History Series: Friday the 13th

History of Friday the 13th

What’s there to be afraid of?

If you’re reading this article to learn the history of Friday the 13th, you’re in luck.

Or perhaps bad luck.

No one knows, with any certainty, when it began or why it’s to be feared. However, there are lots of entertaining speculative theories about the topic.

What is the Fear of Friday the 13th?

• Paraskevidekatriaphobia — is the name of the superstition. The word is constructed from the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή), meaning “Friday,” and dekatreís (δεκατρείς), meaning “thirteen.”
• Friggatriskaidekaphobia — is the fear of Friday the 13th. The word has both Norse and Greek roots: Frigg or Frigga, the name of the wife of the Norse god Odin. Friday gets its name from Frigg. Triskadeka is “thirteen” in Greek (literally: “three” and “ten”), and phobia means “fear.”

12 is completeness, 13 is useless

Twelve is considered complete in many cultures. Mathematically, it can be divided into halves, thirds, and quarters. You can’t do that neatly with Ten.

Examples:

• 12 tribes of Israel