Holy Crap. I guess I was out of it yesterday, I didn't realize it was Friday the 13th.
The origin of as an unlucky day stems from a combination of religious, mythological, and historical influences.
Christian Tradition links the superstition to the Last Supper, where 13 people—Jesus and his 12 disciples—gathered, and Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, was the 13th guest. The crucifixion of Jesus occurred the following day, Good Friday, reinforcing the association of Friday with death and misfortune.
Norse Mythology contributes another key element: the mischievous god Loki is said to have crashed a banquet of 12 gods in Valhalla, becoming the 13th guest and bringing chaos and the death of Balder, the god of joy.
Historical Events further cemented the superstition. On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France, under pressure from Pope Clement V, ordered the arrest of hundreds of Knights Templar, a powerful religious military order. The Templars were tortured, forced to confess to heresies, and many were executed. The grand master, Jacques de Molay, reportedly cursed both the king and the pope before his death, claiming their line would end. This event is widely cited as a pivotal moment in the popularization of Friday the 13th as an unlucky date.
While the belief gained traction in Victorian England and was popularized in the 19th century through literature and plays, it was the 1980s horror film franchise Friday the 13th that solidified the date’s place in modern pop culture as a symbol of fear and bad luck.
The British navy tried to quell the notion by commisioning a ship- HMS Friday and sending it off on it's maiden voyage on Friday 13th. It was never heard from again!
ReplyDeleteYou're a little slow on the uptake. March 13th was the second one. February 13th was also on a Friday---two great days of Miss Fortune. Of course when in comes to the Misses of the world, lately everyday is an unlucky one for my attempts garner their company.
ReplyDeleteWould you please fix the links? Am very curious..
ReplyDeleteBackwards on the Templars and Friday the 13th. It was the French king who put pressure on the pope to declare the Templars bad. Why? Because the French king owed the Templars, who had become a serious banking concern, huge amounts of money and just getting rid of the Templars cancelled his debt.
ReplyDeleteBut the French king was hoping to seize all the physical and monetary assets of the Templars in France. He got all the land, but most of the money had been snuck out of France or buried and lost in France.
The occasion was also one of the first 'modern' uses of secret orders and precise timing. Leaders of troops got orders days ahead to assemble the troops at X point. Then got orders to move to Y point. Then got orders to move to Z point (close to Templar lands) and then orders to open a final sealed letter when the dawn broke on Friday the 13th. Which was the final order to seize all Templars and Templar property.