13

Do you believe that 13 is an unlucky number? This book may cure you.

In the late 19th century, members of the “Thirteen Club” met on Fridays, walking under ladders and breaking mirrors before sitting down to dinner, 13 at a table, to show their contempt for superstition. The belief that 13 at a table is unlucky, argues Lachenmeyer (The Outsider, 1999), was the earliest superstition involving the number. Symbolically connected to the Last Supper, it usually entailed the belief that one of the diners would die within the year. Surprisingly, the evil associations of 13 aren’t as old as many believe. The earliest known reference to 13 at a table is by the Earl of Rochester in 1680, and Lachenmeyer finds scant mention of unlucky 13 in folklore of earlier periods. The Norse tale of Baldur, murdered at a gathering of 13 gods, is often cited as a pagan source, but texts preserving the myth are from Christian times and may well have been influenced by the model of the Last Supper. Perhaps the biggest surprise here is that the earliest clear reference to Friday the 13th is the title of a novel published in 1907. Lachenmeyer refutes wiccans and neopagans who contend that 13 is a holy number of the old religion, suppressed and slandered by the Catholic Church. In fact, he notes, the church views lucky and unlucky numbers as foolish if not sinful beliefs. A survey of related superstitions provides interesting factoids: Tuesday, not Friday, is the unlucky day in many European countries; the symbolism of 13 on the US dollar bill refers to the 13 colonies; and several proposed calendar reforms offer 13 months, each containing a Friday the 13th. Some amusing lists enliven the presentation.

Fast-moving and entertaining.