Research Data
Post Type: Urban Legend
Type: Spirit
Location: –
Date of sighting: –
Persons of interest: None
Results: Unsolved
Bloody Mary
Urban Legends – Weird-side.com
Bloody Mary – the urban legend.
Historically, the divination ritual encouraged young women to walk up a flight of stairs backward 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 a skull instead, indicating that they were going to die before they would have the chance to marry.
In the ritual of today, allegedly appears to individuals or groups who ritualistically invoke her name in an act of catoptromancy. This is done by repeatedly chanting her name into a mirror placed in a dimly-lit or candle-lit room.
In some traditions, the name must be repeated thirteen times (or some other specified number of times).
She appears as a corpse, witch, or ghost, can be friendly or evil, and is sometimes “seen” covered in blood.
The lore surrounding the ritual states that participants may endure the apparition screaming at them, cursing them, strangling them, stealing their soul, drinking their blood, or scratching their eyes out. Some variations of the ritual call Bloody Mary by a different name
“Hell Mary” and “Mary Worth” are popular examples.
The modern legend of Hanako-san in Japan strongly parallels the Bloody Mary mythology