The Mystique, Magic, Myths and Superstitions of Mirrors

This is based on the earlier legend of Bloody Mary.

In Spooky Pennsylvaniaby S.E. Schlosser, he tells the story of a witch who lived in a wood in rural America. The witch, who became known by the villagers as Bloody Mary, was found to be killing the young girls of the village and taking their blood to rejuvenate herself.

She was caught and burned at the stake. In her death throes she uttered a curse – that anyone who looked into a darkened mirror and called out her name would die in torment.

“From that day to this, anyone foolish enough to chant Bloody Mary’s name three times before a darkened mirror will summon the vengeful spirit of the witch. It is said that she will tear their bodies to pieces and rip their souls from their mutilated bodies. The souls of these unfortunate ones will burn in torment as Bloody Mary once was burned, and they will be trapped forever in the mirror.”

 “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
(Attributed to the Brothers Grimm)

Image source

 I am sure we know of the wicked stepmother in “Snow White” calling up the spirit in the mirror to reassure herself of her own fair looks. But there is a term that is used to describe the use of the mirror in this way. It is “scrying”.

In its basic form is the superstition that a young woman will see her future husband if she concentrates and asks the question whilst combing her hair in the mirror by candlelight at midnight.

 In its more advanced form the favoured tool of the user, usually a “witch”, is the black mirror.

In her article Seeing Into DarknessScrying Using the Black Mirrorby Katlyn Breene, she states:

 “The following excerpt comes from a book-length work on scrying and magick mirrors.

The black scrying mirror, or magick mirror, is a powerful psychic tool. It can bring the user hidden knowledge and clairvoyant ability and can act as a portal to other planes of existence. History shows its use in many of the traditional mystery schools and oracular temples. Today the serious student of magickal arts can rediscover the ancient rites of the magick mirror, for these techniques are again coming to light.”

 Further she states its uses:

“To contact spirit guides

To access knowledge

For healing and self improvement

As a magickal transmitter and receiver

For divining the past, present and future

As a portal to the astral plane

For shamanic journeying

For ritual invocation and evocation

To improve visualization skills “ 

 “…imagination is stronger than knowledge – myth is more potent than history…”
(Robert Fulghum)

For a better understanding of the points made here, perhaps we need to go back beyond the invention of the glass mirror. Perhaps as far back as the Iron Age and beyond.

The dark waters of peat bogs have a very high reflective quality.  The blackness of the peat gives the surface of the water mirror like qualities and looking into it must have made the reflected sky look like a view of another world. It is here, that across North Western Europe, discoveries are being made of extremely well preserved bodies and artefacts that are almost universally being accepted as forming parts of offerings and ritualistic sacrifice. Pottery, tools, axes, jewellery, coins, and human bodies were sacrificed in the bogs to honour pagan gods.

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These waters were perhaps seen as being an “entrance” to the underworld; a doorway to the gods. Perhaps this is where the beliefs of the reflected image containing the soul originated: the black waters of the bog lying beneath containing the unknown and perhaps something to fear and be wary of.

Also by C. Jordan:

The Mystery of The Doll That Grew Old in The Attic

The Mystery of the Screaming Man

In the Shadow of Jack the Ripper: The Lambeth Poisoner