Reader Friday-On the Thirteenth

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There’s some weird stuff out there about Friday the Thirteenth. Consider this from our fine friend, Wikipedia:

One source mentioned for the unlucky reputation of the number 13 is a Norse myth about twelve gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The trickster god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the thirteenth guest, and arranged for Höðr, the god of darkness, to shoot Balder, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder died, triggering much suffering in the world, which caused the number 13 to be considered unlucky.

Kinda sounds like a plot for a thriller novel, yes?

Writers can be quite superstitious. I wrote a Killzone post back in February touching on how quirky some (or all?) writers are. You can read that post here.

Since today is Friday the 13th, I thought we’d share some of the weird superstitions that are out there. Cue Twilight Zone music. Or maybe X Files—

Here’s a few more I ran across:

Never stick your chopsticks straight up. In Japan, poking chopsticks down into your food is a big no-no. The utensils look like the unlucky number four, which means death, and also the incense sticks used at funerals. Another tip: Don’t point your chopsticks at anyone. That’s just plain rude.

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Don’t go home right after a funeral. In Filipino tradition, if you go straight home after a funeral, a bad spirit could tag along and wreak havoc on your life. Stop at a restaurant first to stay safe.

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Keep your new shoes off the table. (Say what?) In Britain, it’s considered bad luck because it symbolizes the death of a loved one. Back in the day, placing someone’s shoes on a table was a way to let the family know that they passed away. Nowadays, it’s also just bad etiquette.

And if you’re dying (heh, heh) to learn more about superstitions around the world, go here.

TKZers, what are some strange superstitions you’ve heard of; or maybe share some from your own family archives. And in your writing life, do any of your characters have weird superstitions?

(I’ll be in and out today, and will monitor as I can…)

 

 

This entry was posted in #ReaderFriday, superstition, Writing and tagged by Deb Gorman. Bookmark the permalink.

About Deb Gorman

Deb Gorman is an author, blogger, and speaker who escaped from a 9-5 job in the medical field to pursue what she really loves—words, words, and more words. A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, she writes fiction and non-fiction in between long walks through orchard country with her husband, Alan, and playing with their German Shepherd, Hoka. You can catch up with Deb on her website, debggorman.com, and email her at debster145@gmail.com

13 thoughts on “Reader Friday-On the Thirteenth”

  1. The superstition is tied to the King of France and the Pope’s first attack on the Knights Templar whose major heresy was that King owed them lots of money, and the Pope wanted that money, too, as well as all the gold and Holy Treasures they brought back from the raid on Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. It happened on a Friday the 13th in October, 1307. The Knights were tortured and murdered, but the Church couldn’t find most of the treasure which was hauled out of France. I don’t know about bad luck connected to the day, but this event certainly showed the hypocrisy of the times.

    • Hi Marilyn.

      I hadn’t heard that, but speaking of hypocrisy–kinda sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by, and have superstition-free 13th. 🙂

  2. I like some of the superstations tied to baseball, a very superstitious sport:
    There was a hall of fame hitter who would toss any bat he got a hit with. His reasoning was there were only so many hits in a piece of wood and he didn’t want to find out he had used the last one.
    Oral Hershiser was very picky about baseballs. Many times he would get a new ball, not like it, and toss it back to the umpire. Many times he would reject the same ball again.
    Adam Wainright had delivery pasta for lunch on game day. He won. He had the same lunch the next time he started. He won again. He won six home games in a row that year. Domino’s was very happy about that.

  3. One I learned today.
    Israel attacked Iran on 6/13. There are 613 commandments in the Bible. Some blessings are different than others.

  4. My condo building does not have a 13th floor. I’ve noticed this about a lot of buildings. My friends who live on the 14th floor say, “Well, it’s really the 13th, but . . .” so I’m not sure why the builder left out the 13.

    • Hi, Elaine!

      I forgot about the “13th floor” superstition. When I lived in LA, I lived in a building that skipped the 13th floor. I thought it was weird then, and now.

      Have a great day!

  5. No superstitions for me, Deb. However, I do have a Friday the 13th Fez, in honor of this date (not the movie series). Black velvet, bearing the numeral 13 in white on a red field, inside a gold border, with a little white skull below the 13.

    Hope you have a trouble free day!

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