GASP!! It’s Friday the 13th. We all know what they say about Friday the 13th, right? It’s a day filled with unlucky experiences. But why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?
Before the massacre of the Knights Templar by King Phillip of France, before the 
myth of the devil joining twelve witches by their fire, and before Judas, the 13th guest at the last supper, we have a Norse legend from the ancient gods.
The myth tells about twelve gods while having dinner at their heaven, Valhalla, when an uninvited guest by the name of Loki arrived. Loki had arranged for Hoder (blind god of darkness) to shoot Balder (goddess of joy and gladness) with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder dies and the Earth grew dark and mourned over the loss of the beautiful goddess. Talk about a love gone wrong.
Did you know…
Friday the 13th was the traditional day for public hanging in Britain and that there are 13 steps to the Gallo.
Eighty percent of buildings do not have a 13th floor or so they’re labeled.
Most airlines do not have a 13th gate, and airplanes have no 13th row seats.
Hospitals and hotels generally do not have room numbered 13.
The Italians omit the number 13 from their lottery.
Think all the fear about the number is a bunch of whooey? What about the disastrous voyage of Apollo 13? The people at NASA are supposed to be the mega-brains of the human race and they didn’t learn from history.
Throughout history it has been considered unlucky if you set sail or started a trip on a Friday.
It’s said to be bad luck to cut fingernails on Friday.
If you change your sheets on Friday you will have bad dreams. Imagine staying in a hotel on the 13th floor, in room number 13, where the sheets had just been changed on Friday the 13th. Not good. Not good at all.
So what are some things which will bring you good luck today?
Pictures of elephants bring good luck, if they face a door. 
Here's mine and he is facing the door.
Upturned horseshoes above your door will bring good luck. My horse yipped when I pulled his shoe this morning. "I only took one," I said.
Seeing a spider spinning a web in the morning. Damn. I just cleaned the whole house. If only I had know. HANGING HEAD.
Let a ladybug land on you, and don’t kill it. Yea, I found one, but it was already on it's back. Not looking good.
Put a dress on inside out. People at Walmart are going to give me funny looks, I just know it.
Sleep facing south on un-ironed sheets. Done. I don't iron. 
Carry an acorn with you. Okay, now I've got to climb the old oak tree? I can see my good luck changing on this one. Please send cards and flowers to...
A frog brings good luck to the home it enters. This I can do. There is a frog in the pool. Now, to tempt him with what?
There you have it, the legend and a few things you can do or not do to keep the bad luck at bay.
Good luck!
Fascinating post, Autumn. LOL. I loved your take on it. I didn't know a heap of this stuff.
I don't know about you guys but I am looking for ladybugs and frogs in the house, do lizards count?
What a great post Autumn, I never heard most of this stuff. Putting the dress on inside out,done. Gonna go back and look again. Oh,the elephant could be a problem!
When I was a kid, I decided Friday the 13th was a good day, and that Saturday the 14th was the bad one. I guess I just liked the number 13 a lot, it being odd and a prime number and just generally cool, whereas 14 seemed sort of boring.
There's a door behind my computer monitor, so I guess the elephant is facing it. And I LOVE spiders and always keep them not just for good luck but for their useful insect-catching abilities. However, I didn't see any webs being spun today. Maybe I will tomorrow, when it really matters.
loved your post, Autumn! Cracked me up. Thanks for the giggle.
Beth, You turned me on to doing research, Beth. The interesting stuff you find is not only fascinating and sometimes odd, but very useful too.
I'm sure you have a frog or too on the pond. Invite him inside.
Mary, You look lovely with your pastel turned inside out. LOL. Sorry, lizards don't count.
Barbara, I always wondered about the people who lived on the 14th floor in a building who didn't have a 13th. Didn't they realize it really was the 13th floor and not the 14th. Maybe the two numbers are connected. Keep the elephant for tomorrow.
Joanne, you're welcome. You always have to look at the bright side.
I loved it, Autumn! Clothes on inside out, no ironing, no bed making, easy. Do cobwebs count, dust bunnies? I'll avoid mirrors. Better check your list again.
Interesting post, Autumn. I must admit I'm superstitious about some things all year long but I always tell myself Friday the 13th is a lucky day!!
Interesting tidbit about the Norse legend. My son is very into the Norse religion, so I recognized Loki (at least). I knew about the Knights Templar but not about the other things. Thanks for an interesting post.
AUTUMN--Odd how we think something so innocent can bring us bad luck. I absolutely know it's not true, that people only remember something bad that might have happened many other times on other days, but we stick with that Friday 13 business. However!!!! I don't like a black cat to walk in front of me or my car, I will not walk under a ladder, and this morning we took both vehicles into town to have the state inspections. What did I tell my husband when we parted at the house? "Be careful, honey, it's Friday the 13th!" My admonition worked because we made it safely back home. Whew! Celia
No, MM, you need to see the spider weaving, atleaset that is the myth. I din't know about the mirrors. Hmmmm. Too late.
I tell myself the same thing, Judy. My dad is bothered by the Friday the 13th for some reason. Maybe something happened to him that he hasn't shared. I will ask?
Thanks, Nightgale. Like I said, it's Beth's fault.
Hi, Celia. I had a black cat run in front of me last week. MIL freakin' and I'm like nice kitty.
Then later that night, I spilled salt and panicked grapping the spilled slat and tossing it over my shoulder. She was like want are you doing?
Different things bother different folks in different ways. Always was, always will be.
Nice to see you here.
Sorry for my dress today. I had to go to Paris again for Mary's roasting party. It's such fun.
Autumn, I figure if I avoid mirrors, I'm less likely to break one.
It's raining here today and we could use it. Good luck instead of bad.
Slap, You won't break mirrors. SLAP< SLAP>
It's cloudy and drizzly here too, MM. I could take a nap, but words don't get on page that way. LOL.
Hi, D.D., welcome to the PFS blog. Good going on the elephant's backside. I'm still trying to get the frog in the door. It's kinda hard with the dog barking. LOL
13 is one of my lucky numbers. And I change the sheets on Friday--my day off. And I NEVER iron them. Why bother? I'm just going to rumple them up anyway--sleeping. I'll rumple them when I'm sleeping. Among other things. :-)
Autumn: This post was so COOL. I knew about 13th floor, but sure didn't know that about airplanes. I love blogs where I learn something new, Thanks for sharing.
Oh, Lilly. You made me blush. LOL.
Hey, Joyce. You found me. Did you bring Oliver with you? I'll be back to the roast in a little bit. I'll need to change cloths again. WINK Paris is so fun.
Autumn,
Interesting facts about 13, some I wasn't aware of. Really good post, and very pertinent.