Friday the 13th’s origins remain uncertain

The history of Friday the 13th is rooted in separate fears of Fridays and the number 13, but when those associations became a single superstition remains uncertain. Several stories are commonly offered as explanations, including the Last Supper and the arrest of the Knights Templar in 1307, though the accounts do not establish either as the origin.

The Last Supper, attended by Jesus and 12 apostles, is one proposed link to the number 13. Christian tradition associates Jesus’ crucifixion with a Friday, later known as Good Friday. Some accounts also connect Friday with the biblical story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit. These are explanations for the separate associations, not proof of when they joined into one feared date.

Another frequently cited episode is Friday, October 13, 1307, when King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of hundreds of Knights Templar. Numerologist Ruma Marwah said historians have found no proof that the arrests began the superstition. The date is a proposed historical link, but the available accounts do not establish that the arrests created the belief.

Other possible influences reach further back. A Norse tale describes chaos after 13 gods...