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Lucky us--another Friday the 13th is rolling around and will visit us in September. I bet you can't wait!
Excuse me, what's that you just thought to yourself? You DON'T like Friday the 13th? Gosh, you might be one of those people who have paraskavedekatriaphobia, also known as friggatriskaidekaphobia, and sometimes referred to as triskaidekaphobia.
Ah, do I hear you saying, "Don't speak Greek to me"? OK, those tongue-twisters refer to a fear of Friday the 13th. Here's their linguistic origins:
Paraskavedekatriaphobia: from Ancient Greek Παρασκευή for Friday + δεκατρείς for Thirteen + well… you know what phobia means
Friggatriskaidekaphobia: from Frigga, the Norse goddess for whom Friday was named + Ancient Greek τρεῖς for three + Ancient Greek καί for and + Ancient Greek δέκα for ten (three and ten = 13) + phobia
Triskaidekaphobia: from Ancient Greek δεκατρείς, meaning thirteen + phobia
I regret that there isn't time or space enough here to dive into the origins of this fear of Friday the 13th. Nor to explicate the wellspring of the many other superstitions that some folks harbor. Needless to say, "it's complicated." But... there are numerous nifty books that can help you and your library customers learn more. Take a look at Brodart's list of helpful titles that are available.
Oh, and what about that scary film "Friday the 13th"? I couldn't resist including the available DVDs and books about it. After all, it was an unlucky day for those teenaged camp counselors…
