Epilepsy and metaphors in literature

•Epilepsy and seizures can be literary metaphors.•They often symbolize sexuality, strong emotions, and religion.•Seizures are sometimes spoken of in metaphors.•Typical metaphors refer to dreams and strong sensory perceptions.•Some metaphors relating to epilepsy have great literary merit.

This topic has two different aspects: seizures and epilepsy used as metaphors and seizures described in metaphors. Whereas some metaphors are unique and have high literary value, others can be categorized in prototypical groups. These include sexual metaphors; metaphors of strong emotions, of life crises and breakdown, and also of exultation; religious metaphors; and metaphors of weakness which mostly belong to older literature. Writers with epilepsy, in their literary texts, rarely talk about seizures in metaphors. Authors who do this sometimes seem to use reports that they have received from afflicted persons. The most common metaphors for seizures belong to the realms of dreams and of strong sensory impressions (visual, auditory). More rarely, storm and whirlwind are used as literary metaphors for seizures.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Epilepsy, Art, and Creativity”.