Chapter 1 | Bloody Mary

 

"Light and mirror black and white" by Chris_Hawes is marked with CC BY 2.0.

Bloody Mary. 

Bloody Mary. 

Bloody Mary.

Some versions of the ritual say you should spin around three or thirteen times as you say her name. Others require candlelight, a flashlight, or even complete darkness. All versions seem to require a mirror. This legend has seemingly spread all over the globe, from my own country of Canada to Mumbai. But who is Bloody Mary? Why are so many people fascinated with her and this ritual? And most important of all, does this ritual really work?

Who is Bloody Mary?

"Earthbound Souls" by matthias lueger is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

 The identity of the Bloody Mary character is attributed to different historical characters with varying backgrounds and stories. Mary I, Queen of England, was referred to as Bloody Mary for her horrific massacre of Protestants. Some estimates say that under her reign, 300 people were executed for supposed heresy. 

Another candidate for our macabre Mary is Elizabeth Bathory. She may not have been named Mary, but she had a bloody life, with some estimates suggesting she may have killed 600 people. There are even claims that Elizabeth bathed in blood in order to appear younger. However, there remains some doubt about the legitimacy of these claims. 

Mary Worth, an alleged witch, is another possible woman who could be our Bloody Mary. However, I can't seem to find anything confirming that a Mary Worth was executed as a witch. I did, however, find evidence of a Mary Eastey who was executed as a witch in the Salem Witch trials.On the other hand, searching for Mary Worth mostly brings me info about an American comic.

According to Snopes, Bloody Mary's origin is sometimes cited as the spirit of a woman who died in a car accident. Ultimately, we can conclude that whoever Bloody Mary is, her story is both tragic yet obfuscated. Regardless of who she is, she can apparently be summoned using her name and a mirror. 

Fascination

"Broken Mirrors" by Scolirk is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

 I remember my time in elementary school, trading scary stories with friends at recess. Bloody Mary was the talk of my class, especially from grade 2 onward. As I grew up, I slowly forgot about Bloody Mary, and her reign of terror over my childhood diminished. Is this a coincidence, just a part of growing up? Some people think that children have a unique ability to see beyond the veil into the supernatural realm of existence. Understandably, then, children would be much more fascinated by the legend than adults. 

On the other hand, mirrors seem to exist in a mystical plane of their own all over the world, and not just in the case of Bloody Mary. It's possible that this fascination isn't due to the character of Mary, but due to her connection to mirrors. 

Consider for example the superstitions around broken mirrors. In some cultures, a broken mirror signifies that you are going to die, and die soon. Some superstitions suggest that looking into a broken mirror puts your immortal soul at stake. We also can't forget that vampires allegedly don't have reflections, or that breaking a mirror can give you seven whole years of very bad luck. Yikes. 

In my opinion, it is the mirror that makes the game. For a very long time, I couldn't even say her name once, not to mention three times, in front of a mirror. But I never hesitated to discuss her out loud in any room devoid of these alleged portals to the afterlife. Even as an adult, I avoid thinking about her in the bathroom, lest she decide that I'm summoning her. 

That all changed when I decided I would perform the ritual, and possibly risk my actual soul, for my first post on this blog. 

Summoning Bloody Mary

My cat, Poe, modeling the electric tealight I used to attempt to summon Bloody Mary. Photo by me.

 
I decided that I must face my fear and say her name three times in front of the bathroom mirror, for science. I also realized that despite being in my twenties, I still hold a fear of Bloody Mary, and so I enlisted a friend's help. They agreed to risk their soul along with me, and I am very grateful for their help. 

Now, there are many versions of the ritual. Do we say her name three or thirteen times? Do we tell her we killed her baby? Do we use a candle or a flashlight? We tried two different versions. First, we said her name three times in front of the mirror. Second, I said her name three times, spinning each time. Both versions used the light of an electric tealight, one that flickers, to add atmosphere. 

We completed the ritual and waited a few days to give Mary a chance to commute over for a get-together. We didn't see her in the mirror, and she didn't appear to us in any way in the days following our attempt to contact her. I am both relieved and disappointed. Honestly, the scariest thing about this was the way my glasses reflected onto my face in the scarce electric candlelight. It looked like I had big, arching eyebrows that did not complement my facial features at all, and made me look a little bit evil. That is a far cry from some sort of demon or vengeful spirit. 

Other people, however, have had some luck summoning the gory gentle-lady. Some people report bloody scratches appearing on their bodies, while others claim they heard somebody sobbing. Other experiences include faucets turning on, and their face changing in the mirror. One of my friends told me that her friend had played the game and ended up with mysterious scratches as well. 

Mirror apparitions may be explained rationally, however, via the Troxler Effect. Focusing on the mirror may cause you to see things as focusing on a specific point can make other areas in your vision fade or become unfocused. This can cause distortion of your own reflection and may give the impression of a spooky monster or spirit staring back at you.

Honestly, I want to believe. But I can't ignore that it's very possible that all our mirror superstitions and rituals, including Bloody Mary, exist because of the intricacies of our minds and our eyes, bolstered by culture and fascination. 

Have you tried the Bloody Mary ritual? What happened?

Sleep well

-Wren