Local residents talk Friday the 13th fear, weird happenings

Oct. 12—"Friday the 13th" — the date and movie — strike fear into the hearts of people, but some have no reaction at all.

Christopher Flavin, professor and chair for the Department of Languages and Literature at Northeastern State University, said Friday the 13th has many different origin stories, but the phobia regarding the date is a recent cultural development.

"It's not until the 19th Century that that particular day becomes kind of this phenomena we have now," Flavin said.

Flavin said some believe the fear of Friday the 13th dates back to October 1307, when a French king had the Knights of Templar arrested. According to History.com, more than 600 of these people were arrested and charged with various offenses, from devil worship to fraud to homosexuality. They were then kept in isolation, fed rations of bread and water, and brutally tortured.

Flavin said the number 13 has been found to represent impurities and imbalances in many cultures. The number, Flavin said, has been seen as being imperfect by some, as it relates to Judas being the 13th person at the Last Supper.

"The first real evidence we have of was in the 19th century sensationalist novel titled 'Friday the Thirteenth,' [by Thomas William Lawson]. That kind of got latched onto culturally, and it's evolved in a number of ways from there," Flavin said.

Since Friday is also seen as a transitional day, Flavin said some cultures often already see it as a "problem day" before 13 is tacked onto it. Flavin said the "Friday the 13th" movies helped push the fear of the date that was already present. As the years have passed, Flavin said, finding someone with a phobia of Friday the 13th is often dependent on the culture and who is asked.

Tahlequah Public Schools Superintendent Tanya Jones said superstitions surrounding Friday the 13th are not something she often thinks about.

In this generation, Flavin said that in the U.S., he does not see as many people get worked up about the famous date, as many have had cultural fears shift to surrounding technology — cursed emails, internet contamination, etc.

Jones said to her, 13 is a lucky number, as her husband's high school basketball jersey number was 13, and she also got married on the 13th.

Jones said when it comes to the education field, most teachers are more wary of a day or weekend that will feature a full moon rather than Friday the 13th. When the weather is changing from hot to cold, or a storm is brewing, Jones said, both children and adults will both often act different.

"It really does seem true that behavior is a little bit crazier when there is a full moon," Jones said. "We've always said that children seem like they are barometers of weather changes or moon changes, and their behavior patterns do seem to change a little bit."

Even though some may not notice a change in their own behavior when Friday the 13th rolls around, others may still find themselves being cautious — and for good reason.

Cherokee County Sheriff Jason Chennault said he has always been leery of Friday the 13th.

"My feelings on [that date] are similar to my feelings on weekends with full moons, especially with a Friday the 13th in October," Chennault said.

While Chennault said he may not have any proof to back up his claim, he believes that from a law enforcement perspective, officers are often on high alert or even a smidge busier on weekends that feature either a full moon or a Friday falling on the 13th day of the month.

Chennault said does remember a call to which he responded as a patrol deputy that he believes took place on a Friday the 13th over 20 years ago.

"A lady in the south end of the county called 911 late at night because somebody was knocking on her front door," Chennault said. "She told our dispatchers that she looked outside to see who was knocking, and she could only see a shadow, and the person appeared to have a hook for a hand."

Chennault said he never found anyone outside the woman's home.