If so, this time of year must make you really nervous! Samhain (sometimes called Samain) was an ancient Pagan festival, where giant fires were built to frighten away the dead walked the Earth on that night. Over time, the ritual migrated into prayers for those who died “unpure” and eventually was called Halligan in England; the night before it was All Hallow’s Eve.
Maybe you suffer from aelurophobia (fear of cats) or spectrophobia (fear of ghosts), coimetrophobia (fear of cemeteries) or, if you’re a vampire, phenogophobia (fear of daylight).
We all have our fears and Halloween is the perfect (or worst, depending on whether you enjoy being scared) time of year to get spooked.
Me? Aerophobia, algophobia, apiphobia… (and that’s just the A’s) Wonder what I’m afraid of? You’ll have to come over to look them up, unless, of course you have sophophobia (fear of learning).
Source: Encyclopedia of Phobias, Fears and Anxieties (Refc RC 535 D63 1989)
- Kelly