Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the most frightening creature of them all?
Students of folklore will tell you the mirror itself offers the most frightening creature. It is, after all, the home of the infamous Bloody Mary.
If you can’t walk past a mirror without feeling a chill run down your spine, it could be a sign that something more frightening than your own reflection is staring back at you. Bloody Mary is purported to be a menacing ghost that inhabits mirrors and will manifest herself to anyone foolish enough to summon her by name.
Who is Bloody Mary?
Bloody Mary is a nickname bestowed on Mary I of England, who reigned from 1553 to 1558. The daughter of King Henry VIII, Mary severely persecuted Protestants while undertaking a failed bid to restore her kingdom to Catholicism after her father broke with Rome and formed the Anglican Church. Approximately 300 Protestants were burned at the stake during her reign. Her gruesome deeds allegedly led Mary being condemned, after her death, to haunt mirrors as a restless spirit.
Mary in the Bloody Mary legend has also been associated with Mary Worth, a woman who killed slaves trying to escape via the Underground Railroad in the antebellum Southern United States.
Summoning Mary
The Bloody Mary ritual is straightforward and most often done in small groups. Participants stand inside a dimly lit or darkened room and face a mirror. While staring into the mirror, they chant “Bloody Mary” at least three times. What happens next? According to the legend, the fools who do the chant will see either a ghost, a witch, or a demonic apparition. Whatever form of the apparation they see will also be covered in blood (hence the nickname).
Mary will attack once summoned and show how she got her nickname. The apparation will attack the summoner in multiple ways, based on her whims. This can include screaming at the summoner, inflicting a curse on them, stealing their soul, strangling them, drinking their blood, or scratching their eyes out.
Bloody Mary Origins
Like many urban legends, the Bloody Mary ritual has roots in ancient mythology. It likely evolved from older divination rituals involving women before being tied to a violent and cruel English queen or a sadistic murderer of slaves.
One such ritual involved young women using mirrors to reveal their future husbands. They were supposed to walk up a flight stairs backward while holding a mirror in their hand. If they saw a skull instead of their future husband’s face, it was an omen fortelling they would die as an unmarried woman.
The Bloody Mary ritual has become a fixture in modern popular culture and a staple of the horror genre, being featured in multiple movies, TV shows, and video games.
Have an urban legend, conspiracy theory, or piece of folklore you would like to see me explore in a future Folklore Friday article? Let me know in the comments below.
This was really interesting. I had no clue about the ghostly aspect of Mary I.
Didn't think it would be this good, otherwise, I would have saved it for the daytime when I can be more courageous, damn, I have to call a friend over to my apartment to sleep comfortably now lol