A sense of fear, foreboding, disgust or distaste
"Walking past a graveyard? On a lousy date? A lousy date who took you for a stroll in a graveyard? You might develop a case of the “willies,” a euphemism for being unsettled, frightened, or otherwise disturbed."
—Mental FLoss
I will show you fear in a handful of moths. it has nothing to do with
penises.
The ballet Giselle was inspired by the Willis, a figure in Slavic folklore embodied by a married woman who perishes before her wedding day. At midnight, the women exit the spirit world to dance for their own pleasure; any man who sees them will die. Famous Italian composer Giacomo Puccini later adapted the story for his La Villi in 1884. This may be the origin of the statement that something gives you the willies. No-one is quite certain, as is often the case with etymologies.
I've been shot at, faced men with knives. had my chest cracked open and my heart stopped, but what truly sends me into abandonment to fear is flying insects at night. Oh, and praying mantises. Moths, June bugs, daddy-longlegs (aka mosquito hawks) will make me run screaming. The day I discovered that mantises could also fly was a dreadful one. Spiders I am fine with and I am happy to handle them, likewise snakes and other creepy-crawlies. It's just night-flying insects that might fly into my face. There's no word to describe my phobia, yet it's very real.
Now i don't hate moths, in fact will attempt to rescue them (on the other hand, I hate certain sounds). Likewise mantids, if they're in danger, but handling either is a problem. I have to be either very brave or highly resourceful to carry one outside. My bravest act ever was allowing a mantis to perch on my hand so i could take her outdoors to release her. I wished her a long life and then went inside to curl up in a fœtal ball and shiver quietly. I may have needed a reviving cup of tea.
for In the Absence of Light, Darkness Prevails: The 2025 Halloween Horrorquest
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