What does the number 13 have anything to do with Wicca (If it has anything to do with it at all)?

Answer 1

Nothing specific, though some Wiccans believe that 13 is best number of people to have in a coven. Why, I don't know. It probably has to do with the idea that 13 is inherently magical. (But then, so are 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11; all primes.)

Edit: D'oh! Forgot there are 13 lunar months! So, there you are.

Answer 2

"Thirteen" has been negatively connected to Wicca since time immemorial. As a solitary practitioner, I have had no particularly strong (or weak) feelings about the number 13.

There is the occasional reference to lunar cycles; however those references assume that there are 13 full moons each and every year. This is incorrect. Many years contain 13 full moons but not all. It depends on when in each month the full moon takes place.

A calendar year is 365.25 days. A full lunar cycle is 29.5:

365.25/29.5=12.381... thus, there are 12.381 lunar cycles in a year and not 13.

According to: http://www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/fullmoons.html
the full moons for 2006 were/are:
January 14th Full Wolf Moon 4:48 am
February 12th Full Snow Moon 11:44 pm
March 14th Full Worm Moon 6:35 pm
April 13th Full Pink Moon 12:40 pm
May 13th Full Flower Moon 2:51 am
June 11th Full Strawberry Moon 2:03 pm
July 10th Full Buck Moon 11:01 am
August 9th Full Sturgeon Moon 6:54 am
September 7th Full Corn Moon 2:42 pm
October 6th Full Harvest Moon 11:12 pm
November 5th Full Hunters Moon 7:58 am
December 4th Full Cold Moon 7:24 pm

As you can see, there will be only 12 full moons in 2006, not 13.

However, for what it's worth, there will be 13 full moons in 2007!

Answer 3

There has also been a 'christian' tradition about the number 13. I don't know whether the wiccan tradition about that number is older or not. At the Last Supper, while Judas was in the room, there were 13 people present (including Jesus). When Judas left there were only 12. I'm not trying to portray any logic here, just the source of the superstition. In fact the whole idea of Friday the 13th, I understand, comes from the belief that Jesus was crucified on a Friday, and there were 13 people in the room when Jesus identified Judas as the betrayer.
As I say, I don't know which is the original source, the wiccan one or this one.

Answer 4

13 has to do with ancient women's spirituality and the goddess. The goddess is often seen as represented by the moon. There are 13 full moons in a year and a woman has 13 menstruation cycles. The Wiccan full moon celebrations are known as Esbats. Obviously there are 13 in a year.

Another example of paganism being demonized by the christian church....hence the reason 13 is considered an "unlucky" number.

Answer 5

13 is the most common cut off point for members of a coven, because the traditional Witches' circle is 9 ft across, and 13 people will comfortably fit therein. Plus that leaves, (for Traditonal groups)
6 men 6 women, plus the High Priestess.

Answer 6

The number of Lunar months. Since the moon is the symbol for the Goddess anything that has to do with the moon is sacred.

Answer 7

I can't really add anything to the already good answers you have recieved, however paganism and the number 13 has nothing to do with evil. A lot of pagans including myself do not recognize evil. We beleive in positive and negative aspects of all things.

Answer 8

It's the number of lunar months in a year.

Answer 9

It is a scared number and is the number of lunar months in a year.

Answer 10

Because pagan religions try to take anything remotely evil and use it as "religious elements" The number 13 is "unlucky" so they think it's cool