The number 13 is seen by many people as unlucky, but I think that sorcerers and bridge players might be an exception.
There are 13 cards in a bridge hand, 13 tricks in a deal – and I’ve noticed that I have taken a different, kinder approach to the number when I spot it since starting to play bridge. (Sometimes, I’ll even count out 13 turns of pepper while cooking and immediately think of the game.)
How much do we know about the number 13 and its perception?
Here are some facts about the number.
Fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia. Fear of being asked to spell it, well, I’m not really sure what they would call that. Please keep in mind that phobias are a medical condition often tied to anxiety disorders (and they can theoretically occur as a fear of literally anything real or imagined).
There were 12 Greek Olympians, not 13. There’s a huge amount of lists on superstition out there that mention Zeus as the 13th God in the Greek mythology – but according most other reputable sources there were only 12. Sometimes, Dionysus is listed as a thirteenth, but was never part of the original group of Olympians.
Movies really capitalize on the fear of 13. There are a lot of movies surrounding either the topic of the number, usually horror-related. Friday the 13th (1980), 13 Ghosts (1960), Thirteen Ghosts (2001), 13B (2009). That’s a list of only a handful, but there are way, way – and way – more of them if you want to go digging for a 13-themed movie night.
We have 12 signs of the Zodiac, but… Some astrologers also refer to Ophiuchus as the 13th astrological sign. It refers to the a man grasping a snake, occurring between late November to mid-December.
Bridge isn’t the only card game that embraces the number 13. While there are 10 cards in your standard rummy hand, a variation exists that uses 13 cards instead. Tien Len, a traditionally Vietnamese card game, is also known as Thirteen in some parts of the world (Rules for Tien Len at Pagat).
13 is only traditionally unlucky in some places. It turns out that your take on the number 13 depends which version of the 13-number mythologies and stories you spent time around most.