Halloween – “Hallowed E’en” (Evening) – is what most people today call the last night of October. Ancient Celts preferred their own word for it: Samhain, from their god of the dead, who drew back the curtain that separated a dead soul from a living world, granting it freedom to move, just for a night – October 31, the last night of their calendar year. That’s right: what we call Halloween originated as the harrowing, pagan version of New Year’s Eve!
The scary monsters we associate with Halloween aren’t real, in the physical sense, but they strike a chord within us, for what they symbolize:
Vampires, for example, are depicted as sophisticated, cool under pressure, versatile menaces – the “royalty” of movie monsters – but they also epitomize lack of empathy for others, addiction (to blood), and fear of strangers; they reflect back at us our fear of isolation from others. Whether it’s Count Dracula or Edward Cullen, vamps are hardy perennials.
Werewolves, the more primal “country cousins” of the vampire, push this further, exploring a vision of ourselves, stripped of our literal humanity, altered by a full moon’s radiance into bloodthirsty animals of staggering power – our fear of losing our self-control. This may have found their inspiration in the wildness of ancient human totem-warriors – and yes, lycanthropes have their own fans.
Zombies, namely the fast-running version, are all the rage right now. They focus our fear of literal death, physical disintegration, and mindlessness – but they also seem to be the one such monster an ordinary person could defeat, given the weapons and sufficient ruthlessness, so that, I suspect, plays some role in their popularity, with literary and cinematic audiences.
Ghosts are about our fear of being forgotten, regrets, frustrations – the kind that couldn’t end in a person’s bodily demise (talk about frightening, if it were true!). They may also represent our wish to “liven up” our basic, everyday homes and work places, as well as our yearning to remain in contact with our lost loved ones. It may be that they act as a ‘container’ for our fear of oblivion – an odd thing to say about a disembodied spirit, perhaps. They all pluck some strings within us, someplace where we still shiver at the thought of facing unknown menaces.
They also provide templates for excellent costumes… Happy Trick or Treat!
Related articles
- Top 5 Halloween Movies (unchainedmotherhood.wordpress.com)
- The Story of Halloween (vancouverandy.wordpress.com)
- The story behind Halloween – Myths and Legends (anglaispourlebac.com)
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