[kaba0]

I think the explanation of “shared human memory” plausible, in terms of it tapping into some primitive (possibly evolutionary) pathway (as it seems to occur in other cultures as well, so nurture is not likely).

We do have other perhaps similar “shared experiences” in the form of fear of snakes, which is theorized to come from primate evolution — we may even have “hard-coded” snake detection! Anecdotally and according to some studies, people can recognize a snake faster than they would even consciously realize it. This is also what snake attack survivors often tell. Maybe something similar exists for Hatman, it is just being repressed by default? Another evolutionary fear are birds as far as I know, plus fire. Some think this may be the origin of dragons (flying, fire-breathing snakes).