesday in Spanish. Tuesday also is rumored to be the day that Constantinople fell during the Fourth Crusade, leading to the fall of the Byzantine Empire.

In Italy, the 17th day of any month is considered unlucky. Why? Because the Roman numeral XVII (17) can be rearranged to spell “VIXI,” or “my life is over” in Latin. I had no idea the Romans were so dramatic. Maybe that’s why Latin is a dead language.

But what about the ladies? I promised you ladies. And here you go -

*Photo from:* *https://skjalden.com/freya*

If you’re pagan, Fridays and the number 13 have long been regarded as a harbinger of good fortune. Friday has a unique association with the divine feminine. Remember that Friday was named after the Norse goddess Frigg? Frigg, or Frigga was a badass. Both Queen of Asgard and a powerful sky goddess in Norse mythology, Frigg (also known as Frigga,) was associated with clairvoyance, love, marriage and motherhood. Friday was a day to celebrate and honor women, not just the kickoff to the weekend. Frigg gave her protection to homes, families, and could weave fate as she wove the clouds, possessing the art of prophecy. Freyja, often conflated with Frigg, was the goddess of fertility, and war, magic, determined who died in battles, and rode a chariot pulled by two cats, Bygul and Trjegul, gifted to her by Thor.

Have you ever had a particularly fabulous (or unlucky) Friday the 13th? Share your stories in the comments!

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Written by Andronike James

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