4. The number that seems to be almost universally considered unlucky is 13. No other number has had such a bad reputation for so long. The d it as a symbol of death, destruction, and ancient Romans re misfortune. One of the earliest written stories about the number 13 appears in Norwegian mythology. Thi story tells about a feast at to which gods were invited. Loki, god of came uninvited, raising the number to 13. In the struggle to throw out Loki Balder, the favorite of the gods, was killed.