Poor misunderstood 13
By Jekca
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
Centralia, Missouri
January 10, 2016 7:03am CST
13 has always been a favorite number of mine. I guess it's just my need to root for the underdog cropping up again, for I have no particular reason to like this number. If you do a quick wiki search 13 comes up in conjunction with words like "unlucky" or "superstition".
Fear of the number 13 is called Triskaidekaphobia, apparently, which would set off hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (fear of big words according to wiki, which is ironic considering the length), in most of us. Some apartments don't have a #13 or a floor 13.
At the last supper there were 13 at the table, but honestly there would have been women there too, so that one is quasi in this discussion. There was a mass killing of Templar Knights by King Phillip IV of France on Friday October 13th in the 1300s. Maybe this is why Friday the 13ths have an even worse reputation.
But.
Jews believe 13 is the age boys become men (not a full explanation on that one). Those who practice some more nontraditional religions, like some branches of wiccan have covens, and 13 is considered a good number there.
But really, 13 is just a number, the sixth prime number, and a "happy number" (
So what is your take on 13?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_number)....
25 people like this
30 responses
@poehere (15126)
• French Polynesia
10 Jan 16
My great grandparents on my mom's side of the family are Sioux Indian. At the age of 13 is when we take on our new name and find our protector. This animal spirit comes to us in a vision and at this time we get our name. My Indian name is Nayekima which means to fly in the face of the wind. My animal vision was the great eagle flying into the face of the wind.
13 is also the year that parents seem to dread when they child becomes a teenage and starts their longer journey for the next 5 years to torment and deify us and challenge our every decision.
But for me 13 means something else. This was the age I was sent away to go to school to learn to write and read English. My mother thought it was a good idea to send me to her brother's home to go to school. This happened to be one of the worst years of school I ever had to endure because I had no idea how to read or write in English but I could speak the language so the teachers were angry with me over this. I took all my notes in class in French and I did turn in a lot of assignments in French. I had no idea how else to do them.
All in all 13 is just a number and it can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. I do understand why the Jews consider this the age of becoming a man and it is the same with my great grandparents too. Here on the islands 13 is the age boys become a man here and they are circumcised. They don't do this as a baby but wait till this age. So I guess it all depends on where you live and what you believe in.
4 people like this
@41CombedaleRoad (5952)
• Greece
11 Jan 16
That was an interesting read Ann, your history is something you should write about more often and also it helps to keep your traditions alive.
@poehere (15126)
• French Polynesia
11 Jan 16
@41CombedaleRoad Thank you and I will consider this one. She just asked me what I thought of 13 and I answered it as to how I see the number.
@HanVanMeegerin (1161)
• United States
11 Jan 16
@poehere thanks for sharing your story. You have come a long way with your writing.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
10 Jan 16
On Lufthansa flights there is no row 13 or row 17. It's a bit of a mystery though I think I read somewhere that 17 is unlucky in Brazil and Italy. Ironically they don't seem to care that 4 is very unlucky in China though a lot of hotels now skip the 4th floor if they have a lot of Chinese visitors.
3 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
10 Jan 16
there is some stuff with numbers that add to something too. like people think 6 is unlucky so would not live at 6, 33, 24 or anything else that would ADD to 6. I thought that was super odd
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
12 Jan 16
@RasmaSandra oh really? that's cool.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (74146)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
10 Jan 16
@Jessicalynnt well first of all 13 counts as a luck number for me according to my Pisces horoscope. Since I was born on a Friday then Friday the 13th counts as an exceptionally lucky day for me. I don't remember if anything out of the ordinary ever happened on this day but I do know that I never had any troubles. Interesting that you mention 13 because just today I noticed that in the size of the script we choose there is no 13.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
10 Jan 16
Exactly, to me it is just another number!
1 person likes this
@kevin1877uk (36988)
•
10 Jan 16
I think 13 is ok and never have a problem with it and that it could be unlucky or something.
A baker's dozen is 13 and not 12.
2 people like this
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
10 Jan 16
13 had always been another number for me.
But now that my daughter was born on 13th, I do consider 13th as a lucky day at least for me and my family. So yes, I will be with you when you say, 13th is the sixth prime number and a "happy number".
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5952)
• Greece
11 Jan 16
Historically it was the killing of the Knights Templar that began the superstitions relating to the number 13. I am not superstitious so it doesn't bother me what my house number is or the date.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
12 Jan 16
that was a pretty big deal, so I could see that being it.
@silvermist (19702)
• India
10 Jan 16
@Jessicalynnt It is just a number for me-neither lucky nor unlucky.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
10 Jan 16
I like it, and to me it feels lucky, but I have nothing to back that up with
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (49274)
• United States
10 Jan 16
I agree , it is just a number. I am not superstitious.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
10 Jan 16
It was my grandmother's fav number. I always found that strange, not the number but the idea of having a fav number. However she liked the number so much she named each of her children so that with their first, middle, and last name added up to 13. She had 4 kids.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
11 Jan 16
@JudyEv I'm not sure it was probably some time. She had twins so that time she had to come up with 2
@cherriefic (10400)
• Philippines
11 Jan 16
I feel lucky with the number 13. I made sure to buy scratch lotto tickets during Friday the 13th and I always win something.
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
11 Jan 16
I have no problems with the number nor do I see any numbers as lucky either
@Scindhia (1906)
• India
11 Jan 16
13 is just a number needed to cross from 12 to 14. There is no special meaning for it. I think movies played a big part in setting up its horror image.
