Many cultures around the world today and throughout history 'had a thing' for the number 13 and the day Friday falling on the same time. Call it superstition, call it urban legend, call it fact, whichever way you look at it, there are plenty of sides to this story. To the ancient Egyptians, life unfolded in stages - 12 in this life and a 13th beyond, thought to be the eternal afterlife. The number 13 therefore symbolized death. The Holy Bible tells us there were exactly 13 present at the Last Supper. One of the dinner guests; "disciples" - betrayed Jesus Christ, setting the stage for the Crucifixion. Did I mention the Crucifixion took place on a Friday?

Another legend was that the Knights Templar were assualted and branded heretics by the Catholic Church on Friday the 13th (13 October, 1307) by Pope Clement V collaborating with King Phillip of France.

This superstition is not just Christian: it appears in Norse mythology, and also in 'Pagan' ideas. Check out Ronald Hutton for the latter, he may mention it in 'The Ritual Year in England' but certainly in 'The Stations of the Sun'. Hutton is brilliant for information on the history of many ideas that we might consider Christian, and shows the way in which Christianity absorbed or took ownership of many non-Christian ideas. The thing is that once an idea has become part of popular logic, it is easily reinforced. Unpleasant things happen every day of the year, yet when one of these events happens on Friday 13, every newspaper and TV station in western society remarks on it! And by the way: the earliest (and I might add, conflicting, but then, they were recorded a few hundred years after the event) reports of the Crucifixion do NOT say that it was on a Friday. This idea came in much later, probably to ensure that celebration of the Resurrection took place on a Sunday, and thus a legal day off.

According to Christian folklore, Good Friday, the day Christ was crucified, was Friday the 13th. While his Resurrection on the sequential 3rd day (if you're not counting by hours) was the best thing that has happened according to Christianity, the worst thing that could have happened was for the world to put its Saviour to death, even though it was allotted by God and Christ Himself. Also, Judas Iscariot hanged himself that same day. Three and 13 figure a lot in many different religions and cultures. Some Christian theologians believe that Christ naturally understood the cultures and religions of the regions, what they believed and practiced and even the religions that would have to be converted to Christianity in the future and thus chose old number symbolisms so that members of these other religions would be able to better relate and want to convert.

The direct linkage of the superstition behind Friday the 13th is traced to the events on and prior to October 13, 1307. The Knights Templar became a power force in Europe as a result of the crusades and the fact that they operated to secure the wealth of many noblemen, as well as accumulated wealth and lands. The church had issued a usury dispensation to the Templars, allowing them to loan money and charge fees for their money services. With the fall of the last Temple stronghold in the holy land, at ACRE in 1291, the next 15 years saw the general expulsion of Europe from the holy land and the delpetion of many treasuries. On the other hand, Templar coffers were very full and they had numerous holdings of lands, both in title and via pledges throughout all the countries in Europe. Both Rome and the king were placed in untenable positions (via the expulsion from the holy land) and started to move in on the Templar positions/holdings shortly after the start of the 14th century. Over a 5-7 year period, there were persecutions, arrests and executions. The Grand Master of the Templars was sentenced to death, but prior to being executed, he invoked a curse on both king and pope in god's name stating that they would both not be alive in one year. This prophecy/curse came to pass. Time passes and coincidence becomes legend. Given that the numebr 13 had been regarded as mystical since ages ago, merging these two concepts was bound to happen, especially to people who were highly superstitious.

Although the Templars story is correct, it is incomplete. Fridays falling on the 13th of a month were already considered "unlucky" by the time the First Crusade even began. Early Christianity tradition accepted Christ's death as occurring on a Friday; there were 13 alleged people at the last supper (two who then died within 48 hours after); and there were only 12 tribes of Israel (considered a lucky number to the Israelites; 13 was one more and too close thus making it less than lucky). These reasons combined led early Christians to hold Fridays occurring on the 13th day of a month to be unlucky. The Templars came later. Prior even to the accepted year of the establishment of Christianity (c.1000), the Vikings had already orally fostered a legend (Norse mythology) that an evil god (Loki) had come uninvited to a feast attended by 12 beneficial gods (making the total number 13) and killed one of them. This legend is recorded in written form later but prior to the Crusades. "Friday" actually comes from a derivation of the name of a Norse goddess (later the Roman's Venus). This is about as far back as unlucky combination of Friday and the number 13 can be historically traced (verified by written history) without conjecture. Other stories are woven in: Friday as the "Witches Sabbath," the tradition of 13 members in a coven, etc. But the truth is, nobody knows. Additionally, Friday the 13th is not a legend, which is a STORY which comes from the past, is regarded as historically true despite being unverifiable - Friday the 13th is a superstition, or BELIEF in a concept out of fear/ignorance or with evidence contradicting it.

Earlier than most of these: Jericho's walls fell when the Israelites marched around them 13 times--once a day for six days, then seven times the seventh day.

I never really understood the story behind it. One thing I do know is that it is extremely unlucky for me. Back in 1985, I was eight and a half months old and ended up in a car wreck that just about killed me. The doctors didn't think I'd last the night when I got there. Then it was the week. Then it was the month. Then it was I'd be a vegetable. Now I've had a kid. Some other misfortunes of a similarly nasty nature have also happened on Friday the thirteenth through the years but luckily with outcomes not quite so devastating. This is why I fear Friday the thirteenth every time it comes around.