Bloody Mary

Jim Anderson

Professor Jason Jones

Superstitions & Urban Legends - IDS310 E1

30 August 2010

Bloody Mary Research Paper

What is folklore? Folklore is believed to be cultural beliefs in which a certain group of people maintain and pass on a shared way of life. Traditions that are formed from within one group that is passed down from generation to generation. Often the details might change from generation to generation, but for the most part, the story remains the same. For my research paper, I have chosen to examine the Bloody Mary Myth.

From the time that I was a child, I have a always been very superstitious of this myth. To this day, I will not turn around in the mirror in any bathroom by myself with the lights off. The legend to my knowledge prior to writing this paper was told to me along just as the following:

To summon Bloody Mary you have to go into a bathroom at the stroke of midnight and stand in front of the mirror with a lit candle and with the lights turned off. You chant her name 3 times, “Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary…” and then you shout, “I stole your baby!” And then… in the mirror… you will see the face of a horribly disfigured woman — and she’ll claw your face with razor-sharp nails, leaving you just as terribly mutilated as she is!

After researching this myth, I was very surprised to discover different variations of consequences. Through researching more and more, I was surprised to hear events such as people getting their eyes ripped out, being found dead with deeply wound claw marks all over.

According to the legend, one has to stand in a bathroom, with one candle lit and say the name “Bloody Mary” into the mirror three times in a row. It is only the bravest of children who would attempt to do this, because the story says this will summon her ghost. If you see her ghostly face in the mirror, it could have one of the following terrible consequences. I have also read of accounts where victims are driven insane...