There are many important issues facing the world today — North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, the whole of the Middle East, and all the other hot spots where sparks are continually flying. Important issues are being overlooked amidst all these stories, issues that if left unresolved have the potential to bring Western Civilization to a screeching halt.
Through one of those great mysteries that confound even the best of minds, somehow events have conspired to make three days from now Friday the thirteenth during the month of October. Just eighteen days before All Hallows Eve, the night of pagan ritual and sacrifice, the night the dead walk amongst the living, it will fall with the sound of a ladder landing on someone's head as they walk under it.
It's like a black cat has walked across the collective Path of all Western Civilization. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong because the worst thing possible has already happened. We have a Friday the Thirteenth in October. Do you think I'm over exaggerating the danger to our society? Have a little faith in the stupidity of your fellow human, please.
Let me give you an example of something that happened to me just recently and see if it doesn't send a chill down your spin as it did mine. I've been waiting to have a very minor surgical procedure done; repair of a hernia. It's so minor I won't even be knocked out; they will just freeze the area. I still need to be booked into an operating theatre and there has to be time on my surgeon's schedule to fit me in.
Due to the fact that the hospitals in my city are also the ones for serious problems throughout South Eastern Ontario, I figured it might take a while before I could get an appointment. The doctor's secretary phoned last week and the first thing out of her month after identifying herself was to ask if I was superstitious. I thought this was a very odd thing for her to be asking me and so I asked, justifiably I thought, “Why?”
Article comments
1 - Jared Wright
Funny. I got it in my head when I was just a wee lad that I would rebel against the natural inclination and always consider Friday the 13th a good luck day. I hold this little individual superstition to my chest even today.
2 - RedTard
Assholes, who would proclaim "Thank God, someone who doesn't live in a cave." bother me much more than people who practice a little superstition.
3 - Samarth
It's just such a strange phenomenon, everyone is scared of Friday the thirteenth. And it's because the fear is so deeply instilled and there's such a deep belief that something bad is going to happen that the people almost make the bad things happen to themselves...Funny part is, even though i don't believe in numerology, thirteen has been a freakishly lucky number for me...
4 - gonzo marx
ok..excellent Article Richard, thanks for the fun read...
/golfclap
as for triskaidekaphobia in western european cultures...
check the name Jaques DeMolay and the Templars
it was Friday the 13th of Octobor when the french kind and a puppet pope rounded up, tortured and killed many of the Templars and seized their property
this had huge ripple effects all over europe and the near east, if for no other reason than the Templars were the progenitors of both banking and shipping trade at the time
hopefully that little Clue will lead you along the merry Path of learning
Excelsior?
5 - Baronius
Richard, I'm right there with you until you make the jump to hatred and intolerance. I don't know if you consider that to be the key point of your article, but Blogcritics' subtitler did.
By the way, if numerical superstitions interest you, talk to a realtor some time. You won't believe the stories.
6 - Vern Halen
I always thought it was because Jesus was executed on Friday, and there were 13 people at the Last Supper. So, a Christian based superstition, if there's such a thing.
7 - gonzo marx
that's what the Church pushes, Vern...
google up what i mentioned and decide fer yerself...
heh
Excelsior?
8 - Baronius
Gonzo - which church?
9 - gonzo marx
Baronius - i heard the story of it being cuz of crucifixion on friday and 13 apostles from a roman catholic...more than one
i did point out to a Jesuit who said this that we were talking about the friday the 13th in October, not one in springtime...so his theorem falls apart
hence the significance of the DeMolay tale, with the Catholic church and a french king killing the Templars and seizing their stuff...on a Friday the 13th in October...
thus endeth the Lesson
Excelsior?
10 - Baronius
Gonzo, I've heard that the superstition is based on the Friday crucifixion and Judas being the 13th at the Last Supper. But what church pushes it? Has the Catholic Church, or any church, designated Friday the 13th as evil?
--
Upon rereading this thread, I realize that Friday October 13th is being singled out. I've never heard that superstition before. Either way, I stand by my original objection. All institutions have to deal with superstitious members, but I know of no Christian denomination that supports this.
11 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
I read up on the Knights Templars and indeed found that 13 October, 1307 was a day of terror for them.
What may interest the rest of you all is that Hoshana Raba, the day that G-d puts into motion his judgments on Yom Kippur, especially as they relate to Jews, falls on the Thursday night and Friday day... 13 October, Friday.
12 - Nancy
Friday the 13th, 1307, would certainly have been a bad day for the Templars, but hardly for the rest of the population, who had no need for banks or banking, since they didn't generally have any money, either. I suspect the religious superstition came first, and the King & Pope planned it with an eye towards a little gallows humor, so to speak.
13 - gonzo marx
i disagree, Nancy...
note that while many didn't have use for banking or shipping, there is a MUCH more insidious precedent being set here...
the "divine right of kings" as backed up by the Roman Pope, and enforced via the Inquisition
in this instance, the average western european saw themost powerful organization of it's time decimated, murdered, tortured with ALL their assets, cash, ships, land holdings, completely confiscated
imagine the Impact on your average freeman, that those who were perceived as so powerful, and part of the Church up until that fateful day, coudl be completely destroyed by a *king* with papal backing...
now, the ripple effect of the actual seizures woudl have been huge on local communities, whose tiny middle class of craftsmen and traders depended on that stable banking and shipping system
a dark Day indeeed for your average person, by implication, implementation as well as consequence
i'm open for other Interpertations, if anyone can show me another reason why Friday the 13th of October is viewed with such superstition prior to 1307...and why this superstition appears to be solely the domain of western european culture
Ruvy's additional info makes it interesting, so i'll Ask...does the significance of that Date only come when the 13th falsl on a friday of that month?... and doesn't the differences between the Jewish and European calendars negate any significance in this discussion?
