Watch the Mirror

When I was younger, a group of friends wanted to try a spooky game in front of a bathroom mirror. Since we were all gathered together at school, we figured we’d try it there in an old bathroom with flickering lights, creaky stalls and one hell of a cold draft.

The main person who wanted to try this had us all gather in the corner, in the background, while they stepped up in front of the mirror, spun around three times, gazed at their reflection and chanted these words…

“Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary.”

PHOTO CREDITS TO @TONIOPREA ON UNSPLASH

The urban legend of Bloody Mary is quite the famous one. It’s been adapted into many stories, including onscreen, and usually depicts a horror-filled outcome or at least a bloody woman in the mirror. But the original game didn’t start out quite so morbid.

The Bloody Mary game derived from something that was popular during olden days. Unmarried women would walk up a staircase backwards holding a candle in one hand and a mirror in the other. The objective was to glimpse the face of their future husband. But they also risked glimpsing a skeleton, said to be the face of the Grim Reaper himself, which signified that the woman would die before she’d get a chance to wed.

Despite that one origin, there are many other theories or combinations that have led to the haunting version of the Bloody Mary we have today.

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I was glad to be huddled with my friends as the room grew colder and colder. And though we stayed like that for a while, nothing really seemed to happen. Things got creepier the longer anticipation built, but children only have a certain length of attention to give, and we soon found ourselves filing out of the creepy bathroom to go where we were supposed to be… on our lunch break.

The problem was, I forgot my lunchbox in the big room attached to that small bathroom. And since none of my friends wanted to trek back with me, I had to take the route by myself, braving the creeps all on my lonesome.

I had just enough time to get to my lunchbox when I heard a very peculiar sound, and not one I’ll soon forget. It was glass shattering. And not just any glass…

It was the Bloody Mary mirror.

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The figure Bloody Mary is thought to be based on a couple different people. Not all of them are proven to be true, but one in particular was a real-life person. She was Queen Mary I of England, and she struggled over the course of her married life with getting pregnant despite showing signs that she was carrying a child. This was believed either to be a phantom pregnancy—a pregnancy that occurs when the desire to have a baby is so strong, it convinces the body that a pregnancy is really happening—or endometrial hyperplasia, something that develops before uterine cancer and gives similar symptoms as pregnancy. Since the medical field of her time wouldn’t have been able to truly test the difference, it’s unclear what she was experiencing for sure, or if it was a combination of things.

But the reason she was given the name “Bloody Mary” was because of an act she signed which led to the Marian Persecutions. Mary thought she’d be uniting the people of England—who were strongly divided between Catholics and Protestants at the time—by signing the act. But she didn’t foresee the persecutions that followed, where approximately 300 people were sentenced as Protestants to burn at the stake. Mary believed that God was punishing her through miscarriages and false pregnancies for failing to unite her people.

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I didn’t wait to investigate when I heard the sound of a mirror shattering from the bathroom. I booked it like my life depended on it, and for all I knew, it did. I never went back to find out what happened. In fact, I think I steered clear of that bathroom for the rest of the school years I spent in that building.

Maybe you don’t believe in Bloody Mary, and maybe you do. Some of you might believe she’s a scary ghost, others may believe she’s fairly friendly. But I didn’t know much about her as a kid. And even if I do now, I won’t be taking any chances. The last thing I need is Bloody Mary paying me another visit to break my mirrors.

For a different and darker take on the origins of Bloody Mary, click here.

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PICREW RIGHTS BELONG TO @COZMICCHU, DESIGN BY KORPSE

Korpse

“Where does time go?” is a question we often ask ourselves, and though Korpse might be an unfamiliar name, he’s no stranger to asking himself the very same question. In fact, he asks that question when he can’t find time to research mythology in its many forms. But fear no more, for Korpse has found a balance in the making, and will share his findings with you about paranormal myths, legends, stories and more.

Keep the Doors Locked

PHOTO CREDITS TO @charlesdeluvio FROM UNSPLASH

Imagine your entire body suddenly stops obeying your conscious mind. The only things left for you to move are your eyes. And when you see the figure in the hallway across from your room and the bed you’re trying to sleep in, you’re sure you’ve also stopped breathing.

That’s what happened to me the first time I was visited by the Rake.

Stories of the Rake date back to the twelfth century, though many of those documents were lost. The Rake is a territorial urban legend and creepypasta— a horror story shared around the internet— that lives primarily in the northeastern United States.

But that doesn’t mean he won’t pay you a visit too.

