Friday the 13th

Well first off tomorrow is my birthday (Yah!!!!) But moving on to the whole myth of Friday the 13th.

One source claims that Friday in many cultures was an inauspicious day, take a look-

In Ancient Rome, Friday was execution day.

In some pre-Christian Religions Friday was a day of worship, so those who involved themselves in secular or self-interested activities on that day were not likely to receive the blessings of the gods on their undertakings. Which may go a long way to explain the superstition of not embarking on journeys or starting important projects on Fridays.

From the Christian bible:

- Friday is reputed to be the day Eve gave Adam the apple.

- It is said to be the day Adam & Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden.

- Friday is also reputed to be the day they (Adam & Eve) died.

- The Great Flood is supposed to have started on a Friday.

- God was said to have struck the builders of the Towel of Babel and created the confusion of many tongues, on a Friday.

- The Temple of Solomon was destroyed on a Friday.

- Christ was crucified and died on a Friday.

In Britain, Friday was customarily Hanging Day.

It is said accidents are more common on Fridays, however, that may be more because Friday is the end of the work week and people are hurrying to get away from work, than any sinister reasons.

It is supposed that witches favour Friday for coven gatherings. This Pagan association was not lost on the early Christian Church, which went to considerable lengths to suppress them. If Friday was a holy day for "heathens" the Church fathers felt it must not be so for Christians, hence in the middle ages Friday became known as the "Witches' Sabbath."

The name "Friday" is derived from the Norse goddess known either as Frigg - wife of Odin (the goddess of marriage & fertility, the moon & witches) or Freya (goddess of love, beauty, sensuality, war, good fortune, magic & wisdom). To complicate matters the two goddesses are combined and used interchangeably by many, however, the etymology of Friday has been given both ways.

Pre-Christian Teutonic people actually considered Friday to be lucky, particularly for wedding, because of its association with the aforementioned goddesses. This however changed when the Christian church came into ascendancy. Frigg/Freya was re-cast in folklore as a witch and her day became associated with evil doings.

Various legends developed in that vein, one however, is of particular interest:

As the legend goes, the witches of the north used to observe their Sabbath by gathering in a cemetery in the dark of the moon. On one such occasion the Friday goddess, (Freya herself) came down from her sanctuary in the mountaintops and appeared before the group, who numbered only twelve at the time, and gave them one of her cats, after which the witches' coven, and, by "tradition," every properly-formed coven since, is comprised of thirteen members.

Other superstitions concerning Friday include:

- Clothing made on a Friday will never fit properly.

- Visiting your doctor on Friday will not have a good result.

- Never change your bed on a Friday, as it will result in nightmares and bad dreams.

- One should not move their residence or marry on a Friday, if they expect any good to come of it.

- Cut your nails of Friday and you cut them for sorrow.

- Ill news received on a Friday will etch wrinkles in the face of the recipient, more so than the same news received on any other day.

- Friday is an inauspicious day to start a trip as "misfortune will bound to follow."

- Ships that set sail on Friday will have bad luck. ~ This superstition is supported by the Urban legend of the H.M.S. Friday.

It is reported that, in an attempt to debunk the many sailors' superstitions centered around Fridays, the British government commissioned a special ship. They named it the H.M.S. Friday; the crew was selected on a Friday, the keel was set on a Friday, and she was launched on a Friday. They even went so far as to hire a man named Friday to captain her. It was on a Friday that she set sail on her maiden voyage, and as the story goes, was never heard of again.

(Read more: http://wiki.answers.com)

That is kind of depressing being that I was born on Friday, and in some superstition  those children are born unlucky (that explains one or two things) but other tales say that Friday children have second sight and healing powers (BOOYAAH!!!!) 

The number 13 has  been international feared for awhile. Some attribute it to the fact that ancient cavemen couldn't count beyond their ten fingers and two feet (what about their toes?) and there for anything beyond that was to mystifying to them. Judas Iscariot was the 13th member of the Last Supper, and we all know what happened to him! Another myth came from the Vikings (dem good ol' Vikings again, Remember Thor?), that at a dinner of the gods, Loki, the 13th member, tricked a god into killing another god.

One of the major sources of the myth of Friday the 13th came from event when the Knights Templars were slaughtered in their main temple by the army of France.

So there ya go.  Personally I don't think it is such a  big of an event but I am still a little careful on those days (except  the whole idea Friday is a bad day, I didn't even knew that existed) just in case. So stay safe and see you Monday.