Post by Rhonda on Jun 20, 2008 2:55:22 GMT -5
RANDOM TIDBITS
ON FRIDAY THE 13TH
There is a Norse myth about 12 gods who were having a
dinner party when in walked an uninvited 13th guest - the
mischievous Loki. According to the myth, Loki arranged for
Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the
Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-
tipped arrow. Balder died and the Earth went dark. The
whole Earth mourned.
***
A particularly bad Friday the 13th 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.
***
In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of
12. The 13th was believed to be the devil.
***
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.
***
Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12
months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus,
12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles
of Jesus. In exceeding 12 by 1, 13's association with bad
luck has to do with just being a little beyond completeness.
***
The fear of the number 13 is so great that more than 80
percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor, many airports skip
the 13th gate, several cities do not have a 13th Street or
a 13th Avenue, and hospitals and hotels regularly have no
room number 13.
***********************************************************
ON FRIDAY THE 13TH
There is a Norse myth about 12 gods who were having a
dinner party when in walked an uninvited 13th guest - the
mischievous Loki. According to the myth, Loki arranged for
Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the
Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-
tipped arrow. Balder died and the Earth went dark. The
whole Earth mourned.
***
A particularly bad Friday the 13th 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.
***
In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of
12. The 13th was believed to be the devil.
***
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.
***
Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12
months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus,
12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles
of Jesus. In exceeding 12 by 1, 13's association with bad
luck has to do with just being a little beyond completeness.
***
The fear of the number 13 is so great that more than 80
percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor, many airports skip
the 13th gate, several cities do not have a 13th Street or
a 13th Avenue, and hospitals and hotels regularly have no
room number 13.
***********************************************************