So I read somewhere that the Spartans used to worship and sacrifice to Phobos, the god/personification (pretty much the same thing anyway) of fear.
At first, this seemed strange to me. There’s a saying that Phobos rules the battlefield. But he’ll mess you up. If an army is overcome by fear, they may turn and run, and when that happens, that army is usually done for. If you’re a Spartan facing down an enemy army, Phobos is your enemy. He’s what you want to get away from. So why worship him?
But when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Phobos is the enemy of both sides in a battle. So if you can appease him, or co-opt him, get him on your side, then maybe he’ll do more of a number on the opposing side than on yours. Maybe he’ll help your side out.
Well, I’m not a Spartan. But still. You know how they say that you have nothing to fear except [del]Fear Itself[/del] fear itself? Well, that’s not entirely true. You should also fear serial killers, rogue asteroids, drunk drivers and escaped velociraptors. But, yeah. My whole life, fear has been holding me back. It has been a constant companion and a pain in my ass.
Now I’m thinking that I’ve been going about things the wrong way. I’ve cursed fear, and hated it. But that’s not how you get fear to leave you alone.
From now on I shall sacrifice to Phobos. I shall sing the praises of the great power of fear. And see if I can win that bastard over. Make fear my buddy.
Now, hand me those chickens…
(If anyone knows what kinds of prayers and gifts Phobos prefers, feel free to give me some tips. I’m drawing the line on virgins, though.)
