It’s Friday the 13th and you will either be holding on to your lucky charm or having a Friday the 13th movie marathon. But did you know there is a word for people who are scared of the date.  

Welcome to the curious case of paraskevidekatriaphobia — the fear of Friday the 13th.

The fear of Friday the 13th has its roots in triskaidekaphobia, which is the fear of the number 13. The number 13 in cultures and communities is seen as an ‘unlucky’ number, which is why you will find missing hotel floors, skipped seat rows on planes, and housing units that jump from 12 to 14.

According to ancient Norse legends, Loki (not Marvel’s Tom Hiddleston Loki) was the 13th guest at a divine dinner party that went terribly wrong.

Then the Last Supper had 13 people, including Judas the Betrayer, followed by Jesus’s crucifixion, which is believed to have happened on a Friday.

In parts of Europe, Friday was once literally known as Hangman’s Day.

But wait — what even is a “paraskevidekatriaphobia”?

We know the name is a bit of tongue twister. In fact, it might have been intentional. The word “paraskevidekatriaphobia” was devised by a Dr. Donald Dossey who told his patients that “when you learn to pronounce it, you’re cured!” A bit cruel but we move. The name has Greek roots: Paraskeví (Friday) and dekatreís (thirteen). 

There’s also the equally twisty friggatriskaidekaphobia, named for Frigga, the Norse goddess of love, marriage, and apparently mood-ruining Fridays.

This fear has become so mainstream that studies show businesses lose millions on Friday the 13th. This is because people avoid flying, investing, or even leaving their homes.

In addition to the two we mentioned earlier, history has some interesting Friday the 13th events. 

• On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France arrested the Knights Templar in a massive, brutal takedown. Torture, heresy, burning at the stake — sounds like a real-life episode of Game of Thrones.

• Buckingham Palace was bombed by the Luftwaffe on Friday the 13th, 1940.

• Tupac Shakur died on Friday, September 13, 1996.

• The Costa Concordia cruise ship capsized on Friday, January 13, 2012.

• In 1907, a novel called Friday, the Thirteenth exploited the date to crash Wall Street (fictionally).

And of course, 1980 introduced us to Jason Voorhees, the hockey-masked horror icon who built an entire murder franchise around the day, possibly catapulting the fear even further.

Despite history having unfortunate events on the day, it’s not unlucky. Science has yet to uncover a link between this date and misfortune. Statistically, it is just another Friday. Some even see it as a good omen.

So whether you’re playing the Powerball, avoiding black cats, or just having a Friday the 13th marathon like I am going to, Friday the 13th is as unlucky (or lucky) as you make it.

IOL 

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