PHOTO CREDITS @ASTAROTH343 FROM PIXABAY

His depleted humanoid body, like a twisted hairless and overgrown dog, came closer. But if I thought he’d come right for me, I was wrong.

He stayed behind my door at first, watching with eyes like a cat’s that glinted in the night, glossy and curious.

I wondered if his look had any hunger to it or if he was simply watching.

The Rake is said to stalk his victims, sometimes for years. He’s known as a non-violent creature unless provoked, but sometimes acts out of malice.

That subtle threat of unpredictability is enough to keep me looking over my shoulder.

PHOTO CREDITS @STOCKSNAP FROM PIXABAY

I knew I couldn’t look at him directly. I knew if I did, that’s the only thing he’d need to tear me apart. But part of me wondered if part of him was innocent.

Did he just want company and didn’t know how to ask for it? Would he be friendly so long as I didn’t look at him? Did any of that even matter if he could and he would kill me should I do something as simple as use my eyes?

I didn’t want to find out.

The Rake was first captured on camera in 2003 and, although a story came with it at the time, all documentation was destroyed, forgotten or lost. This launched investigations into the ancient creature. And one recorded incident came later in 2006.

A woman was woken by her husband in the middle of the night. He seemed confused and terrified as he pointed towards something curled at the foot of their bed. At first they thought it was a wild animal, and then they saw its humanoid shape.

During some accounts of this story, the Rake runs away to injure their daughter.

In others, the husband looks at the Rake directly and gets torn to shreds as a result.

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Eventually the Rake left the space behind my door and approached until he was directly beside me. I could hear his breathing. I could feel it on my face as he slowly moved closer and closer.

I closed my eyes against him, a tear or two leaking out.

“Don’t look.” I told myself inside, “Don’t you dare look.”

The Rake is known as a creature of mixed intellect and feral behaviour. Some people think he’s a Skinwalker with multiple forms. Perhaps that’s how he keeps himself from the limelight.

Maybe he’s watching you right now.

PHOTO CREDITS TO @NerdWithAKeyboard FROM THE COLLECTION: THE RAKE - CREEPYPASTA VILLAINS ON WIKI (see link at the bottom of the page for more)

That’s how he stayed. Hovering, curved over my body like a guardian of unsound-mind. And when I wouldn't acknowledge him, he extended one awful, bony hand to poke my gut for what felt like hours upon hours.

When I finally opened my eyes and he was gone, I hoped to never see him again.

But once he paid that first visit, he never left.

Overall, whether you believe in this paranormal creature or not is entirely up to you. My experiences with him in earlier years suggest I had some pretty bad cases of sleep paralysis. Coincidence? Who knows.

He’s thought to be inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and if you’d like to read more about this disturbing fellow, click here.

Have you seen him yet?

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PICREW RIGHTS BELONG TO @COZMICCHU, DESIGN BY KORPSE

Korpse

“Where does time go?” is a question we often ask ourselves, and though Korpse might be an unfamiliar name, he’s no stranger to asking himself the very same question. In fact, he asks that question when he can’t find time to research mythology in its many forms. But fear no more, for Korpse has found a balance in the making, and will share his findings with you about paranormal myths, legends, stories and more.

Caution All Sailors

PHOTO CREDITS @ V_M FROM PIXABAY

Outside of my grandfather’s house is the wide-open harbour leading to the Atlantic Ocean. On sunny days, the scenery is peaceful. Birds fly high and low, sinking into the water to get food. The waves glisten like starlight in the daytime, and sea glass washes up amongst the rocks of different colours. But what does this have to do with the paranormal you ask?

Let me tell you what happens when the days aren’t so sunny.

Fog gathers over the rough waters that thrash against the rocks, spitting at anyone who dares to come close. Waves reach into boats, trying to steal fishermen into the big blue unknown. Tides become violent and ripples are turned into a force all on their own.

It’s almost like a warning...

On a day caught between sun and clouds, I armed myself with a jigging line, fisherman’s boots that came up to my knees and splash pants that did as little as any other splash pants would do besides trick you into hoping they won’t fail. I sailed out into the waves with my grandfather, ready for squid season.

I’d never seen a live squid before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Some were no bigger than my hand, others as large as my arm. Their eyes were so dark, they looked like mirrors in the night. The moment they emerged from the ocean was the moment they began shooting water at us, and if we didn’t put them in the designated squid bucket on time, then they’d start spraying ink.

Though most of their tentacles weren’t as long as my fingers, their grip was stronger than even a hand had any right to be. It took an extreme amount of caution not to let them take control. But it wasn’t the tentacles I had to watch out for most.

