If you like antique mirrors as much as we do, you should read this article from HouseBeautiful.com.
Are Antique Mirrors Evil and Creepy or Are We Just Superstitious?
“Mirror, mirror on the wall,” the evil stepmother demands. “Red Rum,” the haunted little boy writes. “Double, Double, Toil and Trouble,” cry MacBeth’s witches. “Bloody Mary,” the little kids chant until they’re sufficiently scared… What do these incantations all have in common? Mirrors, of course. You’re probably familiar with the classic scary movie ‘murderer in the mirror’ trope, or the good old jarring and dysmorphic funhouse/circus hall of mirrors nightmare. Remember Narricius? He’s the one who became so beholden by the vision of his own face in the surface of the water (the original mirror) that he actually died of thirst as to not disturb the reflection. And more recently, in the age of the Internet, eBay developed an entire section dedicated to anything “Haunted” with plenty of “buyer beware” cautionary listing titles, with mirrors dominating the list of items up for grabs. And don’t even get me started on Reddit…
“For now we see through a glass, darkly” —1 Corinthians 13:12
So why, exactly, do mirrors—and especially antique ones—have such a twisted reputation? Well, there are a few reasons. Curious, I went digging to learn more about the cultural, mythological, and historical customs around mirrors. Plus, obviously, I needed to know if this had any bearing on decorating with antique mirrors—is that basically inviting evil spirits into my house? Maybe you’re just superstitious. Or curious, like me, about all things haunted. Or perhaps it’s that you have a burning need to know what the folkloric origins of cursed mirrors tells us about our values and fears as a society. Either way, you’ll want to read this before picking up that charmingly lived-in-looking mirror innocently propped up on the sidewalk or peeking out of a dumpster just in case it turns your lovely home into a haunted one.
Read the full story here: housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a36531388/haunted-mirrors