Happy Friday the 13th!

Or, “Happy Remember the Templars!” day, as I like to call it. This is a veiled reference to my home state’s call to arms –”Remember the Alamo!” And what do the Templars or the Alamo have to do with Friday the 13th? Stick with me for a moment and we’ll get there. FYI – I’ve added in pictures of Temple Church in London, a Templar church that dates back to 1185, just to liven things up a bit.

I’ve already established that I love all things bumpy — my word for monsters, if you’re new to The Cauldron – and I also love most things history related. So today, I get a twofer. While it might seem that the only connection that Friday the 13th has to bumpies might be the slasher movies where Jason is always waiting to exact vengeance on anyone unlucky enough to cross his path, I think it goes deeper than that.

If you are superstitious, you might as well believe in bumpies, too.

The belief that Friday the 13th is unlucky is superstition. And if you’re superstitious and believe that black cats are bad luck, you should never walk under a ladder, or that tossing salt over your shoulder will ward off evil spirits/the devil/bad luck (take your pick), then you are on the slippery slope to believing in bumpies. Right?

Just like bumpies, the belief that Friday the 13th is unlucky is based on historical events. What particular event, or events, depends on who you believe. There are different stories and theories regarding the origin of vampires, werewolves, zombies, and Friday the 13th.

The Templar Knights

However, my favorite theory is that it dates back to the persecution of the Templars. On Friday the 13th, in October of 1307, King Philip of France arrested more than 600 Templar knights for heresy, idol-worship, and sexual depravity. The knights were interrogated – a way of saying they were tortured – and many died during the process or were executed afterward.

The persecution of the Templars was based on their wealth and power. The King, who also owed the group a great deal of money, felt that the order needed to be weakened. Hhmmm – like this isn’t a scenario that hasn’t played out over and over throughout history.

And speaking of power-hungry leaders…In 1941, (not on a Friday the 13th) bombs dropped by German forces set the round church’s roof on fire. All of the wood in the church was destroyed, but luckily because it was mostly built of stone, it’s basic structure survived and was restored.

And what does the Alamo have to do with Friday the 13th? Not a thing. In Texas, we say “Remember the Alamo!” as a way to remember the misjustice perpetrated against the defenders of the Alamo. So I think that “Remember the Templars!” has a nice ring to it. Plus, I can’t pass up a chance to remind everyone that I’m from Texas.

What about you? Is there anything that you are superstitious about or do you believe it’s bunk?

*If you would like to read more about the Templars and Friday the 13th, the article ‘Why Friday the 13th was the Unluckiest Day for the Templars’ is a great place to start – Thank you, Jeanine, for the link.