Excelsior?
14 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
I have to agree with much that Gonzo points out. So long as there is an evil impulse in the world, the greatest repository of evil will be in the government, and the power of the government is something that must be limited somehow - whether it is an Alsthing, a Knesset Gadol, a Parliament, Witangemot or an États Generals.
So long as there is an evil impulse, a crown is nothng but a hat that lets in the rain and a throne is nothing but a chair sliding in blood.
As for Hoshana Raba, it has nothing to do with October, or with the 13th of the month, or with Friday. If you go by the solar Calendar of Jubilees it is the 22nd day of the "seventh month;" according to the luni-solar Rabbinic Calendar, it is the 22nd day of Tishri.
Of course, one looks for coincidences...
AS you may have already figured out, Gonzo, I would not advocate a monarchy without the evil impulse being slain. This is the job of the messiah, son of David, when he finally arrives.
I didn't play out all my cards in my thought pieces on Jewish Destiny.
15 - gonzo marx
and well do i know your messianic impulses, Ruvy
part of our ongoing discussion revolves around my Thought that scapegoating and waiting for some divine intervention is NO way to live Life
working on the problems yourself is a Human answer, imo...all else is abdicating ultimate self Responsibility
but i digress...
Excelsior?
16 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
"working on the problems yourself is a Human answer, imo...all else is abdicating ultimate self Responsibility"
Exactly Gonzo,
Now re-read the articles, and you'll see that it is my puerile attempt to work on a problem without waiting for Divine Intervention. When the Almighty decides to show His Hand, you will not need an article at BlogCritics to tell you it has happened...
In the meantime, we strive to perfect the world with the help of the Almighty. We may not complete the task, but we are not allowed to abandon working on it.
17 - gonzo marx
Ruvy sez...
*We may not complete the task, but we are not allowed to abandon working on it.*
Quoted for Truth
and i'll end my part of the topical highjack there
Excelsior?
18 - Baronius
Gonzo, the "divine right of kings" isn't a Roman concept but a Protestant one. In the 1300's, the thinking was exactly opposite: the Church was independent and authoritative, and tolerated the State.
The Templars were caught in the crossfire. They were a good target for Philip IV. The Catholic Church had refused to pay taxes, but Philip could tax heretics. It didn't take Philip too long to put two and two together. He condemned the Knights as heretics and confiscated their property. The Pope investigated some lingering charges against the Knights, dissolved the Order, and gave their French property to the Knights Hospitallar.
What's most striking about these events is how impotent the Templars were. For an order of warriors, they didn't put up much of a fight. The average western European probably thought, "first the Templars lost Jerusalem, and now they can't even hold France". But ultimately, King Philip failed.
19 - gonzo marx
Baronius - perhpas i wasn't clear...
the "divine right of kings" was, as far as i understand it, a construct utilized by the Roman Church (not the romans themselves) to keep certain allied family lines in power and on the thrones of europe
as for the Templars, on that day..NONE defended themselves, there is a Legend that says they knew what was going on before hand... many escaped the day or two before, no ready assets were seized (gold, maps, treasures and bank records all were missing)... and by all accounts those who remained were either outright slaughtered, or arrested and tortured by the Inquisition
now as to catholic or protestant, your contention is interesting and my reading implies that both church institutions used it for justification, as did all "noble" families
my readings date it's reference to at least the Merovingians in France...much earlier than the date you give, and predating Martin Luther by hundreds of years...
as for "impotence" of the Templars... riddle me this, what became of those who escaped while DeMolay sacrificed himself (as their last Grand Master) to the Inquisition without a fight?
one clue might be foudn in that the junior organization of the Freemasons is called "DeMolays" and the Inquisition Trial isused as their highest "ritual"
something to ponder, eh?
Excelsior?
20 - Baronius
oops.
You were clear, Gonzo. I meant "Roman Catholic".
21 - [[HELLO]]
ah, I think friday the 13th is a unlucky day for some ppl.
just not for me <3
22 - [[HELLO]]
Friday the 13th is considered to be the unluckiest of days in many superstitions. Unless you were born on Friday the 13th, then 13 would be considered your lucky day. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia (A fear of the # 13), a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia.
Jesus was crucified on A Friday, “Good Friday”. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive. Noah's flood started on a Friday.
One of the best known is that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Long before the bible was written Friday was considered being an important day. The name Friday was named after “Frigg or Frigga”
The number 13 was believed by the Greeks and Romans to be a symbol of death and destruction. Psychologists have found that people are especially likely to have accidents or fall ill on Friday 13th. Many of the hotels still do not have a 13th floor or the room Number 13, hospitals do not use this number, and airlines try to avoid the number 13 as well.
Some people won't go to work on Friday the 13th; some won’t even eat in restaurants & many wouldn't think of setting a wedding on the date.
23 - gonzo marx
for the Record - today is my wife's birthday, yes October, friday the 13th... this is one of those years when it falls on a friday again....a very special birthday for my sweety
as for Hello's comment above, as i've stated...it appears non-sensical to think that a friday in october hasnythignto do with Jesus or the crucifixion...which, by accounts used as authoritative by the Church....all that happened in the spring..you know...Easter? and "good friday"
never does such fall on the 13th
therefore, i think it is sloppy speculation, and a lot of reaching to try and force this "origin" on the superstition
see some of the comments above for an explanation that does appear to fit all the facts and criteria
but hey...who can say for certain where a superstition comes from? however, if one applies the guidelines of cultural anthropology to the Question... certain possibilities demonstrate a higher degree of probability than others....
nuff said
Excelsior?
24 - alessandro
italians consider the number 13 lucky.
and yes, the wait times in canada are ridiculous. i trust all went well. friday the 13th gets such a bad rap, man.
I blame Jason.