Bloody Mary Legend

You’re wondering whether Bloody Mary is real or just an urban legend. Well she’s real. Or at least she was. The myth is based on a true story.

According to the legend, you have 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:

Your eyes being ripped out and your face horribly scarred.

Being found dead with claw marks all over your face and body

Disappearing mysteriously from the bathroom and ending up trapped in the mirror with the ghost for eternity.

You could also be driven insane or drop dead on the spot.

These Bloody Mary pictures show you what to expect.

The history of the chanting game is based on mixed up legends and history that over the years have become the main basis for the story surrounding the urban legend.

The most common story told is that Mary Worth was a witch that lived over 100 years ago who dabbled in the black arts. She was found out and executed.

The other story is more modern - a local woman was involved in a fatal car accident, and her face was horribly scarred before she died. She reappears in the mirror when summoned with that same horrific face.

It is largely believed that the origins of the names “Mary Worth” and “Bloody Mary” came from a slight mix up of characters from history. Mary I, Queen of England, or Mary Tudor, who reigned during the Tudor period was also commonly known as “Bloody Mary”.

Her nickname of “Bloody Mary” became attached to her when she violently executed and burnt people at the stake for heresy throughout her 5-year reign as Queen of England.

She also was unable to have children and suffered two phantom pregnancies, this is why it is speculated that the variation involving chanting “I stole your baby” became tangled up with the legend.

There is another suggestion that the name “Mary Worth” was derived from a victim of the Salem Witch trials.

Another possible origin is the legend of Elizabeth Bathory, or Countess Dracula as she has been called. She was a Hungarian royal who was rumored to have killed young girls and bathed in their blood to preserve her youthful beauty. Of course her name was not Mary but somehow the stories of this cruel woman have been inserted into the legend.

The Japanese have their own version, called The Slit Mouthed Woman.

How do you play Bloody Mary? What you need is one candle, a strong heart and a big bathroom with a large mirror.

Turn out the lights, place your candle down and light it, stand and look into the mirror, chant slowly “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary”. And see what happens…

If nothing happens try spinning around three times and then look into the mirror. You may just catch a glimpse of her terrifying face.

Try it out if you dare, but don’t blame me if you find yourself trapped in a ghostly netherworld with the ghost of Bloody Mary forever!

Movies based on the legend of Bloody Mary:

Urban Legends 3: Bloody Mary
Candyman
Dead Mary
Bloody Mary
Supernatural (TV Show)