Friday the 13th as an unlucky day comes from a mix of ancient myths, religious stories, and later cultural fears that slowly merged over centuries.

Where the “13” came from

  • In Norse mythology , a banquet in Valhalla hosted 12 gods, but the trickster Loki showed up as the 13th guest and engineered the death of the beloved god Balder , which made 13 a symbol of chaos and bad luck.
  • In Christian tradition , Jesus and his 12 apostles made 13 people at the Last Supper ; the 13th, Judas , betrayed Jesus, and the crucifixion happened on Good Friday , linking 13 and Friday with betrayal and death.

Why Friday felt unlucky

  • Some medieval Christian stories held that many bad events happened on Fridays , including the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden and Cain killing Abel , which made Friday itself feel ominous.
  • Friday was also associated with execution days in parts of Europe, reinforcing its reputation as a day of suffering.

When “Friday the 13th” became a thing

  • Scholars think the specific idea that Friday the 13th is unlucky started in France in the 1800s , when older beliefs about Friday and the number 13 were combined into one superstition.
  • The belief spread to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries , boosted by plays, novels, and later the “Friday the 13th” horror movies , which cemented it in pop culture.

Other theories that feed the myth

  • The Knights Templar were arrested on Friday, October 13, 1307 , by King Philip IV of France, which some people later cite as a “real‑life” bad‑luck Friday‑the‑13th moment.
  • In pre‑Christian Europe , the number 13 was tied to lunar cycles and goddess‑worship , and early Christians sometimes demonized these associations, turning 13 into a “sinful” or “witchy” number.

How different cultures see it

Culture / Region| View of Friday the 13th
---|---
Much of Western Europe & North America| Strong superstition; many avoid travel, surgery, or big decisions. 1510
Italy| Some fear Friday the 17th more than the 13th. 9
East Asia (e.g., China, Japan)| Often fear the number 4 (sounds like “death”) more than 13. 9
Some modern fans| Treat Friday the 13th as a fun, “cinematic” day tied to horror‑movie culture. 37

So “where Friday the 13th came from” is really a layer cake of myths : Norse stories, Christian theology, medieval folklore, and 19th‑century drama, all stirred together by 20th‑century movies.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.