Darkness
Darkness is the absence of
light, but earlier in history it was sometimes viewed as a substance in its own right, and appears in this form in some
fantasy literature.Another name for darkness in this context is
shadow.
As a
metaphor, it is also the lack of
knowledge (ignorance).It is also associated with mystery and with unknown things.
In
Western tradition, darkness is also associated with
evil, evil entities (such as
demons or
Satan), and
Hell or, especially in
Egyptian mythology, the
underworld. This concept can be seen personified in the character of Darkness played by actor Tim Curry in the 1985 fantasy movie
Legend, where Darkness takes the form of a 15 foot high stereotype of
Satan, complete with reddened skin, long horns and cloven hooves. The darkness was also an important part of
gnostic religious systems; it was usually associated with evil. According to the gnostics, the world is the result of a fight between the darkness and the light.
In the Early Modern Period, the
Middle Ages were named
The Dark Ages in an attempt to make them look crude, thus making the speakers' own age seem glorious by comparison.
The love of darkness is called
lygophilia. The fear of darkness is called
lygophobia.
In fiction, darkness can symbolize undesirable happenings in various forms, often in the context of evil as mentioned above.
Dark tourism is the travel to sites associated with death and suffering.
