Sunday, February 28, 2010

Triskaidekaphobia


It has been passed down through generations that the number 13 is unlucky. The fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia and is apparently everywhere: office buildings, parking spots, airport gates, and office numbers. The number 13th is thought of as to be taboo, and extremely unlucky. However, is it really that unlucky?


First off, no matter what you call it, the number after 12 is still 13. You can pretend that it is the 14th floor, or 14th parking spot, but in reality it is still the 13th. Even William Shakespeare stated in his play Romeo and Juliet, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” In this situation, the number 14 would become just as unlucky as the number 13. This, however, has not happened.

Where did this fear of the number 13 come from?


Some say it is because when counting on fingers and feet, you can only get up to the number 12. The number 13, therefore, is unknown and the unknown must be unlucky. Others say it is because Judas was the 13
th disciple to come to the last supper which lead him to betray Jesus.

On the other hand, the ancient Egyptians felt the number 13 was very lucky. The 13th rung of their ladder to immortality lead to paradise. Also, the number 1 +3=4 which is the number of security.


The number 13 is not necessarily unlucky, and those who believe it suffer from triskaidekaphobia- the fear of the number 13.





Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Superstitions,-Numerology-and-the-Number-13---Is-it-Really-Bad-Luck?&id=2327815

1 comment:

  1. I have never believed in the number 13 being unlucky, just like is you break a mirror you get 7 years of back luck. Luck is just something people want to believe in. I believe everything happens for a reason although that doe not mean that I will break a mirror or chose the number 13.

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