Friday the 13th

'Friday' was named after Frigg or Frigga, the Norse goddess of marriage (above). Later she was confused with the goddess of love, Freya (top pic), who in turn became identified with Friday. When Norsemen and Germanic tribes became Christians, Freya was supposed to have been banished to the mountains as a witch. Friday came to be called 'witches' Sabbath. It was believed that on this day, each week, twelve witches and the Devil met - thirteen evil spirits in all.

Today is Friday the 13th. All over the world, people believe this to be an unlucky day. But why is this so? What is the origin of this belief or rather superstition? If you search the Net, you are likely to get all sorts of claims. Here is just an example:-

According to mythology, Friday the 13th superstition originated in a Norse myth about 12 gods having a feast in Valhalla. The mischievous Loki crashed the party as an uninvited 13th guest and arranged for Hod, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Baldur, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistltoe-tipped arrow. Baldur was killed and the Earth was plunged into darkness and mourning as a result.

That was mythology. But even in today's modern world, some people will be so paralyzed with so much fear on a Friday the 13th that they simply won't get out of bed. Others will steadfastly refuse to fly on a airplane, buy a house, or act on a hot stock tip. They are really freaked out.

Symptoms range from mild anxiety to full-blown panic attacks. The latter may cause people to reshuffle schedules or miss an entire day's work. A study found that one quarter of the 2,068 people questioned in a 2003 survey associate the number 13 with bad luck. People with such feelings, it was found, are more likely to be anxious on days like Friday the 13th and thus more prone to have accidents.


Credits: Internet, Google Search, wiresmash.com.