Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13. What better way to celebrate Friday the 13th's superstitions than to discuss the phobia that centers on it?
Besides a movie franchise, Friday the 13th is a day of fright for those who have triskaidekaphobia. It's no different than other phobias, really, which are (often) unnecessary fear of something. To be precise, a phobia is an anxiety disorder.
It can be claustrophobia (fear of closed places) or agoraphobia (fear of open spaces), or triskaidekaphobia, which is fear of the number 13. Do not confuse triskaidekaphobia which the more specific fear of Friday the 13th, which is paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.
The term triskaidekaphobia was first used by I.H. Coriat in "Abnormal Psychology", p. 319, published in 1910, Moffat, Yard and company (New York). The origins of the word are from Greek tris meaning "3," kai meaning "and," and deka meaning "10."
There are many theories to the origin of the fear of the number 13, as well as references to its bad luck. The oldest known reference to the fear of the number 13 is said to be found in the Mesopotamian Code of Hammurabi, which is a Babylonian code of law that dates to approximately 1760 BC. The laws are numbered, but the number 13 is omitted.
Some commonly known examples of triskaidekaphobia:
- In America, many buildings have no floor numbered "13".
- On some passenger aircraft there is no row "13".
- In Formula One and many other racing venues, no vehicle carries the number 13.
- Hospitals and hotels frequently have no room number 13.
- On streets in Florence, Italy, and in parts of France the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half.
- On the Universal Studios sound stages in California, there is no sound stage numbered 13.
As it's Friday the 13th, why not and go out and rent the movie Friday the 13th, and watch it with 12 of your friends? Don't be scared, now.
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