Page 157 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

138 Mysteries of the Mind

hood fear of falling. Some individuals are unable upon the shedding of blood in religious sacri-
to ascend to the upper floors of buildings or are fices for thousands of years. Although medical
even unable to climb up on ladders to hang pic- science has added knowledge to the definition
tures in their home because of such a dread of of what constitutes a fully functioning human
falling. The name of this phobia is derived from body, on the unconscious level it is likely that
the Greek word acro to denote a great height. many people still regard blood as the physical
expression of the life force. Reinforcing such
Arachnophobia, a fear of spiders, is an
extremely common fear that undoubtedly has an ancient belief is the importance that is
its basis in the reality that some spiders are poi- given to samples of blood in diagnosing ill-
sonous or inflict painful bites. The name for this nesses and in identifying everything from cul-
phobia comes from the Greek word for spider, pability in a crime to responsibility in parent-
arachne. There is also the Greek myth of hood. The word comes from the Greek haima,
Arachne, a woman from the ancient city of meaning blood.
Lydia, who had the boldness to challenge the Mysophobia, a fear of germs or dirt, origi-
goddess Athena to a weaving contest. As a pun- nates from the Greek myso, filth. This phobia
ishment, Arachne was changed into a spider. is an environmental one that causes the suffer-
Claustrophobia, a fear of being enclosed in ers constantly to wash their hands, to cleanse
a small or tight place, was experienced by the the area around them, and to avoid any type of
great escape artist Houdini, who often accept- dirt or any source that might breed bacteria.
ed the challenge of freeing himself from very Many people with this disorder become house-
small and tight boxes and trunks. Disciplining bound and often cause dermal harm to them-
himself to conquer his phobia was one of his selves by constantly scrubbing and washing
greatest feats. The name of this phobia comes their skin. Singer-songwriter Michael Jackson
from the Latin word claustro, to shut or to has become well-known for his phobia regard-
close. The word is also very close to cloister, in ing germs. Millionaire-eccentric Howard
which individuals voluntarily shut themselves Hughes and actress Joan Crawford were among
off from the world. The singer-actor Dean those who shared this fear.
Martin tried to avoid elevators whenever pos- Necrophobia, a fear of dead people or ani-
sible because of his claustrophobia. Edgar mals, is likely one of those phobias that has its
Allan Poe (1809–1849), the writer and poet, roots in humankind’s earliest taboos and
was a claustrophobic, and he is said to have reflects such commonsense reasoning as the
drawn on such fears when he wrote such sto- danger of contracting diseases from the
ries as “Premature Burial” (1844). deceased. All of the world’s religions have strict

Glossophobia, a fear of public speaking, is rules about how the dead should be handled
one of the most common of phobias and one and how a proper burial should be conducted.
that must be overcome by many individuals And all world cultures have superstitions and
who find themselves in the position of having legends about vampires, zombies, and other
to make a speech to a group of people for busi- members of the undead who seek the blood of
ness, professional, or educational reasons. From the living. Tales of the dead returning to com-
the Greek word for tongue, glosso, many people municate with their relatives or exact revenge
find themselves tongue-tied, feeling faint, their on their enemies are known to every society.
heart pounding when they are placed in the With such a heritage of fear of the dead lurking
position of speaking in public. Even profession- in the unconscious, it is to be expected that
al entertainers can experience cold sweat, nau- some individuals would develop such a crip-
sea, vomiting, and light-headedness when they pling dread of a deceased person that therapy or
step before an audience. Extreme stage fright medications must be prescribed. The word
kept singer-songwriter Carly Simon from per- comes from the Greek nekros, meaning dead
forming live for many years. body or deceased person.

Hemaphobia, a fear of blood, is likely Scotophobia, a fear of the dark, is another
encouraged by the reverence that was placed basic human response to centuries of concern

The Gale Enc y clopedia of the Unusu al and Unexplained