One of the problems – or, perhaps, the best things – about Gothic Horror is that it does tend to be sad. Usually, there are at least one or two characters who don’t deserve whatever is happening to them, or who have done something which is being punished in a way which does not in any way fit the crime. M.R. James’s writing is perhaps a constant reiteration of the old proverb, “curiosity killed the cat”, but curiosity in itself isn’t a bad thing; while Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula finds himself in the initial dangerous situation through no fault of his own. Perhaps the saddest story in this anthology is The Lady Who Dances in the Ashes , which was first published by Sley House in Tales of Sley House 2022 . Here is the story of a man who is facing professional and financial ruin as a result of suggesting that mental health patients can be treated in the community rather than institutionalised. He is one of the most sympathetic narrators you will find in the book, but he bad...
I know I've posted a couple of times already about this object, but today I'm adding an extra slant to it, exploring the myths and stories of mirrors and the supernatural.
If you would like to read about how I came by the mirror in the first place, have a look at this blog. I've wondered multiple times if this object was a great big hoax - certainly, there seems to be nothing about John and Ann anywhere - but it almost doesn't matter. The wood, the nails and the glass itself are all of a decent age, and there is no impossibility in the eyes of a writer.
Recently, I was struck by how much light the stained and marked surface produces. One night, on a near-full moon, it was enough to throw a long stretch of light about twenty times its own size across the room. It must have seemed equally frightening and enthralling for people in the past, that this flat, cold surface could redirect not only light but heat.
But mirrors were not readily available for many people until very recently (in terms of history!). While mirrors were used by the Ancient Egyptians as cunning ways of allowing light deep into buildings, a system which was perfected around 3,000BC, the earliest known use of a mirror as an object - that is not just using water like Galadriel! - was 3,000 years earlier in modern-day Turkey. These were made from dark materials which were extensively polished.
It was the Ancient Greeks (no surprises there!) who perfected the mirror as a means of admiring themselves, an art perfected by the Romans, and built upon by many other peoples since. But mirrors were still far from commonplace. It was not until the 15th/16th centuries that glass mirrors began to be commercially produced, the centre for this being Venice. Then, the industry boomed, and mirrors became a must-have for all homes able to support one. It took a further century before French artisans took the practice to England.
By now, the mirror had come a long way. It had gone from being a sacred albeit practical tool, to being about extravagant design and status. But, until the invention of the electric light, mirrors were still used carefully, hung in areas which would best reflect daylight or candlelight into the rest of a room. Check your timeline carefully, writers! I got pulled up by my editor on trying to give Edith a mirror in The Year We Lived but it was something I knew existed in the ancient past but had never considered how long it took for mirrors as we would recognise them to reach England
So, when we can trace their history through to the mundane, why are mirrors so closely linked to the paranormal?
Well, firstly, they lie. When you lift your right hand, it is your reflection's left hand which moves. In this way, it's easy to see how people believed they were seeing another version of themselves. Furthermore, they move, which can give all sorts of illusions to the person standing still before it. They mist up and are easily impacted by human breath. Some things are not as clearly visible in them as others, creating a distorted yet recognisable world: they give you everything you know, but only some things you recognise.
There is little wonder then that mirrors became linked to the supernatural. It was believed that an infinity mirror (a setup of mirrors which reflect one another) would steal the soul of any who looked into them, trapping it in the endless cycle. On Halloween night, girls would brush their hair before a mirror in the hope that the reflection of their future husband would appear. And let's not forget the Mirror, Mirror, on the wall which the Brothers Grimm immortalised. I love the scene in Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, when Raoul is trapped in the mirror room. The musical pays homage to it in a fleeting moment, but it does not capture the fear and desperation of the character in the book.
This evening, as the veil thins, challenge yourself to look in each mirror you pass, writers. Story up every image you see: the real; the distorted; the shadows which hide the unknown. Perhaps you'll feel too nervous to look in any, so capture that fear which drives you to look away. These observations and emotions are what bring your writing to life.
One thing is for sure: what you will see in the mirror may be an honest reflection, but it will not be what you see if you turn around.
Love this! A fascinating post!
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