![]() ![]() The most common one involves leaving a mirror out under moonlight overnight. There are various methods for making magic mirrors. That’s the point when images and symbols begin to appear in the mirror. Some people stare at their own reflection until they start to see images in the mirror. Other practitioners use the “traditional material” of Stockholm tar, the material used to tar the hull of old sailing ships (1999: 89). Despite the name, it’s essentially a piece of glass with the back coated in black enamel paint. Doreen Valiente, in her classic Witchcraft for Tomorrow, talks about the “magic mirror” (1999: 89). Scrying is perhaps one of the more famous ways magical people use mirrors. This mirror came from Arabic magical traditions. This was a form of divination, similar to necromancy, in which you sought answers from supernatural beings. Once you did, “the spirit appear in the form of an armed knight seated on a horse and reveal everything about the past, present, and future” (8: 49). You’d follow the prescribed ritual to trap the demon Floron in the mirror. This was a highly polished mirror of pure steel. © Icy Sedgwickīut Page also notes the existence of a lesser-known magic mirror, the ‘Mirror of Floron’. Now in the collection of the British Museum. One of the most famous is the obsidian scrying mirror owned by Dr John Dee.ĭr John Dee’s obsidian mirror. Any shiny surface would do, though this makes it “difficult to identify medieval and early modern objects used specifically for magic” (2018: 46). Mirrors were just one of those devices (2018: 45). They needed a device that blurred the barriers between the spiritual and physical realms. Sophie Page explains that in the medieval era, people were considered too ‘unclean’ to speak to highly evolved beings like angels. People considered it bad luck to let babies see themselves in a mirror, while young women who spent too long gazing in the mirror would see the Devil (Simpson 2003: 241). It’s not just breaking mirrors that brings bad luck. Nowadays, they’re just a faff to clean up. The ‘bad luck’ is how long it would take to save up to buy a new one in bygone years. The more prosaic explanation for ‘seven years’ is down to the high cost of mirrors. The earliest reference to breaking a mirror being unlucky dates to 1777, but the ‘seven years’ time frame only appears in the mid-19th century (Simpson 2003: 241). Many people think breaking a mirror kicks off seven years of bad luck. Apparently, this one only dates to 1900 but it would be fascinating to know the root cause (2003: 241). Simpson and Roud also note the belief you should cover your mirrors during a thunderstorm. Some were so afraid of this that they even covered the “mirrors in the rooms of sick people” (Simpson 2003: 241). This was largely due to the belief that a person’s soul would become trapped in the mirror and be unable to leave. This was first recorded in 1786 in Orkney, though many of the other records are in the northern counties of England (2003: 241). Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud note the practice of covering a mirror in the home of a deceased person. That stops evil forces using them for nefarious purposes. If that’s you, draw protective symbols on the back of your mirrors. The somewhat dreary horror film Oculus (2013) relied on that very point. Some people worry about things accessing their home through the mirror. ![]() Hanging a mirror opposite a door helps keep evil entities out of your home or office. As a god of communication, the mirror allowed his followers to talk to him (Morris 1993: 173).Įven Merlin had a magic mirror, although his only saw into the future. He even wore a black mirror on his chest. Their mythology featured Tezcatlipoca, Lord of the Smoking Mirror. The Aztecs used obsidian to make their mirrors. Instead, Perseus never looks at her, only her reflection. The ‘rules’ say that you’ll be turned to stone if you meet her gaze. No one could look directly at Medusa and live to tell the tale. ![]() The Rokeby Venus by Diego Velázquez, via Wikimedia CommonsĪnd we can’t forget Perseus, who used his shield as a mirror to defeat Medusa. ![]()
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