Otto analysed the numinous into elements: the mysterium, the wholly other that baffles understanding; the tremendum, the awfulness and overpowering majesty before which the creature feels itself as dust; and the fascinans, the attraction that makes the soul long to draw near. Fear and love meet in the one experience.
Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans
Otto’s description of the holy as a mystery that makes one tremble and also attracts.