Long before “Friday the 13th” films began spooking moviegoers in the early ‘80s, Fridays and the number 13 have been suspected by millions of people, spanning religious and cultural backgrounds for thousands of years, as being unlucky.

Some claim triskaidekaphobia, or fear of things or events associated with the number 13, comes from the historical account that there were 13 people present at the Last Supper.

Others trace the fear to the story about the Norse god of evil, Loki, who, after not being invited to a party at Valhalla, the banquet hall of the gods, in which 12 gods were in attendance, killed the god of light, joy and reconciliation, Balder, through trickery.

Others still believe 13 is unlucky because it’s the number of full moons in a year or because the sum of 1+4+5+3 – the year of the fall of Constantinople and thus marking the end of the Byzantine Empire – is 13.

A specific fear of Friday the 13th – called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia, after the ancient Scandinavian fertility and love goddess, Frigga – also appears to have roots in Christianity, as some believe Friday is unlucky because that’s the day Christ was crucified. Friday, however, happened to be the Roman’s execution day as well as Hangman’s Day in Britain.

Some common theories link the fear to other Christian events as well, including Eve’s offering Adam the apple in the Garden of Eden, the beginning of the Great Flood and the confusion at the Tower of Babel.

Fridays have also been alluded to in literature as a day filled with fraught and mishaps. Some believe it bad luck to do needlework, harvest, launch a ship, begin a sea voyage or journey, give birth, get married, move, start a new job or receive news on a Friday.

In the early 18th century, it was believed to be unfortunate to have 13 guests at dinner and was solved by having all dinner guests stand and sit at the same time or seat one or more of them at a different table. That particular belief is thought to date back to the Last Supper, as the one who is said to have left the table first – Judas Iscariot – committed suicide following his betrayal of Jesus.

Some hold that the belief that Friday the 13th is unlucky occurred early in the 20th century, combining the elements of fear associated with both Fridays and the number 13, while others claim it has roots as far back as Friday, Oct. 13, 1307, with the arrest of the final Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jacques de Molay and thousands of others by King Philip IV of France. After being tortured, many were ultimately killed, leading the group’s sympathizers to condemn Friday the 13th.

Good Friday, the Friday before Easter and the day Jesus Christ was crucified, seems to be the only Friday that escapes the assumed evil surrounding the day.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, people who have a particular love of the number 13 are referred to as triskaidekamaniacs. Some cultures, such as the Chinese, hold 13 as a lucky number because it sounds similar to the characters meaning “must be alive.”

Also, some left-handed individuals are said to consider the number lucky because, as they are taught to do the opposite when learning new skills from a right-handed instructor, they consider the number lucky, as lucky is the opposite of unlucky.

Modern day witches believe 13 is good. In modern Wicca, it is considered the maximum size of a covenant, and there are 13 goals of a witch.

Good or bad, 13 is:

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