HAMLET – Do the words “friggatriskaidekaphobia” or “paraskevidekatriaphobia” sound familiar? Probably not, but studies indicate that approximately 20 million Americans (and up to 33% of Britons) suffer from it (the words have the same meaning). No, it is not one of those sexually transmitted infections or a variant strain of the bubonic plague; rather, it is nothing more than the fear of Friday the thirteenth.
Let’s explore just why and how such an otherwise irrational fear (hence the “phobia” segment of the word) originated in the first place and then proceeded to perpetuate itself throughout the centuries.
The word itself comes from the Greeks. “Triskaideka” means “thirteen” and, as noted, “phobia” means “fear.” The “paraskevi” is an older version of the Greek term for our day “Friday,” but should more properly be supplanted by “frigga,” from Frigg (sometimes truncated to “Frye” or “Fri”), the Norse goddess after whom Friday is named in English. So “friggatriskaidekaphobia” is the easier – and technically the more proper – term to apply, at least for us English-speakers/writers, and first appeared in the lexicon of psychology in 1910 (Isador Coriat).
But why the big deal? What happened in history to effectively render such a stigma upon the number thirteen in general, and Friday the 13th in particular? There are several theories.
The “Judas Theory” is one of the better-known “explanations” as to why so many of us fear, or at least pay more attention to, the merged combination of the day and the date. This contention relates to the idea that Judas was the last of Jesus’ twelve disciples – and thus the 13th person – to have a seat at the table for what turned out to be “the Last Supper.” Of course, since it was Judas who subsequently betrayed Jesus, the connection was made between the number and despicable conduct (i.e., “bad”). However, there is nothing specific in the Bible to support this notion as there is no mention made as to the particular order of seating. Also, the Judeo-Christian tradition did not necessarily hold the number 13 to be uniformly negative; God himself was noted to have “Thirteen Attributes of Mercy” (Exodus 34:6-7).
The Hammurabi Theory relates to the myth that the earliest reference to thirteen being unlucky or evil is in the Babylonian code of Hammurabi (circa 1780 BCE) where the thirteenth law was said to have been omitted. But in fact, the original Code has no specific enumeration at all, and it was the 1910 translation by L.W. King, as edited by Richard Hooker, that inadvertently omitted one article, and subsequent translations in fact include all of the notations in their entirety.
The Knights Templar connection is another popular, though seemingly misappropriated, version as to why we fear Friday the 13th. It was on that date in October of 1307 that King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest and torture of the Knights Templar (he owed them money and thought their persecution to be a viable means of alleviating that debt, him being the king and all). Prior to that event, the combination of the number and the day was seemingly not considered unlucky. However, historical evidence indicates that this notion of Friday the 13th being unlucky never even appeared until early in the 21st century and was then further popularized by the DaVinci Code novel and movie.
It could be argued that the most recent occurrence of significance in relation to triskaidekaphobia (but NOT friggatriskaidekaphobia) might be the Apollo 13 event of 1970. The launch occurred on April 11, 1970 (which was a Saturday) at 13:13 CST but the spacecraft suffered an oxygen tank explosion on Monday, April 13th. After a harrowing trip through space, the capsule safely returned to Earth on Friday, April 17th.
There have been those who actively challenged the concept of Friday the 13th as being unlucky. In 1881, an influential group of thirteen New Yorkers formed a “Thirteen Club” for the specific purpose of touting their disbelief of any such superstitious influence. They first met at 8:13 on January 13 and, after walking under a ladder and being seated among piles of spilled salt in Room 13 of the venue, broke mirrors and performed many other “daring” acts to challenge the associated superstitious beliefs of the time. Many other “13 Clubs” were formed across the country, their members including five future U.S. presidents (e.g., Chester Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, etc.) and their activities were regularly reported in leading newspapers.
Some interesting facts associated with the significance of the number 13 and/or Friday the 13th include: the 13th card in Tarot’s major arcana is “Death”; President Franklin D. Roosevelt suffered from triskaidekaphobia; vehicle registration enumerations were purposely altered in the Republic of Ireland for the year 2013 in order to avoid the specific denotation of the number “13”; it is not uncommon for high-rise buildings to avoid enumerating what would otherwise be the thirteenth floor as such, either directly or on elevator panels; and NASA, while thoroughly entrenched in science and technology, nonetheless opted to alter the numbering system for their space shuttle launches in order to avoid any semblance of a designation of the number “13”; the number is actually considered lucky in Italy; and Colgate University, having been founded by thirteen men with thirteen dollars and thirteen prayers, effectively reveres the number thirteen, particularly when it falls on a Friday.
So good luck today, my friend – you may need it (unless you find yourself in Italy or at Colgate University)!
