Monday, April 30, 2012

Z is for Zemmiphobia

Zemmiphobia is an irrational fear of the great mole rat. While there is not technically an animal called the great mole rat, there is a commonly accepted type of mole rat that would fall into this description. It looks like this:

Scary, right?

I don't have zemmiphobia, nor do I know anyone with it, but in high school I got my hands on one of those lists that includes every phobia, and this was one of the few that stuck in my head. I don't know why, but I still can't think about it without giggling (I sincerely apologize to anyone with this phobia). I just can't imagine there are enough people in the world afraid of this tiny, blind, hairless rodent to make it a full-blown phobia. But then, there are a lot of really random fears that I wouldn't expect to be phobias. For example:

  • Alliumphobia - Fear of garlic (vampire much?)
  • Cherophobia - Fear of gaiety
  • Chrometophobia or Chrematophobia - Fear of money
  • Erythrophobia or Erytophobia or Ereuthophobia - 1) Fear of redlights. 2) Blushing. 3) Red.
  • Gnosiophobia - Fear of knowledge
  • Graphophobia - Fear of writing or handwriting
  • Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia - Fear of the number 666 (OK, this one's not so random. I just wanted to marvel over the length of that word)
  • Kathisophobia - Fear of sitting down
  • Linonophobia - Fear of string
  • Macrophobia - Fear of long waits
  • Mythophobia - Fear of myths or stories or false statements
  • Nomatophobia - Fear of names
  • Pteronophobia - Fear of being tickled by feathers
  • Sinistrophobia - Fear of things to the left or left-handed (I take offense to this)
  • Verbophobia - Fear of words
  • Xerophobia - Fear of dryness

This list brought to you by The Phobia List.

On an unrelated note, congratulations to everyone who completed the A-Z Challenge! It was a lot of fun, though I'm definitely glad it's over. Means more time for (not) writing Defenders and (definitely) writing Bex. Happy Z Day!

4 comments:

  1. Congrats, you win the prize for the most unique Z entry of the day! :D

    Gnosiophobia - Fear of knowledge - LOL! I love that, but think it should be spelt noseyophobia :D

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  2. I think I just developed Zemmiphobia. that thing is freaky!!

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  3. Cracking up at the fear of gaiety! And the mole rat totally reminds me of Kim Possible - anyone?

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  4. Interesting post. I know a woman who has a phobia of buttons, but I don't now what that's called. Congratulations on completing the challenge. Oh, and my younger son has a naked mole rat stuffed animal. Yes, some toy company decided that would be worth manufacturing :-)

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