Jacques de Molay
Knights of the Templar:
The Knights of the Templar were a military group founded in the year 1118 in Jerusalem that lasted for 2 centuries. They were charged with protecting pilgrims along the road from Europe to Jerusalem. These knights created a revolutionary banking system that protected pilgrim’s finances. This banking system was successful and eventually expanded throughout Europe.
King Philip IV of France ended up owing a huge sum to the Knights, got pissed off and jealous about his debt and the Templar’s success. Thusly motivated, he devised a plan to exterminate all the Knights of the Templar in a single day. The day chosen was Friday, October 13, 1307. Philip sent his plan to all the King’s men and Bailiffs throughout France a month beforehand with orders not to read the plans until dawn on Friday the 13th.
Philip, with the backing of Pope Clement V, accused the Knights of such horrible offenses that no one would come to their aid. They were accused of religious heresy: essentially that they had spit and stepped on the cross, performed acts of homosexuality, and denied Christ.
The plan was executed well and every Knight of the Templar was arrested, their properties were taken, medieval torture techniques were used to acquire their confessions, and finally, they were burned at the stake.
Desiring to further humiliate the Templars, Philip decided to have Jacques De Molay, the Grandmaster of the Templars, admit to heresy at a large public gathering. Jacques, instead, used the public forum to apologize to the people and explain what had happened to the Templars.
The Grandmaster’s final words before being burned at the stake were used to curse King Philip IV & Pope Clement V and state that they would both be dead by the end of the year. Both men did meet their demise before the year’s end which added even more clout to the powerful lore of Friday the 13th.
Via this amazing story, Friday the 13th is now considered one of, if not the unluckiest day in history.
We learned about this a long time ago and this story still resonates with us. These guys were burly life-long warriors. They had 72 strict behavioral clauses to follow including not being allowed to hang out with women at all, not even women in their own families. Kind of the Samurai of the West.
Many of us are vaguely aware of the Knights Templar: many movies and TV shows have researched and covered topics regarding the mysterious organization of knights originally created by the Vatican to protect Christians traveling through the Holy Lands. These knights originally began their careers as a small group of monks, but eventually expanded and became known as fierce warriors.
As the organization grew, the Templars began excavating the temple of King Solomon, long rumored to hold some of the most desired treasures on the planet, including the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail. Perhaps this is why the group became extremely wealthy, allowing them to travel far to build churches and expand their influence. Eventually, the group became one of the most wealthy and powerful organizations in both Europe and the Middle East.
Friday The 13th
King Philip IV of France turned to the Templars and asked for their help in paying off some of his debts, which were great after borrowing funds to finance a war in England. After the group refused the king, though, he turned to his friend, Pope Clement V, who, along with the rest of the Vatican, was growing concerned with the Templars’ influence. This resulted in a declaration that all Templars in France be arrested on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307. The arrests allowed the king and the Vatican to claim ownership of everything the Templars possessed, both money and land.
Although the Templars did receive trials, their fate was already decided: every member of the group was found guilty of heresy, along with other crimes. Their sentence was death, although torture wasn’t entirely ruled out first. Many Templars were even burned at the stake.
Interrogation of Jacques de Molay
The Curse
Part of the Friday the 13th legend states that the last Grand Master of the Templar order, Jacques de Molay, shouted a curse on the heads of both King Philip IV and Pope Clement V just before he burned to death. That curse seemed to work: both the king and pope died of mysterious causes within months after that.
The legends of the Knights Templar remain popular today, although it’s believed that if they do exist, they do so in secrecy. Some legends even believe that the Freemasons of today have their roots with the medieval order. Friday the 13th superstitions also remain, with many people doing their best to banish bad luck before it happens.
Interrogation of Jacques de Molay
Frigga – Norse Goddess Witch of Love & Fertility
Frigga, the Norse goddess of love and fertility.
We’ll allow Charles Panati, the author of “Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things,” to explain this one:
The actual origin of the superstition, though, appears also to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil — a gathering of thirteen — and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as “Witches’ Sabbath.
Hugues de Payens