“Don’t let your fingers get close to their beak.” My grandfather warned me, “Or you might not get them back.”

Did you know that squids have beaks? Because that was the first time I realized these creatures could do a lot more harm than I even realized. And that’s when I began to understand why fishermen and sea travelers along the North Atlantic feared the Kraken.

If I thought the small squids were a little terrifying, despite their magnificence, I couldn't imagine seeing a giant one up to 50 feet long. The Kraken is thought to be inspired by these colossal squids, and now that you know what the tiny ones are like, perhaps you can see why the tale would keep sea travelers at the ready, on the lookout for this monster.

PHOTO CREDITS @ PANDANNALMAGEN FROM PIXABAY

The Kraken originates from Scandinavian folklore, descending from the old Norse. In some versions of the myth, the Kraken was not a vicious attacker, but a lazy creature spending most of its time sleeping at the bottom of the sea. It would surface when hungry, and the only reason ships were thought to be taken down was if they got in its way.

It was also believed that the Kraken was a smart and even admired hunter. It would eat thousands of fish at a time, but instead of chasing its prey, it would lure them in. After eating, the Kraken would digest the food, leaving behind dark and dirty waters that attracted other fish. So when the Kraken got hungry again, its food was already waiting.

Is the Kraken really just a myth? Or did it adapt and become too smart for us to find? After all, there’s so much uncharted territory down in the deep blue, we never really know what we might find.

Read more about the Kraken here.

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PICREW RIGHTS BELONG TO @COZMICCHU, DESIGN BY KORPSE

Korpse

“Where does time go?” is a question we often ask ourselves, and though Korpse might be an unfamiliar name, he’s no stranger to asking himself the very same question. In fact, he asks that question when he can’t find time to research mythology in its many forms. But fear no more, for Korpse has found a balance in the making, and will share his findings with you about paranormal myths, legends, stories and more.

Curiosity About Paranormal Mythology

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PHOTO CREDITS TO @UNSPLASH

What does paranormal mythology mean?

"But I do believe in the paranormal, that there are things our brains just can't understand." ~ Art Bell

When things are dubbed as “paranormal” it often means they’re beyond the current expanse or explanation of science. “Mythology” is an encompassment of stories and beliefs often derived from a group of people who can be large or small. Paranormal mythology, in its simplest form, is a collection of tales and events that have yet to be scientifically explained. Through these stories we either seek to explain them or expose what can possibly never be clarified.

"The fate of the paranormal is to become the normal as our horizons of understanding expand." ~ Michael Shermer

The question about whether mythology is fictitious or not isn’t one I’ll seek to answer here. Instead, when diving into future spooky myths and legends, I’ll focus on their lore rather than myth-busting. Sometimes it’s nice to enjoy something for what it is, so I’ll display that through paranormal mythology. In this way, we can see what people have done with their stories and beliefs as they sought to explain what science hasn’t… or at least hasn’t yet.

PHOTO CREDITS TO @UNSPLASH

What more should I know about paranormal mythology?

"Mysteries once thought to be supernatural or paranormal happenings - such as astronomical or meteorological events - are incorporated into science once their causes are understood." ~ Michael Shermer

Some mythological tales are quite old. This often means there’s been reshaping, retelling and perhaps what started out as paranormal can now be explained, or vice versa.

Though there’s a difference between myths and legends, I think it would be a disservice not to explore both under the context of story-sharing. After all, there’s a certain amount of wiggle-room with paranormal mythology, based on how much we can’t currently explain using science.

"The past is a ghost, the future a dream, and all we ever have is now." ~ Bill Cosby

Perhaps our fear of the unknown is what makes so much count as paranormal. When we stop being able to explain and understand things via science, does that automatically qualify those unknowns as paranormal in our eyes?

I may not be able to answer that question beyond just an opinion piece, but I can tell you about paranormal stories in different areas, so maybe you can decide what you do or don’t believe for yourself.

Did we manifest the paranormal? Or will there always exist that in which we cannot explain?

For more quotes about the paranormal, click here.

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PICREW RIGHTS BELONG TO @COZMICCHU, DESIGN BY Korpse

Korpse

“Where does time go?” is a question we often ask ourselves, and though Korpse might be an unfamiliar name, he’s no stranger to asking himself the very same question. In fact, he asks that question when he can’t find time to research mythology in its many forms. But fear no more, for Korpse has found a balance in the making, and will share his findings with you about paranormal myths, legends, stories and more.