Friggatriskaidekaphobia

Today is Friday, April 13, 2012, Friday the thirteenth, one of the unluckiest days of the year, so the superstition says. The fear of Friday the thirteenth even has a name: friggatriskaidekaphobia [frigga from the Norse goddess Frigga, for whom Friday is named; triskaideka denoting the number 13, and phobia meaning a fear of].

My father was born and raised on Ocracoke, but my mother was the daughter of peasant class Hungarian immigrants. I never heard my father voice any common superstitions, although Ocracokers were not immune to them. On the other hand, my mother passed on many old world superstitions which she inherited from her mother. I was admonished to not walk under ladders, to avoid black cats, and to be careful not to break mirrors.

In high school I stumbled across a quotation by Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English philosopher, statesman, and scientist. He was instrumental in establishing the epistemological system of empiricism, and for advocating for the scientific method of inquiry and experimentation.

Francis Bacon

Bacon observed that "[t]he general root of superstition is that men observe when things hit, and not when they miss; and commit to memory the one, and forget and pass over the other."

With just a little thought I realized how true Francis Bacon's statement was. It freed me from friggatriskaidekaphobia and from numerous other superstitions.

So I will go about my day, this Friday the thirteenth, and enjoy the lovely spring weather. I hope you will also, whether you are on the island or on the mainland.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of the Rondthalers of Ocracoke Island. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news032112.htm.