Friday, February 13, 2009

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

You learn a new word and you just want to walk around using it, impressing people with your snappy vocabulary. Either that or they think you're speaking gibberish.

Continuing from yesterday's post: Altadenahiker and I toured one of Altadena's prettiest neighborhoods and found this garden, protected by Ganesh. Ganesh is a popular Hindu god of arts, sciences, intellect and wisdom. He's even a patron of letters, according to Wikipedia. Ganesh covers lots of stuff. No wonder he's popular.

A less popular deity is the Norse goddess Frigga, or Frigg. She may be the origin of paraskavedekatriaphobia for goodness sakes. Not even a goddess can live down a stain like that on her reputation. Paraskavedekatriaphobia means "fear of Friday the 13th."

Although I always recommend Wikipedia as a beginning for research (as opposed to the be-all to end-all), I enjoyed the Wikipedia article about the origins of Friday the 13th.

Will you invoke any deities to protect you today? Will you stay in? I'm not afraid of today. Are you?

25 comments:

Cafe Pasadena said...

I'm invoking, or pleading for, the Goddess Venus to come walk this K9!

P, you weren't in the, "Friday de 13th", were you?!

Dina said...

Glad you found that secret place with the blogger friend. Everyone needs one.
Whenever I see Ganesh thoughts turn to Baba Ganesh, the eggplant dish.
To the superstition of Friday the 13th I say the Hebrew kids' rhyme:
Shtuyot bamits agvaniot. (Nonsense in tomato sauce) It is easier to say than your big phobia word. :)

T Thompson said...

Heck, this is the ONE good day I get!!

^_^

Katie said...

Ok, this is where I want to be today instead of work. Beautiful. Looks like a great place to relax and de-stress. And eat some Baba Ganesh with toasted pita. (Thanks Dina!) I don't do superstitions so today is just Friday, payday, jeans day and the last day before my vacation! Have a fun blogger meet-up this weekend; wish I could be there. Be sure to tell Minnesota Jeff "Yah, hey, go gohfers!" for me.

Susan C said...

Who is the goddess of trespassing?

Petrea Burchard said...

No, I wasn't in that one C.O. (Whew!)

I like that, Dina. Shtuyot bamits agvaniot. (Baba Ganesh, too.)

Ted, to you I say, nonsense in tomato sauce!

Katie, it's just another day to me, too. Hey wait, didn't you just have a vacation?

Susan, we'll have to ask Margaret. I'm sure there is one. This photo was taken peeking into the garden from the outside. Though I will say the Hiker is intrepid.

Anonymous said...

Less popular? Frigga is very popular, just with a more select group.

My word is whiti -- this group is very pale.

Laurie Allee said...

I knew someone with a daughter named Frigga. I thought that was the coolest name.

I never heard paraskavedekatriaphobia -- I always used Triskaidekaphobia, instead. But it's fear of all number 13s, not just Fridays with that number.

I want to go on some of these hikes one of these days. Beautiful image, Ms. P!

Linda Dove said...

I love Nonsense in the Tomato Sauce. I have to remember to use that one.

Desiree said...

Beautiful! And you caught before the coming deluge--

Margaret said...

You called? The Hindu goddess Durga protects poachers, but you don't want to trespass on the Greek goddess Artemis. She'll turn you into a stag and your own hounds will attack you.

Anonymous said...

This Friday the 13th is my lucky day, because I get to spend it with my new sweetie. We're going dancing. Schedules and life are preventing spending Feb 14th together. :-)

marley said...

Perfect post for today! And I love the new word. Thanks for todays lesson :)

marley said...

Spooky - I was comment number 13!!!!

Maria said...

geez louise...what a word - can you say it three times in a row ;-)

Petrea Burchard said...

I'm sorry, Karin, I wasn't thinking. Of course Frigga has her fans, and they're a rabid bunch. I'm a big Loki fan, by the way.

Laurie, I was once in a show called "Triskaidekaphobia." I can't remember why that was the title.

Hi Linda! I already used it today but the crowd I was with just looked at me, as though I'd said paraskavedekatriaphobia or something.

Merci, Desiree! Yup. Hail this afternoon. I watched it bounce around on the front porch.

I knew you'd know some good goddesses, Margaret. Thanks.

Oh Elizabeth! Have a wonderful time! It's Valentine's Day for you!

Hi Marley! I was afraid no one would comment after 12! (Thanks for commenting twice.)

Maria, I can't even say it once.

Anonymous said...

Come to think of it, I had never heard of that word either. But since I was born on a 13th, I think that number is rather lucky. For me.

Entici. Yes, it's enticing.

Christie said...

Today, our church had a "scary movie night". It was lots of fun and we watched a great 1958 classic, "It: The Terror from Beyond Space". Definitely scary, but also hilarious! Why did they keep opening the door!!

Oh, we also watched a little 3 Stooges, and the ever popular "Gaos and Gamera". For a scary good time, have a movie night!

postie said...

Superstitions can get carried away the more one thinks of them. Thats why I like to ignore them. But to each their own. thanks for the blog I am enjoying it

Tash said...

P - you and Bibi over in Belgrade are on the same theme & word today.

I'm only afraid of Friday the 13th horror movies - hate stuff like that.

Beautiful pictures both today and yesterday.

USelaine said...

Lovely garden indeed!

Those Scandinavians tended to be soft on their "g"s, and I've seen the named spelled in English as "Freya", which, I suppose, reflects that softness. As for today, I didn't notice any luck one way or the other. Kind of sad, really.

Petrea Burchard said...

That makes the 13th lucky for all of us, Karin.

"ever popular Gaos and Gamera." Christie, you're a card. Now that I think about it, I wonder where "you're a card" originated?

Why thank you, Postie. I'm grateful for your visits.

Thanks for the tip, Tash. I visit A Yankee-in-Belgrade regularly but hadn't been there this week. Pat (Bibi) is a great photographer/ambassador for Belgrade.

Elaine: It rained. How's that?

Pat said...

I'm afraid of pronoucning the word! So, am I paraskavedekatriaphobiaphobic?

USelaine said...

It rained! We were lucky! You rock!

Petrea Burchard said...

I must be some kind of wizard.