This is going to be a very trying year for people with Triskaidekaphobia, also known as the fear of the number 13. While the superstitious folks afflicted with this problem can easily stay home on Friday the 13th, it’s going to be a lot harder to stay inside for another 362 days。 Why is 13 considered unlucky, anyway? There were 13 people at the Last Supper。 It's said that Judas Iscariot and the one who betrayed Jesus - was the 13th man to take his place at the table。 Similarly, there’s a Norse legend that has 12 gods sitting down to a banquet when the 13th (uninvited) god, Loki, shows up。 Loki killed one of the other gods, which led to events that eventually resulted in Ragnarok - the death of a bunch of gods, a slew of natural disasters, and the eradication of everything on earth save for two human survivors. There's a lot more to the story than that, but you get the general idea。 Traditionally, there used to be 13 steps leading up the gallows。 There's also a legend that a hangman's noose traditionally contained 13 turns, but it's actually more like eight。 |
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