Exploring the origins of superstitions: wood, ladders, and the unlucky number Thirteen

Mysterious door with ivyPhoto byBRUNOonUnsplash

Most of us believe in superstitions. We may know they’re wholly illogical, but there’s a part of us, depending what part of the world we’re from, that feels compelled to play along, just in case.

Where do these superstitions come from? History.com has answers. “Knock on wood” or “touch wood” in Britain—has been in use since at least the 1800s but there are a lot of opinions as to its origins. One theory traces it back to pagan Celts, “who believed that spirits and gods resided in trees. Knocking on tree trunks may have served to rouse the spirits and call on their protection.” A more common theory, is to “chase away evil spirits or prevent them from listening in when they boasted about their luck, thereby preventing a reversal of fortune.”

number 13 carved in treePhoto byZhen HuonUnsplash

Ever wonder why the number thirteen is considered unlucky? It’s estimated that approximately ten percent of Americans fear the number thirteen. Further, the “specific fear of Friday the 13th, known as paraskevidekatriaphobia, results in financial losses in excess of $800 million annually, as people avoid marrying, traveling or in the most severe cases, even working.”

One explanation involves “one of the world’s oldest legal documents, the Code of Hammurabi, which reportedly omitted a 13th law from its list of legal rules.” This was a clerical error made “by one of the document’s earliest translators who failed to include a line of text,” but this was debunked since the code doesn’t have its laws in numerical order.

This superstition also extends to fear of the thirteenth floor. Per a 2015 article in The Atlantic, researched showed that in Manhattan, “out of 629 buildings with 13 or more floors, only 55 labeled the 13th floor as the 13th floor. That means only 9 percent of the condos that actually have 13th floors label them as such. The remaining 91 percent of buildings with 13th floors relabeled them.” Regardless of what they’re called, there is still technically a thirteenth floor but calling it something else seems to assuage the fear.

walking under a ladderPhoto byLance GrandahlonUnsplash

What about walking under a ladder? Personally, I don’t do it. It’s silly but my New England roots are strong and hold me back. Per Everyday Health, though it’s wise to avoid walking under a ladder for safety’s sake, “there are superstitious reasons for avoiding ladders too. The shape of an open ladder is a triangle, which signifies life in some mythologies. When you walk through the triangle, it’s thought that you tempt the Fates. You also run the risk of awakening spirits that live within the triangle, including evil spirits who may not be happy with the disturbance.”

Whatever the reason we believe, Symbolsage explains, “In situations where people lose a sense of control over their lives and are anxious over the unknown, a superstitious belief has a soothing effect.”

The way I see it, better safe than sorry. Following them has worked for me so far, knock on wood.

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