Unlucky Number 13

Have you ever thought about the number 13? 13 is the cardinal number that follows 12 and precedes 14. It can be written as "13", "thirteen", or "XIII" in Roman Numerals. It's actually rather famous because it has the reputation of being an "unlucky" number. If you avoid the number 13, then you may have "Triskaidekaphobia". Though "Triskaidekaphobia" is a long word that's difficult to pronounce, it's simply the fear of the number 13 and anything associated with it.

If you do suffer from this phobia, then don't even think about enrolling at the Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. The president of the college, Rebecca S. Chopp, has outlawed the use of the word "Triskaidekaphobia" at her school. Why? Because, for Colgate University, the number 13 is lucky. You see, the college was established by "13 men who had 13 dollars and 13 prayers." The school's address is "13 Oak Drive." Even their zip code- 13346- has the number 13 in it. And, if you remove the first "13", and add up the remaining numbers, you'll still come up with- you guessed it! - the sum of 13.

So, how did 13 end up with such a bad reputation anyhow? There are many explanations. One explanation is that the number 13 brings bad luck because there were 13 people present at "The Last Supper" in the Bible. Another story comes from Norse mythology. One of the nastiest Norse gods, "Loki", crashed a party at "Valhalla." Valhalla was the "banquet hall of the gods." There were 12 guests present at the hall until Loki arrived. With the mean-spirited Norse god as the 13th guest, the affair turned grim. The story goes that "Balder", "the god of light, joy, and reconciliation", died when Loki tricked Balder's
sightless brother Hod into throwing mistletoe at him. Just like Kryptonite to Superman, Mistletoe, you see, was the only thing on earth that could kill Balder.