Even though we know the Grim Reaper does not lie in wait to capture a third soul, we still believe that death comes in threes. Human beings seek order; we seek rhythm and patterns. And sometimes we pick and choose occurrences to support our beliefs. The notion that death comes in threes or that any catastrophe does is one of these beliefs.
Do Deaths Come In Threes
The belief that death comes in threes helps us make sense of tragedy. It gives us a way to cope with death and make sense of reality. By having a start time, we believe tragedy will “end” after the third instance. Odd numbers, especially three, comfort us. Three art pieces have more symmetry than two. Christianity is based on The Trinity. Let’s look deeper into the belief of the three.
What Is The Rule Of Thirds?
Three is the smallest number needed for something to become repetitious. It is the minimum number required for us to set a pattern. The first occurrence sets a tone, the second reinforces it by suggesting a pattern, and the third occurrence sets that pattern in stone.
The rule of thirds in the art world says to group items into threes or to break down a composition proportionately into thirds in order to create more drama.
- Interior design’s guideline states that the human eye finds groupings of odd numbers more appealing than groupings of even numbers. Groups of three tend to look more natural and welcoming to us, whereas groups with even numbers feel less inviting or cold.
- Photographers know that the Rule of Thirds lends more “tension, energy, and interest” to an image.
- Similarly, writers know that adding a third descriptor (as in my last sentence borrowed from Wikipedia) creates drama, and anticipation, and adds authority.
- Even computer programming says that when a similar code is used three times, it should be extracted into a new procedure.
The rule of thirds impacts us in more ways than we realize. So it becomes natural to expect the rule to translate into three deaths or three tragedies or even three amazing occurrences.
Why Do We Believe That Death Comes In Threes?
We believe that death comes in three because of the regularity and routine of the rule of three. Beyond the art world, it is also prominent in science and technology. Religions even focus on the number three. Here are some everyday occurrences of the rule of three that you may not have even consciously thought of.
- Three Wise Men
- Three Little Pigs
- Three Stooges
- Three Blind Mice
- Christianity’s Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
- Hinduism’s Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva
- Wiccans believe whatever energy we put into the world (positive or negative) will return to us threefold.
Throughout our history, humans have given importance to the number three. The writing and rhetoric rule is that groups of three are funnier or have more effect on the reader than other groupings.
For example, Abraham Lincoln used the rule of three in his Gettysburg address to show that “government of the people, by the people, for the people” creates endurance.
Believing that death comes in groups of three is a natural extension of this “rule”. It offers symmetry and a sense of completeness once the ritual is met.
We find comfort in knowing there is a pattern or reason for deaths happening around us.
Modern Culture’s Part In The Belief
You may remember back in 2009 when the celebrity Ed McMahon died. Later in the week, Farrah Fawcett died, and then so did Michael Jackson later the same day. This is an easy case of celebrity deaths in triplicate since they all died within a few days of one another.
Or you may remember back in the 1950s when Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly all died together in a plane crash.
When three celebrities die in close succession, tabloid news makes a big deal. But the reality is that other celebrities also die around the same time. Perhaps their stars didn’t shine as brightly, so they weren’t included in the trilogy. Maybe we only group A-listers or B-listers in the death trilogy.
Our minds need a pattern, so we believe death comes in three. Entertainment news reinforces the belief. And it gives us something to hold on to, some way to assign a start and end time on tragedy.
Popular Literature And Three Deaths
David Eagleman is an author and neuroscientist at Stanford University. His fictional book, Sum, Forty Tales From the Afterlives, poses that each human has three deaths:
- “The first is when the body ceases to function.”
- “The second is when the body is consigned to the grave.”
- “The third is that moment, sometime in the future, when your name is spoken for the last time.”
The idea that at some point in the future, each of our names will be spoken for the last time is quite interesting. And also a little unsettling. At some point, my children and grandchildren will be gone.
A great-grandchild may say my name with a casual distance, but beyond that who will say my name? Will it be someone like me, a stranger who reads aloud headstones in cemeteries?
If death comes in threes and if our human existence does indeed have three deaths, then the pondering of all these threes might feel overwhelming. Let’s look to see what the Bible says.
What Does The Bible Say About Death Coming In Threes?
The use of the number three appears 467 times in the Bible. Obviously, the trinity of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the most common theme.
St Peter denied knowing Jesus three times on the eve before his trial. Then Jesus was in the grave for three days. Finally, after the resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him.
While the Bible isn’t specific about death or trials coming in threes, it does use the repetitiveness of the number to make certain points. For example, in Peter’s betrayal of Christ, he also heard a rooster crow three times as proof that Jesus predicted the betrayal.
So the Bible is full of references to the number three and perhaps that contributes to our notion that death comes in threes.
What Does Hinduism Say About Death In Threes?
Hinduism also seems silent on the subject of death coming in threes. Instead, it reminds us to live a life of virtue and self-giving. It says that we are of one body, so if a finger feels pain then the whole body does. Meaning that we should take care of all people, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant they are.
An old Indian proverb says, “When you were born, you cried, and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.”
Do right in the world, so that in death your soul discards your worn-out old body to wear a new one.
So Then, Does Death Come In Threes?
The reality is that around the world two people die every second. But we only register the deaths we know. I grew up in Louisiana, the swampy home of voodoo and black magic. As children, my sisters and I spent hours capturing unwitting crawdads from the huge “ditch” behind our home.
I remember running inside, proud of my catch, to see mom tethered to the wall phone asking her own sister, “I wonder who will be next.” A great-grandmother and a great-aunt of mine had died within the past month. So my mom and her sister speculated on who the Grim Reaper had in mind next.
The fact that both of these women were in their 90s seemed not to matter (and never occurred to me as a child). They had both lived good long lives and that was something to celebrate. Unfortunately, though, someone else simply must die in order for the cycle to be complete.
I honestly can not remember if a third death ever came. Or if it was within the prescribed timeframe to even count as the third. But for that afternoon, the curse had rubbed off on my sisters and me. We taunted each other mercilessly that death was coming for one or the other of us.
Conclusion
The rule of thirds gives us a pattern, order, and a sense of regularity. It allows us to normalize happenings and to explain chaos or grief. Does death come in threes? Probably not. But the grief that comes with losing a loved one or three loved ones still feels overwhelming.
As we try to make sense of death, we assign meaning when there may not be any at all. We bargain, we fight, and we plead for one more day with our beloved. And if comfort comes in a pattern? Well then, take comfort where you can.
