Why does the Number Thirteen spook some people?
One of the strangest fears that beset people is the fear of thirteen .It’s possibly the most irrational fear too, almost as absurd as the fear of black cats.
The number 13 got some very bad press in the Middle Ages (along with those black cats) when people began to believe in witches.
We can understand the inability of people to reason after generations of malnutrition and stunted intellect, but there are still leftovers from the dark ages today – people who think that a number can be spooky
Why be afraid of a number?
A number is just a number. It’s an arithmetical value representing a quantity. Number Thirteen is a prime number and is only divisible by itself. This is symbolic of – Integrity, Purity and an Incorruptible Nature
When Number Thirteen was considered Good
Once it was held to be a holy number but its popularity declined when older religions vanished into history
1. In ancient Greece Zeus was counted as the thirteenth, and most powerful god
2. An Aztec week lasted for thirteen days called a Trecena. There were twenty weeks in a year and the thirteenth was ruled by the goddess Tlazolteotl, a friendly lady who forgave sins of an adulterous nature.
3. In Egypt, there are thirteen steps upon the ladder that leads to eternity. Upon the thirteenth step it is said the soul reaches the source of itself and attains spiritual completion.
4.The Celtic Calendar has thirteen months coinciding with thirteen full moons
When was Number 13 supposed to be unlucky?
Nobody likes an uninvited guest.
Being left of the invitation list can enrage fairy godmothers into cursing a child with the fear of sewing needles and a propensity for endless sleep or, even worse. Just look at what Eris, Goddess of Discord, achieved when she hurled a golden apple into a wedding reception. The end result of that was the Trojan War!
Another tragedy with an uninvited guest occurred in Valhalla.
A great Norse feast was held for Baldur the Beautiful. There were twelve Norse gods invited but Loki (the trickster) turned up too. The next day Baldur was dead, slain unwittingly by a spear belonging to that thirteenth uninvited guest- a spear tipped with mistletoe.
The number of steps in a gallows is Thirteen
The Number 13 In Mathematics
Can you understand this?
To be truthful, mathematics is not my thing. It’s nowhere near my thing.
I may be a great admirer of the magic number nine but that’s only to be expected in a cat.
So I’ll tell you briefly of some special qualities of number thirteen
1. It’s the sixth prime number – a number which can only be divided by itself and the number 1.
2. It’s the smallest emirp number. Before you roll your eyes, an emirp (‘prime’ spelled backwards) is a prime number which, when reversed, remains a prime number.
3. It’s a Fibonacci number
The Number 13 In Numerology
The Number 13 isn’t quite so sinister when you look at it in a numerology chart. While it doesn’t necessarily mean bad luck, when it’s located in key positions it does indicate immaturity, irresponsibility, laziness, idleness, lack of seriousness, and low vitality.
However, in most numerology readings all numbers are reduced to a single digit. So the Number 13 would be 1 + 3 = 4.
If your Life Path number is a 4, it signifies that you’re a homebody and you have lots of ideas. You like to be organized and, in your home, everything has its rightful place.
If your Attitude Number is a 4 it means you’re very quiet and you’re a list maker. You always know what’s going on around you and you’re an excellent teacher.
What do you think about Friday the 13th?
Do you call off sick at work on Friday the 13th? Or do you boldly tempt fate and venture forth?
Triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13 is silly enough, but friggatriskaidekaphobia is laughable.
What a mad mixture of languages to make one nine syllable word!