FRIDAY THE 13TH

by Alexis Faulkner

Originally, I planned to make a fact sheet for this unholy Friday, but eventually it became evident that the best way to celebrate is with song, so I made a playlist. The bite-sized chunk of info below will give you a tiny historical foundation concerning the significance of this day.

Triskaidekaphobia, as defined by Joey from Friends

Friggatriskaidekaphobia: fear of Friday the 13th

Paraskevidekatriaphobia: fear of Friday the 13th

Theories on the unluckiness of the number 13 concern Christianity, numerology, and norse mythology.

From an article in National Geographic in 2004, founder Donald Dossey of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina traces "the fear of 13 to a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. In walked the uninvited 13th guest, the mischievous Loki. Once there, Loki arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. 'Balder died and the whole Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned. It was a bad, unlucky day,' said Dossey. From that moment on, the number 13 has been considered ominous and foreboding. There is also a biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper."

ENJOY! 

Alexis Faulkner is Executive Editor-in-Chief of Uncanny Valley Magazine