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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
Spooky season gets even scarier as this year September 13th falls on an unlucky Friday.
Although the 13th of the month falls on a Friday one to three times a year, and it already happened in January of this year, the fear of Friday, October 13 has been amplified in the past by a number of factors, including the Friday the 13th Horror movies. However, superstitions surrounding this spooky date have existed for centuries.
The number 13's history of discord dates back to the Norse myth about twelve gods holding a dinner party in Valhalla. When Loki, the uninvited trickster god, showed up as the thirteenth guest, he took revenge by recruiting Höðr, the god of winter and darkness, to shoot the god of war, Balder, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow.
The union of the day and the date also dates back to the arrest of hundreds of Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307 by King Philip IV of France.
The Catholic crusaders were arrested under pressure from Pope Clement V over accusations that new recruits to the order were being forced to spit on the cross, deny Christ, and engage in homosexual acts during initiation ceremonies.
The accusations, apparently entirely unfounded, served as a pretext for Philip to persecute the wealthy order and forgive the debts owed to them following the war with England. Accused of moral and financial corruption and the worship of false idols, often after confessions obtained under torture, many of the knights were subsequently burned at the stake in Paris.
According to Dr. Phil Stevens, a retired anthropology professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, the bad luck of Friday the 13th also has biblical origins. The professor cited the Last Supper, which took place on a Thursday night and at which 13 people, including Jesus Christ, feasted. Because Christ was betrayed by Judas and crucified on Good Friday, historians like Dr. Stevens believe that Friday the 13th represents misfortune.
Dr. Stevens explained to USA today:“Friday the 13th has a double impact. Both elements are combined: the taboo against the 13th and the crucifixion, which took place on a Friday.”
For centuries, people have had superstitions regarding Friday the 13th, such as avoiding black cats, cracks in the sidewalk, or throwing a pinch of salt over one's shoulder.
Superstitions surrounding black cats date back to the Middle Ages, when felines were said to be associated with witchcraft. In 1233, Pope Gregory IX issued a papal bull called “Vox in Rama,” in which the church declared that black cats were an instrument of the devil. According to historians, black cats were often used as a tool to discredit those who threatened the power and legitimacy of the church, often by labeling them as witches or heretics.
Meanwhile, cracks in sidewalks don't have a history of Satanic panic, but are instead believed to bring on the wrath of the spirits of the dead if stepped on. According to early European and American folklore, cracks, whether in sidewalks, walls, floors, or the ground, indicated fissures between the Earth and the metaphysical realm. No matter how small, if you step on these cracks, no matter how narrow, it could supposedly cause misfortune for you or your family.
According to Mahayana Buddhist tradition, throwing a pinch of salt over your shoulder can supposedly ward off any evil spirits you may have angered.
Behavioural scientist Jane Risen has found that ancient superstitions such as avoiding black cats and cracks in sidewalks can affect skeptics and non-believers alike.
“Even though I don’t actively believe in it, the mere fact that Friday the 13th exists as a known cultural element means that I consider it a possibility,” Risen explained to National Geographic“That adds a little more fuel to this intuition, makes it feel a little more true, even when you recognize that it’s not true.”
He added: “We found that people who curse themselves do not believe that a bad outcome is particularly likely if they throw wood on the ground. Therefore, the ritual seems to help control their worry.”
