Why is the number 13 considered unlucky?

Answer 1

Alas, I do not know. I never really thought about it. It's probably just an old wifes myth or something.

Answer 2

The number 13 has been considered unlucky for a long time, and by people all over the world. The early Romans thought 13 was a sign of death and destruction. And according to Norse mythology, if you sat 13 people down at a table, that was very unlucky. (Why? At a banquet of 12 people in Valhalla, an intruder (number 13) caused the death of Balderb's son Odin). The number of people at the last supper of Christ and the twelve Apostles confirmed the superstition about the number 13. Witches were believed to meet in covens that had 13 members.

The fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia. Many hotels have no room 13, and many buildings have no 13th floor. Next time you fly, see if there is a row 13 in the plane. As date, 13 isnbt too lucky either, especially when it falls on Friday. That was always thought of as a really bad day to start a new project or to begin a ship voyage. Movers, doctors and dentists say their business drops on Friday the 13th. The good news is that a maximum of three Friday the 13th can occur in a year, and sometimes there is just one.

Answer 3

If you are in the US it has some significance.

The number of original colonies the United States was founded from. The original flag had thirteen stars, one for each state. New stars have since been added whenever a new state joins the union, but the idea of adding stripes for new states was soon dropped, so the American flag to this day has thirteen horizontal stripes: six white ones and seven red ones.
The Great Seal of the United States has:
13 levels of the truncated pyramid,
13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum", which appears in the banner running through the eagle's beak on the right side of the bill's reverse.
13 letters in the phrase "Annuit Coeptis", which appears over the pyramid on the left side of the bill's reverse.
13 stars above the Eagle,
13 leaves on the olive branch,
13 olives on the olive branch,
13 arrows held by the Eagle, and
13 bars on the shield.

Also the 13th amendment outlaws slavery

If you are a Da Vinci Code enthusiast....

There is also another theory that Friday the 13th of October 1307 was the day that Philip IV of France arrested and subsequently tortured and killed hundreds of the French Knights Templar to get their money for the French treasury.

Answer 4

Some say that the 13th is some sort of druid/pagan date, celebrating the female, or something along those lines. Others believe the Knights Templar were ambushed and executed on the 13th. I think it's unlucky because I took a heck of a spill off my bike on the 13th, once upon a time, and totally brutalized my face. Unlucky is in the eye of the beholder.

Answer 5

There are 13 moon cycles in a lunar year--one per month plus a "blue moon" for the month that has the second full moon. So the 13th moon is considered a little unusual, since the other moons are named and standardized. I guess when the lunar calendar was taken over by the 12-month solar calendar, 13 pagan months was considered weird and unlucky. It's not a big deal in a lunar sense, but it doesn't fit with solar cultures.

Answer 6

there's actually a real answer to this... it has to do with the Knights Templar.

quick review: the Knights Templar were Christian Knights who protected travelers in the Holy Land during the time of the crusades. the Knights became extremely wealthy and influential (though no one knows how exactly).... they are also credited with being the forerunners of modern banking.

the king of france became a little jealousy and wanted their money... so he ordered all the Knights arrested and executed (falsely accusing them of blasphemy)... this was done on October 13th, 1307 (a Friday).

since then, it's been considered an unlucky day.

Answer 7

I heard somewhere that it was because a combination of 7 which is a holy number and 6 which is the devil's number makes 13.

Answer 8

I don't know but I wish I did since I was born on the 13th friday october 13th even!!!!!!!!!!! SO if 13 is unluck I must be very very very unlucky lol

Answer 9

several reasons add to this
#1 in tarot the 13th card is death.
#2 in 1303 roman catholic pope orders the slaughter of a whole order of knights called the templars on friday october 13.
well i could go on but thats at the tip of my tongue for now. i know there are a few more.

Answer 10

13 is a baker's dozen. In ancient law, a baker could be executed for not having 12 rolls in their packages labeled 1 dozen. So, to be on the safe side they would add an extra roll to the dozen.

Answer 11

Because on Friday the 13th the Knights Templar were slaughtered by the Vatican.