Some crap you may or may not know about this day

What, can't a guy just walk in the woods with a mask and axe?

Today is the day where everyone jokes about Camp Crystal Lake. Don’t even deny it; when you’re alone on this day you know you listen for “Kill, Kill, Kill, Now, Now, Now.” You know he’s not there… this time. Some people are so freaked out by this day they have their own phobia. So if you are afraid to even look out your door today then you may have paraskevidekatriaphobia. Say that shit 5 times fast.

According to Wikipedia, there aren’t many references to this superstition in early history:

“According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a “Friday the 13th” superstition before the 19th century.The earliest known documented reference in English occurs in an 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini:

[Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.

However, some folklore is passed on through oral traditions. In addition, “determining the origins of superstitions is an inexact science, at best. In fact, it’s mostly guesswork.”  Consequently, several theories have been proposed about the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition.

Wiki theory numero uno (1):

“One theory states that it is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions: that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day.

**In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve hours of the clock, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, twelve gods of Olympus, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.

**Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century’s The Canterbury Tales, and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.It has also been suggested that Friday has been considered an unlucky day because, according to Christian scripture and tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.”

Ha! Wikipedia said “oral traditions”; that sounds dirty. There are many theories out there but people always exaggerate, so who know what is true?

Wiki theory numero dos (2):

“On the other hand, another theory by author Charles Panati, one of the leading authorities on the subject of “Origins” maintains that the superstition can be traced back to ancient myth:

The actual origin of the superstition, though, appears also to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil - a gathering of thirteen - and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as ‘Witches’ Sabbath.’”

Wiki theory numero tres (3):

“Another theory about the origin of the superstition traces the event to the arrest of the legendary Knights Templar. According to one expert:

‘The Knights Templar were a monastic military order founded in Jerusalem in 1118 C.E., whose mission was to protect Christian pilgrims during the Crusades. Over the next two centuries, the Knights Templar became extraordinarily powerful and wealthy. Threatened by that power and eager to acquire their wealth, King Philip secretly ordered the mass arrest of all the Knights Templar in France on Friday, October 13, 1307 - Friday the 13th.’

Frigging king bastards.

Fun Facts:

• This year there are 3 Friday the 13ths. That only happens once every 11 years.

• Many hospitals and buildings have no room 13 or 13th floor.

• There were 13 people at the last supper, and Jesus was crucified on a Friday; that’s if you include him along with his 12 disciples.

• Franklin Roosevelt, Napoleon, and Henry Ford had a fear of the number 13. Sidenote, FDR must have been so afraid of that day he died Thursday, April 12th. What a drama queen.

• Butch Cassidy was born on April 13, 1866

• According to Smithsonian Magazine, “fear of the #13 costs America a billion dollars per year in absenteeism, train and plane cancellations, and reduced commerce on the 13th of the month.”  Hey, America, that makes you crazy. Thought you should know.

• There are 13 knots in a hangmans noose, Coincidence, or something else?

• Many serial killers have 13 letters in their names. Jack The Ripper, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy, and Charles Manson. Please avoid giving your sons names that make them prone to killing lots of people. Phew, I had to check and my second son has 12 letters in his name. I almost had a serial killer situation on my hands.

• The Olsens were born on  Friday 13th.

Are you guys scared yet? Just avoid walking under ladders and run away from black cats, but try and make it to work fools.

Tags: Freaky Friday, Friday the 13th, fun facts, Jujubees, paraskevidekatriaphobia, serial killers n shit, Wikipedia

This entry was posted on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 1:57 PM and is filed under Culture Critic, Found on the Internet, News You May or May Not Use, Wistful Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.