Bloody Mary: The Story Behind America's Creepiest and Most Popular Urban Legend

In many cultures of the world, mirrors were endowed with magical properties. People used mirrors to tell fortunes, and tried to open portals to other worlds and summon spirits. There are many superstitions associated with mirrors in the USA. The legend of Bloody Mary, which is very popular in all English-speaking countries, is also associated with them.

It is not known exactly when the story of the creepy woman coming out of the mirror appeared. But Bloody Mary was mentioned in various sources as early as the beginning of the 20th century. The first study of the legend appeared only in 1978. It was written by the famous American folklorist Janet Langlo.

The scientist notes that Bloody Mary is one of the most popular mystical characters among teenagers. The spirit is summoned by children and teenagers of different ages, both boys and girls. Interestingly, in different states, Mary's story has its own peculiarities. Somewhere she is considered a witch burned at the stake, in other places - the victim of a maniac or even a car accident.

Psychologist Charlotte Benson, who studies the influence of urban legends on modern children, found that up to 90 percent of Americans aged 7 to 15 believe in Bloody Mary. The peak of this character's popularity came in 1999, when the film "Urban Legends" was released. Today, there are four completely different versions of the origin of this folk heroine.

Researchers have established that the legend of Bloody Mary originated in Pennsylvania. It is associated with a certain woman who lived in a dugout in the woods in the 17th century and practiced witchcraft. Residents of nearby villages considered her a witch and associated many problems with her. But they did not want to mess with her, as they were afraid of evil spirits. They gave her the nickname "Bloody Mary" and cursed her from a distance.

Everything changed when local farmers' children started disappearing. One day, two girls went for a walk in a field near the forest and disappeared without a trace. Then several brave men decided to search the old woman's dugout. The children and their traces were not found there, but everyone was amazed that Bloody Mary looked noticeably younger. The men returned home with nothing, but their hostility towards the forest dweller noticeably increased.

The drama unfolded when the local miller's daughter got out of bed one night and headed towards the forest in her nightgown. Several men followed her, trying to keep their distance. The girl came to the witch's dugout, who was holding a strange branch decorated with amulets.

The old woman was captured, brought to the village and burned at the stake along with her "magic wand". After her death, the bloodless bodies of the missing children were found near the dugout. It became clear that the witch used magic to lure the children into the forest and then performed a ritual that restored her youth.

But how is Bloody Mary connected with the mirror? They say that already at the stake the witch screamed a terrible curse. It consisted of the fact that from now on everyone who pronounces her name in a dark room near the mirror will die. Bloody Mary will take his soul to the Looking Glass, where it will suffer forever in hellfire, paying for the suffering of the sorceress.

There is another version of the origin of the legend, connected with a real historical figure - the English Queen Mary I Tudor. The daughter of King Henry VIII, Mary received the nickname Bloody for her cruelty and love of executions. In just two years of her reign, hundreds of people were executed.

The first victim was 16-year-old Jane Grey, Mary's predecessor on the throne, and along with her, her husband, father, and father-in-law. Mary then began to persecute Protestants, sending more than 300 people to the stake. Not only ordinary believers perished in the fire, but also prominent hierarchs who stood at the origins of the Reformation. In addition, those considered witches and sorcerers were burned and drowned.

Since people were afraid of the cruel queen, many terrible stories appeared about her. One of them said that Mary used the blood of young Protestant women to preserve her youth and beauty. Incidentally, another historical figure was also accused of similar atrocities - the Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who lived around the same time.

The death of Queen Mary is also shrouded in mystery. In 1557, an epidemic of an unknown fever broke out in Europe. Unlike the plague or smallpox, this disease killed slowly. One of the first victims was the hated queen, followed by her faithful companion, Cardinal Pole. The epidemic took the lives of many inhabitants of the kingdom, but people considered this misfortune to be God's punishment that had befallen Bloody Mary. Later, the queen's name was associated with the legend of a mirror that crossed the ocean with the first English settlers.

The third option is the most modern. The heroine of this story is an American girl, Mary Worth. She was unusually beautiful, but got into a car accident that disfigured her face. Before the accident, Mary spent hours sitting in front of the mirror, unable to look at her face enough. But after the accident, her family hid all the mirrors from her, fearing that she would go crazy.

One night, Mary finally found the mirror. Seeing the scars that disfigured her face, she screamed in horror and disappeared into the Looking Glass. Since then, her spirit, driven by envy, wanders from mirror to mirror in search of victims to destroy those who are more beautiful than her.

Most often, Bloody Mary takes a person's soul through the Looking Glass. But there are other versions: some believe that she attacks beauties who dare to pronounce her name in front of a mirror, and disfigures their faces with shards of glass. Others believe that you can negotiate with the sinister spirit and direct its power against your enemy.

The latest version of the legend tells of a woman named Mary Worthington. She became the victim of a bloodthirsty maniac who cut out her eyes in front of a mirror. The monstrous pain and fear that the unfortunate woman experienced turned her into a spirit living in mirrors.

Bloody Mary is tied to mirrors, so when moving, she stays with the owner of the object if he takes it with him. At night, with peripheral vision, you can see a spirit with bloody holes instead of eyes in the Looking Glass, but this is not dangerous. Only those who dare to call Bloody Mary three times in front of a mirror at night risk their lives.

Those who believe in the legend believe that Mary from Through the Looking Glass can kill, send illness, drag you through the mirror or cut out your eyes. Those who managed to befriend her and use her power for their own purposes still sooner or later become her victims, but die the most horrible death.

The legend of Bloody Mary is not just a scary tale, but a reflection of human fears and mysteries associated with mirrors and the other world. What do you think about such mystical stories? Do you know any creepy stories associated with mirrors? Do you think there is some truth in them, or is it just fantasy? Share your opinion in the comments!