THE Friday 13 it is considered an unlucky day in Brazil, in Anglo-Saxon countries and in several European nations.
The number 13 was considered the bearer of bad luck in many Western cultures, as was Friday. So when the two coincided, people believed that the chances of something going wrong would multiply.
This popular belief has its origins in Norse legends, the customs of the Roman Empire and Christianity, and Toda Matter will show you how this superstition came about.
Number 13 in Norse Mythology
One of the first clues we have against the number 13 is in one of the stories narrated in Norse mythology.
There was once a banquet for 12 guests at Valhalla, the abode of the gods. Loki, son of Odin, appeared in surprise, outraged that he had not been called to the party.
As he liked to play pranks, Loki urges his blind brother Hoder to kill Balder, a god dear to everyone. Hoder shoots an arrow and kills Balder, which caused a deep sadness among the deities.
Since then, many people believe that it is unlucky to have thirteen people sitting at the table.
Later, when Christianity began to make its first conversions, the Norse goddesses were turned into witches.
Their practices were considered works of evil and the priests began to say that the goddess Frida, wife of Odin, gathered in the forest with eleven more companions and the devil himself in order to cast curses on the humanity.
In this way, the bad reputation of the number 13 within the Scandinavian culture was reinforced.
Friday and Number 13 in Ancient Rome
The Romans considered 12 to be a perfect number. After all, 12 were the signs of the zodiac, the gods of Olympus and the constellations. On the other hand, thirteen broke this harmony.
Friday was also not well regarded, as it was the day when the executions of those sentenced to death were carried out. Not by chance, Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday.
Therefore, the Romans avoided closing deals and getting married on Fridays.
Friday and number 13 in Christianity
With the advent of Christianity, Friday began to be considered an unlucky day, as Jesus Christ had been killed on this day of the week.
In this way, the Catholic Church urges the faithful to reflect on the Passion of Christ, his suffering and his death on Friday.
The myth of the 13 guests at the table was also reinforced by the fact that thirteen people were present at the Last Supper: Jesus and his twelve apostles.
Chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation
Likewise, in the Book of Revelation, in chapter 13, the author describes the beast that will be responsible for the end of time. All the more reason for the superstitious to see in this decade a source of inexhaustible evils.
It should be said that these interpretations are made by people who had no education and that the Church has never approved these associations. After all, Christians believe in divine providence and not luck or bad luck.
13th in the Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, there was a particularly dismal 13th. On October 13, 1307, the King of France, Philip IV (1268-1314), the Beautiful, ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar and their Grand Master, Jacques de Molay (1240-1314).
At the end of the process, members of the Order of the Temple were burned to death at the stake.
Folk beliefs are part of folklore, so don't stop there. We have more interesting articles for you:
- Folk Plays: Traditional Toys and Popular Games
- What is it, what is it: riddles with answers
- super difficult tongue twisters
- Legends of the North Region that you need to know
- Legends of the Southeast that you can't miss
- Unmissable Legends of the South Region
- Northeast Region Legends You'll Love
- indigenous legends
- Source of popular expressions you need to know
- The exciting story of the açaí legend
Curiosities
- In Spain, Greece and Latin America - except for Brazil - the unlucky day is Tuesday and not Friday. This has to do with the fact that Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, was captured on Tuesday, May 29, 1453. The 13th, however, is kept as ominous.
- It is on Friday that there are several mutations described in Brazilian legends such as the Werewolf and the one of alamoa.
