FYI - Paraskevidekatriaphobia is a word just recently coined in modern psychology, the early 90's by Dr. Donald E. Dossey, an American psychotherapist specialising in phobias and stress management, who reputedly claimed that when someone was able to pronounce the word they were cured! The term is based on the Greek words paraskevi ('Friday') and dekatria ('thirteen') with -phobia as a suffix to indicate 'fear'. Triskaidekaphobia, coined in the early twentieth century to refer to fear of the number thirteen generally, but often also associated with fear of Friday the 13th. And friggatriskaidekaphobia, frigga being an ancient Scandinavian goddess associated with witchcraft and Friday as the witches' sabbath.

For those of you who have seen National Treasure you may already know this...
In the Western world, the superstition linking Friday the 13th with being unlucky is primarily associated with the final Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jacques Demolay, and the date of Friday, October the 13th, 1307 AD. In 1099 AD the Roman Catholic Church through the now infamous bloody religious wars of the Christian Crusades regained control over the holy city of Jerusalem. The land surrounding Jerusalem were still in the hands of the Moslems. According to traditional versions of the story, a warrior order of the Roman Catholic Church eventually banded together that was (allegedly) for purposes of protecting Christian travelers on their way to the holy city of Jerusalem. The warrior order was officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1118 AD, and they were at that time provided with a headquarters building located on Mount Moriah. This building was located on a site traditionally thought to be the former Temple of King Solomon. Thus, the warrior order became known as the Knights of the Temple, or the Knights Templar.

To make a very long (but incredibly interesting) story short, Jacques Demolay became the Grand Master of the Knights Templar in around 1293 AD During the two hundred years of their existence within the Roman Catholic Church, the Knights Templar had grown into a rather rich and powerful political force to be reckoned with. During Demolay's stay in office as Grand Master, the Templars had increasingly grown in disfavor with the current pope, Pope Clement V, and with the King of France, Phillip the Fair.

In 1307 AD the pope and the king arranged for the Templars to meet with them for a "friendly" convocation in Paris, France. Instead, Grand Master Jacques Demolay was arrested on Friday, October the 13th, 1307 AD. Seven years later, in 1314 AD, Jacques DeMolay was burned at the stake for the crime of church heresy. Legend continues on that before Demolay died - he predicted to the king and pope that he would meet them both in heaven within the next year. Fact is... the king and the pope did die in the year 1314 AD.

Ther you go guys! Happy Friday 13th. BTW... I hit that cow two weeks ago on a friday but not the 13th of course, more unlucky for the cow though. Susu