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Fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia, and it can be traced back to the middle ages when Christians feared the number 13 because of the number of attendees on Maundy Thursday at the last supper.
It was the 13th guest, Judas Iscariot, Jesus’ most treacherous disciple, who betrayed Jesus and caused his crucifixion that Friday – which is also one of the reasons why Friday is considered unlucky.
Because of this, it has been believed that having 13 guests at a table was a bad omen—specifically, that it was courting death.
The fearful combination of the number 13th and Friday can also be traced to the Knight’s Templar.
The Knight’s Templar were a monastic military order devoted to protecting pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land following the Christian capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade. They became one of the wealthiest and most influential groups of the Middle Ages, which garnered others’ notice and envy like King Philip IV of France.
It was on Friday, October 13, 1307 when King Philip IV of France called for the arrest of more than 600 Templars on charges of “heresy, devil worship and spitting on the cross, homosexuality, fraud and financial corruption.” Over the years, they were tortured, forced to confess, and killed to extinction. (Sounds a bit like witch trials…)
King Philip IV then gave their wealth to another religious order and kept a large chunk of it for himself. (The things people will do for money. Jeesh.)
A number of other events that have been considered unlucky have also happened on Friday the 13th, including the death of Tupac in 1996.
However, there are plenty of reasons that the number 13 is pretty great. For example:
A baker’s dozen (also called devil’s dozen) is 13. The thirteenth loaf is called the vantage loaf because it is considered advantageous to get 13 loaves for the price of 12.
In contrast to the Last Supper, King Arthur of Arthurian legend, had twelve knights of the Round Table, which including him, equals 13.
In astronomy there are 13 star constellations in the zodiac (including Ophiuchus); not to be confused with astrology where there are 12 signs of the zodiac.
The Celtic calendar followed the rhythm of the Moon and was made up of 13 months, each consisting of 28 days. These 13 months were the result of balance and harmony. Thus also representing the Sacred Feminine, for women would go through 13 cycles of their own during the Lunar year.
And let’s not forget the 13th card of the Tarot; Death.
Unlike what its name brings to mind, this Arcanum is not synonymous with bad omens. Quite the contrary, the 13th card of the Tarot symbolizes, in many cases, the end of a phase leading to the beginning of another; a sort of metamorphosis marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. In this regard, the 13th Tarot card is very often a positive card that offers the possibility of enhancing your good luck or seizing a new opportunity.
For most of us, though, this is just another ordinary day, one where we can marvel at the history of knights and early Christians, death and rebirth, all while snuggling with our black cats. However…
Even if you’re not superstitious, don’t be surprised if something happens today. After all, it is 2020. Tweet
My black kitty, Phoebe, playing in spring pollen.
Source – History.com: https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/friday-the-13th
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