GLASGOW — Paraskevidekatriaphobia – noun, Greek.
Paraskevi translates into Friday, dekatries means 13 and phobia means fear. The fear of Friday the 13th.
Today is Friday the 13th, believed by many to be a day of evil and unluckiness. The history of the evil goes back as far as Norse mythology.
THIRTEEN
Twelve is usually considered the “complete” number – 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles of Jesus. One more than that – 13 – messes up the completeness, throws things into disorder, and for some, can mean death.
Consider the story of the Last Supper, where Jesus gathered with his 12 apostles. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th person to arrive. Or how about the Norse myth regarding the 12 gods who were having a dinner party in Valhalla, their heaven.
In walked the uninvited 13th guest, Loki. Loki arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness. Balder died and the earth went dark.
In ancient Rome, it was believed that witches gathered in groups of 12. When there was a 13th present, that person was believed to be the devil.
FRIDAY
Friday’s unluckiness stems from Christian and Roman beliefs. It’s the day Jesus was crucified, and some biblical scholars believe that Eve tempted Adam on a Friday and that Cain killed Abel on a Friday.
These beliefs also come from the fact that Friday is the day of Venus – the Roman god of female sexuality. In middle age-era Catholic Rome, female sexuality was considered evil and needed to be repressed. So, Friday, associated with Venus, was labeled unlucky.
In order to quell the superstition, the 18th century British Navy commissioned a ship named the H.M.S Friday.
The navy chose the crew on a Friday, launched the ship on a Friday and even selected a man named James Friday to captain the ship. On a Friday morning, the ship set off on its maiden voyage and disappeared forever.
Put the unlucky 13 and the unlucky Friday together and you’ve got one very unlucky day.
Mentioned in the popular novel, “The Da Vinci Code,” the belief is traced back as far as 1307, with the arrest and killing of the revered Knights of Templar on a Friday the 13th. After that, followers of the Knights considered the day very unlucky.
However, not all Friday the 13ths were bad days. On Friday, Sept. 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and on Friday, Sept. 13, 1857, Milton Hershey was born, the man who created Hershey chocolate, something most consider to be a very good invention.
Whatever the origins, some people go to great lengths to keep themselves from experiencing bad luck on the day, including simply not setting foot outside the house.
In an article for National Geographic News in 2004, Donald Dossey said: “It’s been estimated that [U.S.] $800 to $900 million is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they would normally do.”
Dossey is founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, N.C.
The Friday the 13th curse doesn’t seem to be affecting local eatery George J’s.
Employee George Davis said: “We don’t lose business here. People just laugh it off and go about their day. Gas prices hurt more than superstition.”
Nathan Ragle, a Glasgow resident, said that he doesn’t let the superstitious day bother him.
“Everybody has bad luck and they have good luck. Whatever’s going to happen, is going to happen.”
The next Friday the 13th will be in February 2009.
Local News
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Discussion
Paraskevidekatriaphobia
Who’s afraid of little bad luck?
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