In contemporary Western folklore, Bloody Mary is a ghost or witch said to appear in a mirror when her name is called three times (or sometimes more, depending upon the version of the story), often as part of a game at slumber parties. Other very similar tales use different names for the character. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Witchcraft. ... A mirror, reflecting a vase. ...

Overview

In folklore and children's street culture, "Bloody Mary" is a game in which a ghost of the same name (or sometimes other names, such as "Mary Worth") is said to appear in a mirror when summoned. One of the more common ways participants attempt to make her appear is to stand before a mirror in the dark (most commonly in a bathroom) and repeat her name three times, though there are many variations. Some include chanting a hundred times, chanting at midnight, spinning around, rubbing one's eyes, running the water, or chanting her name thirteen times with a lit candle. Most of these are meant to disorient people. In some versions of the legend, the summoner must say, "Bloody Mary, I killed your son!" or "I killed your baby." In these variants, Bloody Mary is often believed to be the spirit of a mother (often a widow) who murdered her children, or a young mother whose baby was stolen from her, which made her go mad in grief and she eventually committed suicide. In stories where Mary is supposed to have been wrongly accused of killing her children, the querent might say "I believe in Mary Worth." This is similar to another game involving the summoning of the Bell Witch in a mirror at midnight. The game is often a test of courage, as it is said that if Bloody Mary is summoned, she would proceed to kill the summoner in an extremely violent way, such as ripping his or her face off, scratching his or her eyes out, driving the person insane or bringing the person into the mirror with her. Other variations say that the querent must not look directly at her, but at her image in the mirror; she will then reveal the querent's future, particularly concerning marriage and children.^[1] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Childrens street culture refers to the cumulative culture created by young children. ... For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation). ... A mirror, reflecting a vase. ... Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing his or her own son or daughter. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Divination rituals such as the one depicted on this early 20th century Halloween greeting card, where a woman stares into a mirror in a darkened room to catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband, while a witch lurks in the shadows, may be one origin of the Bloody Mary legend.

Bloody Mary Worth is typically described as a child-murderer who lived in the locality where the legend has taken root years ago. There is often a specific local graveyard or tombstone that becomes attached to the legend. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Divination (disambiguation). ... This article is about the holiday. ... Greeting cards on display at retail. ... Graves at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York A cemetery is a place (usually an enclosed area of land) in which dead bodies are buried. ... Tombstone most commonly means a headstone marking the grave of a deceased person. ...

On the other hand, various people have surmised that the lore about taunting Bloody Mary about her baby may relate her tenuously to folklore about Queen Mary I, known in history by the sobriquet "Bloody Mary". ^[2][3]The queen's life was marked by a number of miscarriages or false pregnancies. Had Mary I successfully borne a child, this would have established a Roman Catholic succession and threatened the continuance of her religious persecutions after her death. Speculation exists that the miscarriages were deliberately induced. As a result, some retellings of the tale make Bloody Mary the queen driven to madness by the loss of her children. ^[4] It is likely, however, that Queen Mary I provided only her nickname to the Bloody Mary of folklore. She is also confused in some tellings of the story with Mary Queen of Scots. Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 6 July 1553 (de facto) or 19 July 1553 (de jure) until her death on 17 November 1558. ... A sobriquet is a nickname or a fancy name, usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation. ... Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or the fetus is incapable of surviving, generally defined in humans at a gestation of prior to 20 weeks. ... False pregnancy, also known as pseudopregnancy or pseudocyesis, is a psychological condition causing a woman to believe she is pregnant. ... Religious persecution is systematic mistreatment of an individual or group due to their religious affiliation. ... Mary I of Scotland; known as Mary, Queen of Scots Mary I of Scotland (Mary Stuart or Stewart) (December 8, 1542 – February 8, 1587), better known as Mary, Queen of Scots, was the ruler of Scotland from December 14, 1542 – July 24, 1567. ...

The mirror ritual by which Bloody Mary is summoned may also relate to a form of divination involving mirrors and darkness that was once performed on Halloween. While as with any sort of folklore the details may vary, this particular tale encouraged young women to walk up a flight of stairs backwards, holding a candle and a hand mirror, in a darkened house. As they gazed into the mirror, they were supposed to be able to catch a view of their future husband's face. There was, however, a chance that they would see the skull-face of the Grim Reaper instead; this meant, of course, that they were destined to die before they married.^[5] For other uses, see Divination (disambiguation). ... This article is about the holiday. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Grim Reaper redirects here. ...

The appearance of a ghostly figure in the mirror could be explained quite easily for the more complex rituals, for example spinning around whilst summoning Bloody Mary in front of a mirror lit by candles. The combination of dizziness, rapid movement and flickering lighting could easily fool the eye into seeing someone, especially when the idea has already been implanted. The participant may think that they have seen a spirit, it is, however, most likely a trick of the eye brought upon by the combination of darkness and fear.

In popular culture

Similar rituals are used to summon spirits in the films Beetlejuice (1988) and Candyman (1992). This article is about the film. ... Candyman is a 1992 slasher film movie starring Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd and Xander Berkeley. ...

In an episode of the CW television series Supernatural, Bloody Mary is depicted as the spirit of Mary Worthington, a woman who was murdered and had her eyes cut out in front of her mirror. She remained to haunt the mirror and could be summoned in the usual fashion; in this version, however, she only kills those who harbor a secret in which someone died. “The CW” redirects here. ... This article is about the US TV series. ...

In the popular US show Charmed, Bloody Mary was used after the "demon of illusion" sent her out of a movie in which she was in to attack the Charmed Ones. For other uses, see Charm. ...

The children's game was parodied in the South Park episode "Hell on Earth 2006," where the ghost of Biggie Smalls would appear after saying his name three times in a mirror. This article is about the TV series. ... Hell on Earth 2006 is episode 1011 (#150) of Comedy Centrals animated series South Park, aired on October 25, 2006 and marked the series fourth Halloween episode. ... Christopher Wallace (May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997), also known as Biggie Smalls (after a stylish gangster in the 1975 comedy, Lets Do it Again), but best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was a popular Brooklyn-born rapper of the mid 1990s. ...

The ritual is used in the 1998 film Urban Legend, also. It also had its own film Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, about Bloody Mary herself showing up and murdering people much in the manner of urban legends. Urban Legend is a 1998 horror film starring Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Robert Englund, Tara Reid, Joshua Jackson, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Michael Rosenbaum, Danielle Harris, John Neville, and Loretta Devine. ...

The myth of Bloody Mary is the main subject of "Don't Try This At Home", a Ghost Whisperer episode, which originally aired on October 5, 2007. Ghost Whisperer is an American television drama-fantasy-thriller that premiered on CBS September 23, 2005. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Notes

Bill Ellis (born in 1950) is an American folklorist and associate professor of English and American studies at Penn State Hazleton. ... Ronald Hutton is Professor of History at the University of Bristol and is an occasional commentator on British television and radio on the history of paganism in the British Isles. ...

External links

• The Face in the Mirror is an article with information about the various Bloody Mary ghost legends.
• Myths Over Miami - The supernatural Bloody Mary and related legends among homeless children in south Florida.
• Bloody Mary FAQ at ghosts.org