Number Thirteen ( 13 )

Number 13 in Witchcraft

Thirteen

Number of Transgression, Transformation, and Mystical Manifestation

The number thirteen has long occupied a paradoxical position in superstition, religion, and esoteric tradition. Widely regarded as a number of misfortune and dangerous power, it is simultaneously revered in occult systems as a number of profound transformation, destiny, and sacred feminine energy.

Thirteen and Witchcraft

In popular superstition, witches’ covens are often said to consist of thirteen members. While this belief is deeply entrenched in folklore, there is no solid historical evidence that covens universally adhered to this number.

The idea gained prominence through the work of British anthropologist Margaret A. Murray, who asserted in The Witch-Cult of Western Europe (1921) that witches—particularly in the Middle East—formed groups of twelve members plus one leader, a structure she interpreted as ritualistic. Murray cited trial records from 1567 to 1673, claiming that 18 covens were documented as having thirteen members: five in England, nine in Scotland, and one each in France, Germany, Ireland, and America.

Subsequent scholars, however, discredited Murray’s conclusions. They argued that:

Confessions were frequently extracted under torture.
The number thirteen often reflected the number of people arrested, not an actual coven structure.
Many trials implicated far more than thirteen individuals.

Nevertheless, some accused witches did claim covens of thirteen members, including Isobel Gowdie (Scotland, 1662) and Ann Armstrong (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1673). In modern practice, some covens do choose thirteen members symbolically, though most range between four and twenty participants. Covens traditionally gather at the full moon, which occurs thirteen times in a lunar year, reinforcing the symbolic resonance of the number.

Thirteen as a Number of Misfortune

Thirteen has been regarded as unlucky since antiquity. It is considered an unstable number, lying just beyond twelve, a number traditionally associated with divine order and perfection. Examples include:

Twelve signs of the Zodiac
Twelve hours of day and night
Twelve tribes of Ancient Israel

In Christian symbolism, thirteen echoes the Last Supper, attended by Christ and his twelve apostles. Judas—the betrayer—was the thirteenth and the first to rise from the table. As a result, it remains a common superstition that thirteen people dining together invites misfortune.

This fear is reflected architecturally and socially. Thirteen is often omitted from:

Building addresses
Hotel rooms
Floor numbering (the 13th floor is frequently labeled the 14th)

The fear of the number thirteen is known as triskaidekaphobia. Some superstitious individuals avoid travel, contracts, or major decisions on the 13th day of the month.

Friday the Thirteenth

The superstition intensifies when thirteen coincides with Friday, traditionally regarded as an unlucky day due to its association with the Crucifixion of Christ. Friday is considered inauspicious for marriages, business ventures, and contracts.

In 1969, S. R. Baxter, a thirteen-year-old student at Eton, mathematically demonstrated that the 13th day of the month is more likely to fall on a Friday than any other weekday. There is at least one Friday the 13th every year; the maximum possible is three, as occurred in 1987.

The Thirteen Club

In deliberate defiance of superstition, the Thirteen Club was founded in New York City in the 19th century by thirteen men determined to challenge beliefs surrounding bad luck. Their inaugural dinner took place on Friday, January 13, 1882, in Room 13 of Knickerbocker Cottage, beginning at 13 minutes past eight and ending at the 13th hour (1:00 a.m.).

The club embraced symbolic numerology:

Lifetime membership: $13
Initiation fee: $1.13
Monthly dues: 13 cents
Meetings held on the 13th of each month

Members deliberately engaged in acts considered unlucky, such as spilling salt and breaking mirrors. The club proved so popular that a sister organization was later established in London.

Thirteen in Tarot and Esotericism

In the Major Arcana of the Tarot, the 13th card is Death. Contrary to popular fear, when upright this card signifies transformation, endings, and rebirth rather than literal death. When reversed, it may indicate stagnation, upheaval, decay, or resistance to change.

Despite its ominous reputation in superstition, thirteen holds a positive and powerful role in esoteric traditions. It is regarded as the number of mystical manifestation and cosmic law.

The teachings of Jesus are framed around the formula 1 + 12 (Christ plus the apostles), producing thirteen. According to Pythagorean philosophy, one added to twelve creates an unlimited number, symbolising transcendence beyond completion. Through this principle, miracles—such as the multiplication of loaves and fishes—are said to occur.

Thirteen represents an all-or-nothing law of destiny:

Death through failure and degeneration
Rebirth through regeneration and transformation

It is also the sacred number of the Great Goddess, reflected in the thirteen lunar cycles of the year.

Thirteen and Kabbalah

In Kabbalistic gematria, where letters are assigned numerical values, thirteen is equated with “love of unity.” The Hebrew words for “love” (ahavah) and “unity” (echad) both equal thirteen, reinforcing its association with divine harmony rather than chaos.

Contemporary Witchcraft

In modern Witchcraft and Pagan traditions, thirteen is not feared but embraced as a fortunate and sacred number. It symbolises cycles, initiation, transformation, and the enduring power of the feminine divine.