Every time the calendar marks a Friday the 13th, the same questions resurface: where does this day’s bad reputation come from, and why do we still believe it centuries later? According to Canal26, the answer combines history, religion, popular traditions and even a novel from the early twentieth century. It’s worth separating what is known from what is merely repeated.
A medieval episode often used as an explanation
The starting point that almost everyone cites is October 13, 1307. According to the cited outlet, on that day King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of numerous members of the Knights Templar, a powerful religious and military order that had gained property, money and political influence after its participation in the Crusades. Among those detained was Jacques de Molay, its last grand master, who was executed in Paris in 1314.
The tragedy is real, but the link to the superstition is much less so. Canal26 cites historians’ warning that there is no evidence that this persecution gave rise to the popular belief. The Library of Congress of the United States, also cited by the outlet, holds that the connection would be a modern interpretation, with no medieval testimony to support it.
The number 13 and Friday, two different bad reputations
Before Friday the 13th existed as a feared date, the number 13 already generated distrust in much of the Western tradition. One of the most widespread explanations comes from Christianity: at the Last Supper, Jesus and his twelve apostles, that is, thirteen people, sat together shortly before Judas’s betrayal.
Friday, for its part, carries its own religious association, since Christian tradition links it to the crucifixion. The combination of both ideas, 13 and Friday, would have reinforced the sense that it was an unlucky day. Even so, there is no single, definitive historical explanation of when that interpretation was established.
Norse mythology: an appealing clue, but unproven
Another popular version turns to Norse mythology. In it appears Loki, who interrupts a banquet related to the death of the god Balder. It is a story that often appears in lists of curiosities, but the specialists cited by Canal26 warn that modern versions do not make it possible to prove that it is the origin of the superstition. It is better taken as a folkloric tale than as a verified fact.
What can be traced: the nineteenth century and a novel
The firmest written references appear in the nineteenth century. According to a study published by the United States Library of Congress, two French works published in 1834 already linked Friday and the number 13 with misfortunes. This shows that the idea was already circulating in the written culture of the time, although it does not explain its remote origin.
The best-known boost came in 1907, when writer Thomas William Lawson published the novel Friday, the Thirteenth. According to the outlet, the story revolves around a financier who takes advantage of the fear associated with that date. A widely read book may have helped turn Friday the 13th into a popular symbol, beyond religious circles.
Why the belief remains alive
The superstition persists because it offers a simple explanation for days when things go wrong, and because it is passed on as an anecdote. A bad streak on a Friday the 13th is remembered more than an ordinary day on any other date. In addition, popular culture reinforces it with films, stories and jokes that are shared every year. Canal26 also points out that, for some people, the date translates into avoiding trips or important decisions, while others take it as a simple game.
The essentials
- On October 13, 1307, Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of the Templars, an episode often cited as the origin of Friday the 13th.
- The historians cited by Canal26 find no evidence that this persecution created the superstition.
- The bad reputation combines two religious ideas: the number 13 of the Last Supper and the Friday of the crucifixion.
- The Norse story of Loki is a folkloric interpretation, not a proven fact.
- The first firm written references date from 1834, and Thomas William Lawson’s 1907 novel helped popularize the date.
Santé Press Contribution
Santé Press reading: Friday the 13th is a good example of how a real story can become a comfortable explanation that nobody checks. When a dramatic event is joined to a symbol, the mind tends to look for patterns, and anecdotes are remembered more than ordinary days. That is why the superstition endures, even though the historical evidence is weak.
What to watch:
Sources of the news
- Canal26: Pasó de ser una fecha vinculada con una tragedia de 1307 a convertirse en una superstición mundial: por qué el viernes 13 es considerado un día de mala suerte más de 700 años después
- Minuto30: ¿Sos de tocar madera? Los agüeros del viernes 13 y lo que hay detrás de la mala fama de esta fecha
- Yahoo en Español Vida y Estilo: ¿Por qué se cree que el viernes 13 es de mala suerte?