Mirror, mirror on the wall, what’s the craziest mirror superstition of them all?
There’s a reason that mirrors have played a unique role in pop culture and folklore over the years — after all, seeing our reflection is a fascinating thing! That’s why, just for fun, we’ve rounded up a few popular mirror myths and superstitions.
Seven Years Bad Luck
Perhaps the most well-known mirror myth, the belief that breaking a mirror would bring you seven years bad luck dates back to the ancient Romans. They believed life was renewed every seven years, which explains the length of the curse. (Luckily, this is just an old superstition; however, there are certain steps you should follow if you break a mirror to dispose of it safely.)
No Reflection = No Soul
It’s said that fantastical beings like vampires and witches don’t have a reflection when they look in the mirror because they don’t have a soul, and mirrors are meant to reflect our souls back to us.
Bloody Mary
A favorite “dare” in every adolescent slumber party’s nightly game of “Truth or Dare,” this folklore ritual claimed anyone who spoke Bloody Mary’s name 13 times in front of a dimly lit mirror would summon her bloody ghost.
See Your Future Husband
Apparently, at midnight on Halloween night, if you peel an apple in one long continuous strip in front of a mirror, then toss the peel over your left shoulder with your right hand, your future husband will be revealed to you in the mirror. Other versions of this myth say you actually eat the apple, so make sure you do your research before you give this one a shot.
Bad Feng Shui
In order to have a bedroom that follows the principles of feng shui, you better not have a mirror that faces your bed. This is because of the belief that your body and spirit go through a repairing process while sleeping, and it would be damaging to your rest to have the negative energy your body releases during sleep reflected back at you.
While we don’t know what to believe about some of these superstitions and myths, we know one unequivocal truth about mirrors: they look better with a frame. Luckily, we can help with that.