Perhaps none of the existing numbers caused the emergence of so many signs and superstitions that predict misfortune. We are talking about the fatal number 13, which is also called the "devil's dozen".
Thirteen refers to the natural number between 12 and 14. And it is almost always superstitiously referred to as the devil's dozen. At present, researchers cannot develop a unanimous opinion about the origin of the negative attitude towards the number 13 and about the history of its name. According to one of the hypotheses put forward, the devil's dozen can be considered bad only for the reason that it is more than 12 (a number that is sacred among different peoples). In turn, 12 is considered an ideal number, because there are only 12 months in a year, only 12 signs in the zodiac, there are 12 gods on Olympus, there were 12 apostles of Jesus Christ.
According to the existing biblical tradition, which is indirectly connected with the number 13, Judas (the apostle who betrayed Jesus) was the thirteenth at the last supper at the table. In the nineteenth century, the most common was the sign that there should not be 13 (damn dozen) invited guests at the reception. If this happens, then inwithin a year one of them will die.
According to the following version, the fear of this number is partly due to the fact that the Jewish calendar in some years includes 13 months, while the Gregorian and Islamic always have twelve months in a year. Indeed, until now, the Jewish religion remains hidden from prying eyes, which adds to everything connected with it, additional mystery and understatement.
What the magic of this number is based on, people still cannot understand, but its negative impact is regularly confirmed in life. Probably because the devil's dozen has such bad features, many Western hotels do not have rooms number 13. In the opera houses of Italy there is no place with this obscure number anywhere, and in any decent house at the table you will never be seated thirteenth.
At the same time, you can see that 13 has not only negative, but also positive properties. Since ancient times, it has been noticed that the thirteenth was considered the most powerful and strong in the group. Plato and Ovid say that this was Zeus in the company of twelve celestials, whom he led as the thirteenth, standing out with strength and power. From the gluttonous Cyclops escapes the only Ulysses, who was the thirteenth among his comrades. Thirteen Buddhas are found in the Indian pantheon. The state formed under the obvious influence of this number - the United States of America - is one of the powerful powers.
13 in the numerical symbolism of the currentoccultists represents an active principle: the three in unity with the ten, embracing it and thus limiting it.
They claim that it corresponds to a dynamic and organized system, which at the same time is not universal. Thirteen is in some respects considered the key to understanding and manipulating some particular whole. Other mystics treat the devil's dozen as a universal force that can be both evil and good.
