This is going to be a long one - don't say I didn't warn you!
So, how did Friday the thirteenth become such an unlucky day?
Fear of Friday the 13th is rooted in ancient, separate bad-luck associations with the number 13 and the day Friday. The two unlucky entities combine to make one super unlucky day.
There is 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 Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned.
There is a Biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper.
A particularly bad Friday the 13th occurred in the middle ages. On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar and began torturing them, marking the occasion as a day of evil.
In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the devil.
Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.
It is traditionally believed that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Tradition also has it that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on Friday.
Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 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. In exceeding 12 by 1, 13's association with bad luck has to do with just being a little beyond completeness.
How is fear of the number thirteen demonstrated?
More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor.
Many airports skip the 13th gate.
Airplanes have no 13th aisle.
Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.
Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery.
On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half.
Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue
In France, socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate.
Many triskaidekaphobes, as those who fear the unlucky integer are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13.
If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck . Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.
And how many of you immediately counted how many letters you have in your name? (I have 11 by the way)
I spent the day breaking as many superstitions as possible. Unfortunately I couldn't find a ladder so had to give that one a miss but I did put my top on inside out and then turned it the right way round, put my shoes on the table (ok, they're not new but apparently you shouldn't put ANY shoes on a table - just to be on the safe side),
spilt salt and didn't throw any over my shoulder, put a hat on my bed, cut my fingernails, put an umbrella up inside,
lit a candle in a scone and blew it out and told everyone my wish (and no, I'm not telling you!)
Ok, I blew the candle out and ate half the bun before I realised I'd forgotten to get a photo!
Stepped on many cracks, didn't wear amber or carry an acorn with me, picked a penny up (it's only good luck if heads is facing up),
went in one door of the mansion house and out of a different door, passed Broadie on the stairs,
Seriously, I had no idea just how many superstitions there are, there's a great website which lists most (if not all) - http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/scary.html#friday
Oh yes, I also smashed a mirror (to much shock and horror, especially Elaine and Duncan's)..................
.......................this is the only superstition I broke which did actually bother me (and others) and gave me a moments hesitation! But heck, in the words of Johnny Logan, what's another year (or seven)? I did also have visions of the film they make of my life turning from a Bridget Jones-esque chick flick to a more Final Destination-esque horror!
But, I'm still here and all is well, only another 2556 days to go!
.
7 comments:
I got here before you did!
Yes, it worked!
(Continued from here.....)
Hello. I’m not surprised the word “prey” sends shivers down your spine. It’s a bit creepy, isn’t it? Maybe you’re better suited to being a stalker? (Although you probably shouldn’t put this on your CV.)
I sort of missed the weirdness of the fact that you have shingles in one knee. This is bizarre, yes? I was too busy concentrating on the mere fact that someone your age had shingles at all, really, and rather overlooked the strangeness of its bafflingly precise locality. Is it making you feel a bit wretched? It is a constant aggravation, I imagine – but maybe not enough to keep you (entirely) off work? I may be missing stuff from your most recent posts, so excuse any ignorance I may be displaying. I'll be completely up to date by tonight.
As per your instructions/threats, I shall dutifully strap on knee-pads and get to work with the praying. As an honourable man-shaped creature, I shall obviously keep going until you feel all better, Ms Heidi. This could be weeks, you say? Oh my. And if this is the fourth time you’ve had it, poor soul, then we must imagine that there may be a fifth. Maybe I should just stay down there? Better safe than sorry.
Your spirited Justification For Pyjamas In The Woods defence fails to entirely convince. I sort of see what you’re saying, of course, but you’ll forgive me, I trust, for failing to fully dispel the lingering notion that you may be catastrophically off your trolley – sorry for using such a complex medical term to describe your (potential) condition.
“I think you're approaching areas of the blog that may not be as entertaining as the standard you've become accustomed to…”
A contrario, Ms Orange, I’ve been enjoying myself full well (although I still have a few more posts to go until I catch up with you). I may be slightly worried about the state of your spare room, it’s true, and I may be about to find myself saying the seemingly controversial words “I would love to ride Uncle Tom’s first bride, a beautiful looking thing”, but everything seems in order to me.
