I am pretty sure all our listeners are horror movie fans…I personally have many favorites… Though one of my all-time favorites is Friday the 13th. I am a huge 1980s horror fan. Though as fun as it is to imagine Friday the 13th was derived purely from this movie, it actually wasn’t…
Friday the 13th has always been considered an unlucky day. Why? The answer will vary depending on who you ask. The date itself is not an uncommon occurrence as far as dates go… The 13th can fall on a Friday of any month that begins on a Sunday. In the current year of 2021, today is our only occurrence of Friday the 13th.
Friday the 13th has always been considered an unlucky day. Why? The answer will vary depending on who you ask. The date itself is not an uncommon occurrence as far as dates go… The 13th can fall on a Friday of any month that begins on a Sunday. In the current year of 2021, today is our only occurrence of Friday the 13th.
Biblical references state that 13 guests attended the Last Supper, Jesus, and his 12 disciples, the day before Jesus was crucified. His crucifixion occurred on Good Friday, which was the 13th… This led to the longstanding superstition amongst some Christians that the number 13 was a bad omen.
Maybe the Christian view of the day isn’t the actual reason this day is so ominous. Some believe in the Norse myth. If you’re not familiar with Norse mythology, it is a polytheistic religion that means worshiping multiple Gods as well as Goddesses. Vikings heavily believe there are two types of Gods.
The Norse myth believed the number 13 was an unlucky number as a dinner party held in Valhalla hosted 12 Gods. When the God Loki who was described as a prankster wasn’t invited, he attended anyway. He arranged for the God Hoor to shoot Balder with a mistletoe tipped arrow. The myth then goes on to state that Balder died and the Earth went dark as the Earth mourned the death.
Some believe the day is more of a day to celebrate and that Friday itself was named after the Norse Goddess Freya. Freya was a free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. At one point, Norse and Germanic tribes converted completely to Christianity and Freya was shamed and banished to a mountaintop as they believed she was a witch.
The Goddess became spiteful and would meet every Friday with eleven witches and the devil, making this a gathering of 13. She would then plot ill fate for the new coming week.
Though Freya was not seen in a negative way by anyone. Actually Viking weddings were traditionally conducted on Fridays, which is considered Freya’s day and if the Friday was a 13th, it was considered even more blessed.
The Goddess Freya held the number 13 in high regard as there are 13 moon cycles in a lunar year and in honor of divine femininity as women menstruate 13 times a year. If you believe in this myth, pet your cats and gaze at the moon this Friday the 13th. The love Goddess Freya will surely bless you…
In more recent decades, the movie Friday the 13th, used the stigma of the number 13 and created a whole franchise of movies, memorabilia and a huge fan base. There are 12 movies total, which starts with a storyline of a group of teen camp counselors who are murdered by an unknown killer at a summer camp. In the first movie, a woman reveals that her son drowned at that camp and she blamed counselors.
I won’t say any more… if you haven’t watched… you should.
Not everyone believes Friday the 13th is a bad day. Most witches believe the day is significant and lends power to their magic and rituals. Some witches consider Friday the Sabbath of the Witches.
There is no actual fact as to why people fear Friday the 13th or why the number 13 is considered unlucky. There is no scientific proof that this day increases accidents or hospital visits.
What we do know is that there is an actual phobia… the fear of Friday the 13th.
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Whatever you believe or don’t believe, we would love to hear your thoughts and Friday the 13th experiences. Leave comments on our website or join our Facebook page.
