13/02/2026
A Superstitious Pairing.
While both “Friday” and the number “13” have long carried ominous reputations on their own, the combination of the two is surprisingly modern. The phrase “Friday the 13th” doesn’t appear in written records until the 19th century.
Some of the fear surrounding the number 13 is often linked to the Last Supper, where Jesus dined with his 12 disciples, making 13 (including Judas) at the table.
As for Friday, it was long associated with solemnity in Christian Europe due to the Crucifixion (Good Friday). Over time, folklore expanded the list of misfortunes said to have occurred on that day. Medieval storytellers sometimes claimed that Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden on a Friday, that Cain slew Abel on a Friday, and even that the Great Flood began on a Friday. These claims are not found in scripture, but they circulated widely enough to shape popular belief.
Similar patterns appear in Norse mythology. One story tells of a dinner party in Valhalla attended by 12 gods. Loki, the trickster god, crashed the party as the uninvited 13th guest. His arrival led to chaos and the death of the beloved god Balder. Whether rooted in myth or faith, it seems gatherings of 13 have long made people uneasy.
