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 ancient Romans regarded is as a symbol of death,destruction,and misfortune. One of the earliest written stories about the number 13 appears in Norwegian mythology. This story tells about a feast at Valhalla to which 12 gods were invited. Loki,the god of evil,came uninvited,raising the number to 13. In the struggle to throw out Loki,Balder,the favorite of the gods,was killed.