The superstition surrounding Friday the 13th didn’t come from one place—it’s a mashup of old fears, patriarchal erasure, and cultural myth-making. Here’s a little historical tea:
- The Number 13 Itself
In many Western cultures, 12 is seen as a “complete” number (12 months, 12 zodiac signs, 12 apostles, 12 hours on a clock). So 13? It’s the outsider. The rebel. The disruptor. And we all know systems don’t like disruption. - The Fall of the Templars (History Buffs, This One’s for You)
On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the mass arrest of the Knights Templar. Many were tortured and executed. Some believe this is one of the roots of the Friday the 13th curse. - Christian Influence
Some tie the superstition to the Last Supper—13 guests, including Judas, the betrayer—and Jesus was crucified on a Friday. The math and mythology started stacking up. - The Erasure of the Divine Feminine
Here’s where it gets juicy: in many ancient traditions, 13 was sacred. It matched the lunar cycles and was linked to femininity, fertility, and goddess worship. Friday itself is named after Frigg (or Freya), a Norse goddess of love and magic. So Friday the 13th? That used to be a day of divine feminine power. What better way to suppress that than to label it cursed?
My Take as a Storyteller
As a Dominican writer steeped in magical realism and ancestral memory, I see Friday the 13th not as something to fear, but as something to reclaim. A reminder of what was lost—and what still lingers in our bones.
In The Ordinary Bruja, I write about how the supernatural isn’t always evil—it’s misunderstood. The same could be said for this day. Maybe it’s not cursed. Maybe it’s calling.
So, What Should You Do This Friday the 13th?
- Light a candle. Honor your ancestors.
- Trust your gut. It’s louder today.
- Write something that scares you. (Emotionally, creatively—you pick.)
- Rethink what you’ve been taught to fear. There’s often power hidden inside it.
Friday the 13th isn’t unlucky—it’s unsettling.
And sometimes that’s exactly what we need to wake up.
And if you are curious? Start by ordering The Ordinary Bruja
The Ordinary Bruja: Book One of Las Cerradoras Series – Johanny Ortega
Marisol Espinal has spent her life trying to disappear from her family’s whispers of magic, from the shame of not belonging, from the truth she refuses to face. She’s always wanted to be someone else: confident, capable, extraordinary.
But when strange visions, flickering shadows, and warnings written in her mother’s hand begin to stalk her, Marisol is forced to confront her deepest fear: what if she isn’t extraordinary at all? What if she’s painfully ordinary?
Yet Hallowthorn Hill doesn’t call to just anyone. And the more Marisol resists, the stronger its pull becomes. The past she’s buried claws its way back, and something in the mist is watching—waiting for her to remember.
If Marisol cannot face the truth about who she is and where she comes from, the same darkness that destroyed her ancestors will claim her, too.
Somewhere in the shadows, something knows her name.
And it’s time for Marisol to learn why.
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