Sunday, March 13, 2011

13 Names for the Number 13

Hey, it's my first round up post! Inspired by today's date!

Most people know 13 as an unlucky number. Hotels don't have a 13th floor, most airplanes don't have a 13th seat, and in French restaurants you can't sit 13 at a table. People even have a phobia of the number 13. But unlike the Christians, Neo-Pagans consider this number lucky. This is because the moon is sacred, and there are 13 full moons in a year. During the full moon the goddess is at the hieght of her power. A Wiccan observes 13 Esbat days, and covens traditionally have 13 members. And we're not the only ones that love 13. In Hindu culture it's considered auspicious to name a baby girl the 13th day of her life. Many coming of age ceromonys, like the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, occur when a child has reached 13 years of age. And several succesful sports stars have worn the number 13.

So have you looked at today's date and wondered, as I have, if there are any names that celebrate the number 13? Well, it was a tough search, but I managed to find 13 of them:

1. Luna. The number's connection to the moon makes every moon name a good choice.

2. Epiphany. The three wise men reached Jesus on the 13th day of his life. Christians celebrate this event with the Epiphany.

3. Dekatreea. Greek for 13, but somehow I don't think it will catch on.

4. October. On Friday, October 13, 1307, the Knights Templar were arrested. Some people believe that this is how the superstition started.

5. Fatima. Apparitions of the Virgin of Fatima were believed to occur in Portugal on the 13th of six consecutive months.

6. Trecena. This is the name of the Mayan calendar, where months consist of 13 days.

7. Eiwaz. This 13th rune is the oldest in the runic alphabet.

8. Judas. Judas was the 13th apostle, who betrayed Jesus.

9. Loki. According to a Norse myth, Loki crashed a party at Valhalla and became the 13th guest. The party ended in Loki killing another god.

10. Friday. Aside from the unlucky day, the HMS Friday set sail on Friday the 13th and was captained by Jim Friday. It was never seen again.

11. Apollo. From the oceans to outer space, Apollo 13 experienced some horrible luck when technical difficulties forcing the astronauts to cut their trip to the moon short.

12. Winchester. The nutty Sarah Winchester was obsessed with the number 13 while designing the famous Winchester Mansion.

13. Baudelaire. This was the family name of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny in The Series of Unfortunate Events, which was comprised of 13 books with 13 chapters in each.

What do you think? Do you like any of these? Can you think of any other options that I missed?

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13_(number)
http://www.thevesselofgod.com/thirteen.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/24795/unlucky_number_13.html

Image Credit:

I don't remember.

2 comments:

  1. I am absolutely fascinated by the number 13, which is why if you take a look at my posting time they are usually 13 minutes passed the hour.

    Luna and October are two favorites of mine. The main character of my manuscript, Blood Grudge, is Luna. And October is the name of the wife of her best friend.

    Very nice list, and awesome pic!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, I was born on Oct. 13th...I just found your blog and love it. Names and the magickal powers of them have always fascinated me. There's an alchemy with names. I also heard in addition that #13 as an "unlucky" number because the orignal moon calender year was changed to the one we currently follow (so great tie in to your "Luna" name and that 13 is also a traditional number of a witch's coven. Great list!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.