I only really came unstuck whilst considering your question: why does Donald Duck wear a towel when he steps out of the shower? A stark, philosophical line of enquiry, for sure, although maybe it would be more useful to ask yourself why you are watching ducks getting out of the shower in the first place, Heidi? Coupled with pyjamas in the woods, of course, this starts to paint a troubling picture.
I’m not sure I’d ever heard of Mark Edwards before (I’m not terribly up to date with, well, anything really). I went off and found the picture you referred to. Nice. I see the figure as perplexed, maybe even very faintly amused – not necessarily angry or anything like that – and entirely desolate (on a deeper level) as he stands there in a frozen isolation. I enjoyed having a look around his stuff, thanks.
And, without wishing to seem like one of those old bores who bang on about how things were back in the day, I also really liked the glimpse of your clothes on Bring Back an Era Day. But people are too slovenly these days, yes? Or is that unfair? I would love to see everyone taking a greater care, enjoying the sheer spectacle of dressing up with at least a nod towards elegance, restraint and style – I apply this to both men and women, incidentally. Just don’t get me started on the track-suited hordes, okay? That way lies trouble…..
Hmm. I’ve not even got halfway through what I was going to say, but I feel I’ve probably written enough. As ever, of course, it’s merely a glorified way of saying “hello, how are you doing this day, this week, this life?”
Kind regards and many nice things to boot etc…..
TPE
Good grief. There you are. I never saw you before I posted my thing. This is almost like talking to someone...I.. don't know, on the phone or something. Spooky, spooky, spooky. I must make some lunch and recover from the fright. I hope you're feeling a bit better today, though?
Toot-toot
Well, I thought I'd get some stalker practice in ;-) I too am adjourning for midday refreshment before I consider your response. Feeling pretty pants today but opptimistic that things WILL get better!
Oh dear. I'm sure (or at least hopeful) that things will feel better soon. Anyway, I'll set about the business of catching up with the rest of your blog, being careful not to disturb the poor wee invalid as I do so. Feel very free to moan and wail and curse your misfortune, however, should you feel the need to do so. My ears, I'm sure, will have heard worse.
Take it (very) easy, Ms H.
Kind regards etc.....
TPE
(Nice stalking, by the way. You're a natural.)
Well, it's a good job I lost internet connection for the weekend cos it wasn't pretty! Back to Doc's, different pills that I'm assured won't make me feel as though I'm losing the plot and another 2 weeks off work :-( Thank god for your sympathy and prayers though or goodness knows how it could have all ended!
So................
Whilst it appears I have a talent for being a stalker I think I actually prefer the role of stalkee for now if that's ok? I'm not above a bit of stalkerish behaviour but right now I just don't have the energy truth be told!
Glad you like the Mark Edwards picture, I have to admit I'd never heard of him before (and I had to send myself a text message while I was in the gallery or I would've forgotten his name by the time I got home), I liked all the paintings in the 'white woods' series but this one in particular seemed approriate for 'ponder the universe day'!
I'm trying to avoid commenting on your Uncle Tom's first bride statement but I find that I just keep coming back to it. It would appear I'm unable to just let it go without acknowledging it in some way, so consider it acknowledged and that's all I'm going to say on the matter - except that I haven't laughed like that in a long time!
I totally agree! Sometimes it's entirely appropriate to be slovenly (me, now, for instance) but oh, to be glamorous and elegant the rest of the time. I've watched so much TV over the last few weeks (I generally rarely watch any at all), including the entire Forsyte Saga - I have to say that part of the attraction is the fabulous costumes, it's no wonder though that women didn't work for a living, it must take hours just to dress in the morning!
It's supposed to be Magic Monday today and I'd learnt some card tricks especially (I'm saving the whole sawing someone in half bit for next year!) for the ocassion so I'll be looking to reschedule today (wouldn't it be good if you could actually do that? I don't want to do today, I'm just not feeling it, let's reschedule?) along with all the other days I've missed - I suspect November/December could get quite busy on here again!
Hope you had a smashing weekend and that you've recovered from the fright of almost being at the same place at the same time as me? I realise my reckless behaviour could have resulted in some sort of disruption in the space-time continuum for which I apologise!
Hopefully hear from you again at some point in my past/your future
H :-p
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