Quote:
Originally Posted by charmcitysking
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The Nightmare (Fuseli)
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Hewy this is a cool painting!
I have this little thought experiment about this painting, and the experience of Night Terrors and Sleep Paralysis
I hhave suffered from both of these, they're nuts, it was awful, I still dont like to sleep on my back because of it, since that can exacerbate it because of the weight of your body pushing on itself.
TLdr of what they're like in my experience is you
slooooowly wake up from a dream and cant really tell if you're in reality or not, your eyes are open your mind is awake you can start to see but your body is asleep and you cant move, it feels like you're being held down.
So how does that relate to this painting? Well, each culture on earth has come up with its own interpretation for what sleep paralysis is. Cultures have created all kinds of spiritual imagery to represent sleep paralysis.
This one is a Europian mythology of a gargoyle that appears on your chest and sucks out your soul.
south america has tales of a creature with long fingernails that lurks on people's rooftops during the night.
Mexican folklore has a cat, that invades people's homes and sits on their chests while they are asleep, steeling their breath.
Japanese have this spirit that lashes you to your bed with chains and torchers you.
But western American culture, has none. No mythos.
Why is that? well perhaps, its because we came about at a time where we dont make up mythology for sleep paralysis...
OOOORRRRR.......
Alien abductions, is the American folklore created by sleep paralysis. Think about it. When do they happen? what happens during them? What does it sound like?
Sure sounds like sleep paralysis to me!
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