The Border Collie Chronicles Observations from (arguably) the World's Smartest Dogs; (but, without question, the bestest friends!) or, Life As We Understand It, as told from dad's shop. |
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Posted February 12, 2015 |
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Friggatriskaidekaphobia
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By Rooney
Friggatriskaidekaphobia, or paraskevidekatriaphobia, is the fear of
Friday the 13th.
Happy day to all of you!!!
As you know, we will be experiencing Friday the 13th
before too long (or it might have already come and gone … depending
on your loyalty to reading this little site every Thursday!!!)
Are you afeared?
You shouldn’t fall prey to this old superstition!
Here is some additional information on the origin of the fear
of Friday the 13th for those of you that are so inclined
…
The
fear of Friday the 13th stems from two separate causes -- the fear
of the number 13 and the fear of Fridays[i].
Both fears have deep roots in
Western culture, most notably in Christian theology.
Thirteen is significant to Christians because it is the number of
people who were present at the Last Supper (Jesus and his 12
apostles). Judas, the apostle
who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive.
Further,
in Norse mythology, the beloved hero Balder was killed at a banquet
by the mischievous god Loki, who
crashed the party of twelve, bringing the group to 13.
This story, as well as
the story of the Last Supper, led to one of the most entrenched
13-related beliefs: It’s
believed that you should never sit down to a meal in a group of 13.
Christians have traditionally been wary of Fridays because Jesus
was crucified on a Friday. Additionally,
some theologians hold that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit on a
Friday, and that the Great Flood began on a Friday.
In the past, many Christians
would never begin any new project or trip on a Friday, fearing they
would be doomed from the start.
Sailors were particularly superstitious in this regard, often
refusing to ship out on a Friday. According
to unverified legend (very likely untrue), the British Navy
commissioned a ship in the 1800s called H.M.S. Friday, in order to
quell the superstition. The
navy selected the crew on a Friday, launched the ship on a Friday
and even selected a man named James Friday as the ship's captain.
Then, one Friday morning, the
ship set off on its maiden voyage... and disappeared forever.
A similar, entirely factual
story is the harrowing flight of Apollo 13.
Some historians suggest the Christian distrust of Fridays is
actually linked to the early Catholic Church's overall suppression
of pagan religions and women. In
the Roman calendar, Friday was devoted to Venus, the goddess of
love. When Norsemen adapted
the calendar, they named the day after Frigg, or Freya, Norse
goddesses connected to love and sex.
Both of these strong female figures once posed a threat to
male-dominated Christianity, the theory goes, so the Christian
church vilified the day named after them.
Another significant piece of the legend is a particularly bad Friday
the 13th that occurred in the middle ages.
On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested
the revered Knights Templar and began torturing them, marking the
occasion as a day of evil.
This characterization may also have played a part in the fear of the
number 13. It was said that
Frigg would often join a
coven of witches, normally a group of 12, bringing the total
to 13. This idea may have
originated with the Christian Church itself; it's impossible to
verify the exact origins of most folklore.
A similar Christian legend
holds that 13 is unholy because it signifies the gathering of 12
witches and the devil.
The number 13 could also have been considered pagan because there
are 13 months in the pagan lunar calendar.
The lunar calendar also
corresponds to the human menstrual cycle, connecting the number to
femininity.
Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with
capital punishment. In
British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public
hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the
noose.
According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in
Asheville, North Carolina,
an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States
are affected by a fear of this day making it the most feared day and
date in history. Some
people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal
routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of
bed. "It's been
estimated that $800
or $900 million is lost in business on this day"[ii].
Ultimately, the complex folklore of Friday the 13th doesn't have
much to do with people's fears today.
The fear has much more to do with personal experience.
People learn at a young age
that Friday the 13th is supposed to be unlucky, for whatever reason,
and then they look for evidence that the legend is true.
The evidence isn't hard to
come by, of course. If you
get in a car wreck on one Friday the 13th, lose your wallet, or even
spill your coffee, that day will probably stay with you.
But if you think about it,
bad things, big and small, happen all the time. But, if you're
looking for bad luck on Friday the 13th, you'll probably find it[iii].
In conclusion, superstitions are for weak minded folks.
I don’t know about ya’ll – but, so far, ain’t nothing bad
happened to me on a Friday the 13th (knock on wood[iv]
and cross my fingers[v])
,,, so, to me … it’s just another day!
Wishing you the best!!!
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Some Quotes To Think On … |
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Change has a considerable psychological
impact on the human mind. To
the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get
worse. To the hopeful it is
encouraging because things may get better.
To the confident it is
inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better. King Whitney Jr.
Fear does not have any special power unless
you empower it by submitting to it. Les Brown
You gain strength, courage and confidence by
every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
You are able to say to
yourself, 'I have lived through this horror.
I can take the next thing
that comes along. You
must do the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt
Follow the path of the unsafe, independent
thinker. Expose your ideas to
the dangers of controversy. Speak
your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of
conformity. And on issues
that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost. Thomas J. Watson
A true friend knows your weaknesses but
shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith;
sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your
disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities. William Arthur Ward
My friends, love is better than anger.
Hope is better than fear.
Optimism is better than despair. So
let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic.
And we’ll change the world. Jack Layton
[i]
I don’t know about ya’ll … but I have no fear of Fridays …
in fact, I look forward to “Frosty Fridays”!
Thirteen … Heck, I can take it or leave it … not too
concerned, don’t prefer it, but won’t run from it either.
[iv]
Knocking on wood
refers to the apotropaic tradition in western folklore of literally touching,
tapping, or knocking on wood, or merely stating that you are
doing or intend same, in order to avoid "tempting fate"
after making a favorable observation, a boast, or
declaration concerning one's own death or other unfavorable
situation beyond one's control. The origin of this may be in
germanic folklore, wherein dryads are thought to live in
trees, and can be invoked for protection.
[v]
To cross one's
fingers is a hand gesture commonly used to implore
God for protection, as well as to wish for good luck.
The gesture is
referred to by the common expression "keeping one's fingers
crossed" or just "fingers crossed" and has also been
historically used in order to allow early Christian
believers to recognize one another during times of
persecution.
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