The name must be uttered 13 times (or some other specified number of times). This is done by repeatedly chanting her name into a mirror placed in a dimly lit or candle-lit room. In the ritual of today, Bloody Mary allegedly appears to individuals or groups who ritualistically invoke her name in an act of catoptromancy. There was, however, a chance that they would see a skull (or the face of the Grim Reaper) instead, indicating that they were going to die before they would have the chance to marry. As they gazed into the mirror, they were supposed to be able to catch a view of their future husband's face. 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.
Bloody Mary appearances are mostly witnessed in group participation play. The Bloody Mary apparition may be benign or malevolent, depending on historic variations of the legend. She is said to appear in a mirror when her name is chanted repeatedly. The shadow of a witch is cast onto the wall at left.īloody Mary is a legend of a ghost, phantom, or spirit conjured to reveal the future.
Folklore legend An early 20th-century Halloween greeting card depicts a divination ritual in which a woman stares into a mirror in a darkened room to catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband.
