Walk through any Airdrie neighbourhood this weekend, and you’ll see evidence that the annual spooky season is upon us.
History tells us the celebration of ghouls and ghosts originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off spirits.
In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III appointed Nov. 1 as a day to honour all saints and, over time, All Saints Day merged with Samhain traditions.
Eventually, All Saints Day became known as All Hallows Eve, which eventually became known as today’s Halloween.
The frighten-you-out-of-your-skin roots of this celebration and its modern and snugly relationship with the annual night of little ghouls and goblins asking for sweet treats dates to at least ancient Greece.
In Greek mythology, Prometheus, a Titan who defied Zeus by stealing fire and giving it to mankind and who was consequently eternally punished for his supposed lack of judgment, is credited in part as the inspiration for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein monster.
Shelley’s subtitle for her Gothic novel is The Modern Prometheus. Since the publication of her novel in 1818, the horror genre has carved out an impressive niche, with hundreds of new titles appearing every year in dozens of languages.
Here at Airdrie Public Library (APL), our patrons have access to a monstrous collection of spine-chilling junior and adult fiction, nonfiction, and movies in the library and online through your free library card. We’re talking vampires, werewolves, monsters, the paranormal, and much more by the likes of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Darren Shan, R.L Stine, H.P. Lovecraft, and a frightening number more.
With titles like Tales of Horror, The Shining, Goosebumps, and, of course, Frankenstein, let’s face it, as humanity has moved away from the magical thinking of ancient times to a more scientific and rational mindset, we still hold onto this strange desire to have the heebie-jeebies frightened out of us.
For more information on any of the library’s programs and services, visit airdriepubliclibrary.ca or drop by the library.
