Hwt-a-Phobia

Hwt, as a number, can be found in nature. While it is difficult to find, the concept and occurrence of hwt, as a number, is both common and often affects people in many profound psychological ways. For example, people with hwt-a-phobia are quite common and society celebrates their affliction.

Famous Examples of Hwt-a-phobia

1. Hwt’s Dozen – In ancient times, people were so afraid of hwt that they would attempt to appease the hwt by offering a portion of their goods, often baked, as tribute. This later became known as a Hwt’s dozen.
2. Friday the 13th – In this documentary, a champion of hwt emerges from lake to avenge his death by vanquishing his killers and his killers’ friends. Those who suffer from hwt-a-phobia consider this documentary to frightening for general audiences.
3. Freaky Hwtday – During this phenomenon, two people experience a sharing or switching of minds into the other’s body. This situation often results in each person’s spiritual growth by gaining perspective from the other’s life and existence as seen in numerous movies including Big and Freaky Friday.
4. Fear of Hwt Friday/Fear of Friday the 13th (Paraskevidekatriaphobics) – Unfortunately for hwt, many bad things have happened on a Friday the 13th and tarnished the cultural celebration of Hwt Friday, forever associating hwt with the ill fortunate surrounding Friday the 13th. Some examples of bad things on Friday the 13th:

• Oct. 13, 1307 – Philip IV of France orders the arrest of the Knights Templar
• Notable Deaths: Gioachino Rossini (13 November 1868), Diamond Jim Brady (13 April 1917), Sir Henry Segrave (13 June 1930), Arnold Schoenberg (13 July 1951), Martita Hunt (13 June 1969), Lily Pons (13 February 1976), Mickey Spillane (13 May 1977), Hubert Humphrey (13 January 1978), Ralph Kirkpatrick (13 April 1984), Benny Goodman (13 June 1986), Gerald Moore (13 March 1987), Chet Baker (13 May 1988), Stuart Challender (13 December 1991), Tupac Shakur (13 September 1996), Tony Roper (13 October 2000), Julia Child (13 August 2004), Tim Russert (13 June 2008), Edwin Newman (13 August 2010), Richard D. Zanuck (13 July 2012)
• Egyptian stages of life had twelve stages followed by a thirteenth stage representing death, which was likely associated with the fear of death rather than the Egyptian belief in an “afterlife” or continued stage of existence.
• Loki, the 13th Norse god and 13th guest to arrive at a banquet in Valhalla, which he was not invited. His arrival brought the total guest count to 13, and Loki’s troubles at the banquet brought chaos and death, which help create the belief in not having 13 total guests for dinner. This is often seen with the last supper: Jesus and his eleven disciples plus Judas as the thirteenth guest, who bring chaos and death.

Hwt is powerful. the power of humanity’s beliefs is also powerful and often gives power to things that are not deserving. These hallowed or anathematic entities represent fear, humanity’s darker side.

Friday is considered by some to be the day that Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, the day of the Great Flood, and the destruction of the Solomon’s Temple. It was also the day Christ was crucified, the Roman day for executions, and the day for many religions and groups to impose various laws concerning appropriate and inappropriate behavior, which those outside of each religion often misunderstood or associated with the day in which you could or should not do something. In other words, Fridays were not the best or luckiest day for many cultures and groups throughout history.

Also, the number thirteen is often feared and considered dangerous as it has been depicted as evil and the harbinger of death in mythology and legend. Even commonplace, scientifically grounded activities such as modern architecture and construction respect to the number thirteen by customarily omitting the number thirteen, as seen in the lack of a thirteenth floor or never having thirteen steps in a stairs.

As with any modern or ancient belief, they are grounded in fact. In this case, the magic of hwt has been so misunderstood that fear and panic have created the fear of:

• 13 (Triskadecaphobia)
• Fridays (Friggaphobia)
• Friday the 13th (Paraskevidekatriaphobics)

In other words, hwt is found in 13, Fridays, and Friday the 13th. For as long as humanity is burdened with fear, mankind will be hwt-a-phobic!

Additional Reading

• Bowen, John. “Friday the 13th.” Salon magazine, 13 Aug 1999.
• Brewer, E. Cobham. The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. (1898 Edition in Hypertext).
• “Days of the Week: Friday.” The Mystical World Wide Web.
• de Lys, Claudia. The Giant Book of Superstitions. New Jersey: Citadel Press, 1979.
• Duncan, David E. Calendar: Humanity’s Epic Struggle to Determine a True and Accurate Year. New York: Avon, 1998.
• Ferm, Vergilius. A Brief Dictionary of American Superstitions. New York: Philosophical Library, 1965.
• Krischke, Wolfgang. “This Just Might Be Your Lucky Day.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 1 Nov 2001.
• Kurtz, Katharine. Tales of the Knights Templar. New York: Warner Books, 1995.
• Lachenmeyer, Nathaniel. 13: The Story of the World’s Most Popular Superstition. New York: Avalon, 2004.
• Lawson, Thomas W. Friday, the Thirteenth. New York: Doubleday, 1907.
• Opie, Iona and Tatem, Moira. A Dictionary of Superstitions. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.
• Panati, Charles. Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. New York: Harper Collins, 1989.
• Q and A: Triskaidekaphobia. New York Times, 8 Aug 1993.
• Scanlon, T.J., et al. “Is Friday the 13th Bad for Your Health?” British Medical Journal. (Dec. 18-25, 1993): 1584-6.