Bloody Mary in the mirror: A rutual reflection of pre-pubescent anxiety

Western Folklore, Spring 1998 by Dundes, Alan

There are important clues in the texts reported by Langlois, clues which have thus far not been adequately explored by folklorists. For example, more than half of the texts she elicited herself (as opposed to those on file in the Indiana University folklore archives) were combined with the "Vanishing Hitchhiker". So one additional question to be asked is why is the "Bloody Mary" ritual attached to this particular legend? Let us consider the first text presented by Langlois. It was collected from twelveyear old Anna L. in February of 1973:

Q. Have you heard about a dead girl called Mary Whales or Mary Worth?

A. Yes, I've heard about Mary Whales. Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know much about her. All I know is that she stood on [the] corner when it rained and she had a long white dress on. and when someone stopped to give her a ride she would disappear in the back seat and just leave a wet spot with blood on the seat, and she wouldn't be in [the] car anymore (1978:13).

What is noteworthy about this abbreviated legend is the reference to a wet spot with blood" in the backseat of the car. There are numerous recorded versions of this popular legend (Motif E 332.3.3.1,, The Vanishing Hitchhiker; for more than one hundred references, see Bennett and Smith 1993:338). but in those versions where an object is left behind as "proof" of the truth value of the legend, that object can be "a purse, a suitcase, a blanket, a sweater, a scarf or some other item of clothing, or simply footprints or waters spots in the car" (Brunvand 1981:27). There is no mention of blood at all. Wet spots or footprints in the car are "often mentioned in connection with American vanishing hitchhikers," notes Brunvand, the acknowledged authority on this and other modern legends, but 'Why, or how, a spirit would get wet feet is not explained, though" (Brunvand 1993:251). The wetness motif is explained by neither the folk nor folklorist Brunvand.

By now the astute reader may already suspect what the possible significance of the "Bloody Mary" ritual might be. But for those who may still be in the dark, let me present a small but representative sampling of 10 texts from more than seventy-five reports, collected in 1996 unless otherwise noted, from my undergraduate folklore students at the University of California, Berkeley.'1

Text 1:

Bloody Mary

During recess at school, you go into the girls' bathroom. Your friends wait outside because only [one] person is allowed in at a time One girl stands at the door to turn out the lights once you're positioned in front of the mirror Once the lights are out, you close your eyes and turn around three times. Then you open them and stare straight into the mirror and chant, "Bloody Mary, show your fright. Show your fright this starry night." You have to chant slowly so she has time to come from the spirit world. Then you wait to see her face. Once you see her, you have to run out of the bathroom where your friends are waiting If you've sinned or done anything evil in your life then you will have three scratches of blood on your cheek.