Triskaidekaphobia
fear of the number 13
Triskaidekaphobia ( TRIS-kye-DEK-ə-FOH-bee-ə, TRIS-kə-; from Ancient Greek τρεισκαίδεκα (treiskaídeka) 'thirteen' and Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos) 'fear') is fear or avoidance of the number 13. It is also a reason for the fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia (from Greek Παρασκευή (paraskevi) 'Friday', Greek δεκατρείς (dekatreís) 'thirteen' and Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos) 'fear') or friggatriskaidekaphobia (from Old Norse Frigg 'Frigg' and from Ancient Greek τρεισκαίδεκα (treiskaídeka) 'thirteen' and Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos) 'fear').
The term was used as early as in 1910 by Isador Coriat in Abnormal Psychology.
Origins
The supposed unlucky nature of the number 13 has several theories of origin. Although several authors claim it is an older belief, no such evidence has been documented so far. In fact, the earliest attestation of 13 being unlucky is first found after the Middle Ages in Europe.
Playing cards
Tarot card games have been attested since at least around 1450 with the Visconti-Sforza Tarot. One of the trump cards in tarot represents Death, and is numbered 13 in several variants.
In 1781, Antoine Court de Gébelin writes of this card's presence in the Tarot of Marseilles that the number thirteen was "toujours regarde comme malheureux" ("always considered as unlucky"). In 1784, Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf cites Gébelin, and reaffirms that the tarot card number 13 is death and misfortune ("Der Tod, Unglück").
The public source identifies “Triskaidekaphobia” as fear of the number 13. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Triskaidekaphobia, fear and number.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Triskaidekaphobia”, the useful work is to connect “fear of the number 13” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q13. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1910, 1450, 1781 and 1784.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Triskaidekaphobia”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Triskaidekaphobia primary sources, Triskaidekaphobia archive and Triskaidekaphobia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Triskaidekaphobia”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Triskaidekaphobia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.