Have you ever stood before a mirror, whispered "Bloody Mary" three times, and waited for something to happen? This infamous urban legend has been passed down through generations, striking fear in the hearts of children and daring the brave to test its supposed powers. But what is the truth behind the legend of Bloody Mary? Is there any factual basis to this chilling tale, or is it simply a product of our imaginations and the power of suggestion? In this podcast, we will dive into the theories of history about the Bloody Mary legend. We’ll also briefly discuss where we get the Bloody Mary drink. So get ready to uncover the secrets and unravel the mystery of this legendary figure.
We’ve probably all heard the legend of Bloody Mary from our childhood, but in case you lived under a rock in your awkward pubescent stage, I will regale you with the legend of Bloody Mary. It is said that if you take a lit candle into a dark bathroom at exactly midnight and chant the words “Bloody Mary” three times, a ghostly apparition will appear in the mirror. An image of a woman covered in blood. She will either tell you your fortune or be released from the mirror to haunt those who summoned her. It is/was a “game” of sorts that many middle school girls play during slumber parties. So where does this legend come from?
Well historians and folklorists aren’t 100% sure, but there are a few theories floating around and we’re going to discuss the 3 main ones that popped up throughout the research, but honestly I found another theory that a certified folklorist believes that I have to share with you guys first before we get to the more interesting theories. Okay so this folklorist believes that the legend of Bloody Mary has to do with girls hitting puberty. I’m not going to explain the bloody part as I’m sure we can all figure out where this folklorist believes the term Bloody Mary comes from. He thinks this because it takes place in a bathroom and the “ritual” is typically done by a group of girls. Yeah… I don’t like this theory so let’s discuss the more interesting ones.
So I’m going to start with the least interesting and move to the most interesting legend of where Bloody Mary comes from. Some historians and folklorist believe the legend behind Bloody Mary comes from that of Elizabeth Bathory. We’ve covered her in another podcast called vampire-ish. In the podcast we discussed Elizabeth Bathory the Blood Countess or Queen of Blood. She was convicted of torturing and killing around 600 women. One hundred years after her death the story of Elizabeth Bathory bathing in virgin blood to stay young was created. So if you want to hear more about her be sure to check out that episode!
Mary I of England
The next theory is that the legend of Bloody Mary comes from the life of Mary Tudor also known as Mary I of England. She was the first born of King Henry VIII of England and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her parents had long awaited a male heir, but she was able to survive infancy and grew up to be a beloved princess. However, as a young princess, Mary had a rougher upbringing than most would believe for a princess. Her father became infatuated with another woman whose name was Anne Boylan which led Mary’s father King Henry VIII to want a divorce. This was very frowned upon in the Catholic Religion and therefore he split from the Catholic Church because they refused to annul the marriage. Anne still refused to marry him for awhile but they were secretly married in 1532 and formally married in 1533. This marriage is what caused the split between the catholic church and the Church of England. King Henry VIII took over control of the Church of England. Mary’s title as princess was stripped from her and down graded to lady by her own father as he claimed her to be illegitimate. From this 2nd marriage King Henry VIII got another daughter who would later become known as Queen Elizabeth I. When Anne was unable to produce a son after 3 miscarriages, King Henry VIII moved on with other lovers.
Next came Jane Seymour, but he was still married to Anne. He had to figure out a way to get rid of her and the best way was to investigate her for high treason in 1536. She was convicted and beheaded. Historians over the years have investigated the claims and evidence and found nothing that would have convinced them to her guilt of adultery, incest, and plotting to kill the king. Eleven days after Anne’s execution, Jane Seymour and King Henry VIII were married. Now remember back to poor Mary, well Jane brought her back into her father’s good favor. Jane did manage to produce a male heir in 1537 who would become known as Edward VI. But shortly after his birth, Jane died. Edward VI would grow up to be a protestant. He was crowned king in 1547. During his reign the Church of England became protestant much to the chagrin of his half sisters Mary and Elizabeth. War broke out with Scotland and England suffered from economic problems and social unrest. In Feb of 1553 King Edward VI at age 15, fell ill. He did not want either of his sisters to become queen and plotted against them to name his cousin once removed, Lady Jane Grey, as his heir. Well Mary had had enough at that point.
Mary rallied for support from across the country side, many of noble blood. Lady Gray took over as queen when King Edward VI passed from tuberculosis in 1553. However, she is called the Nine day Queen because on the ninth day of her reign Mary and her half sister Elizabeth rode into London side-by-side to overthrow her. Londoners cheered at their arrival. While King Edward VI had made England a protestant country, they knew that Mary and Elizabeth would lead them back to the Roman Catholic Church.
One of Mary's first acts as queen was to marry the Catholic King Philip II of Spain, which did not sit well with her Protestant subjects. When a group of Protestants rebelled against her marriage and her religious policies, Mary responded with extreme force, ordering the execution of hundreds of people.
It's said that the nickname "Bloody Mary" was given to her because of her penchant for bloodshed, as well as a reference to her favorite drink, which was made with tomato juice and vodka. Legend has it that she enjoyed the drink so much that she demanded her subjects drink it as well, threatening to execute those who refused.
Another part of her legend is that Mary I of England wanted to produce an heir before as soon as she was married to King Philip II of Spain. She announced she was pregnant after 2 months into their marriage. But her due date came and went with no baby. There’s no record of what happened to her pregnancy though that is the part of the legend where she appears looking for her baby. And supposedly you can taunt her by saying you have her baby, but I’m not sure why anyone would want to taunt a ghostly figure covered in blood that just appeared in your mirror. For those way braver than I are welcome to try it! (Hi-Stories takes no responsibility for your own actions of choosing to try and summon an urban legend)
Anyway while the origins of her nickname may be a bit murky, what is clear is that Mary's reign was marked by violence and intolerance. However, even in death, Mary has left her mark on history.
Witch Mary
Alright let’s reel it back to the legend of Bloody Mary. So remember I told you there were kind of 3 theories as to the legend of Bloody Mary. We first briefly discussed Elizabeth Bathory who we covered in Season 1. And we just discussed the long history of Mary I of England. And now for the more interesting tale behind the infamous legend of Bloody Mary…
As most good legends do, it begins in the woods behind a village. It is said that a mysterious woman by the name of Mary Worth. Ok brief pause here because I would like to point out that the name Mary seems to be tied to a lot of tragic events throughout history. The stories of Mary Worth date back to an unknown time. She had a small cottage in the woods behind the village. As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that Mary was thought to be a witch. But of course not the good kind. Mary would lure children to her cottage by spells. Once there she would kill them and drain them of their blood to stay youthful. The townspeople realized what was happening as more and more children went missing. Reminds me of the Sanderson Sisters. And once the townspeople caught Mary they tied her to a stake and burned her alive.
So which Bloody Mary legend do you believe comes back to haunt the mirror?
And there you have the hi-story of Bloody Mary! We hope you enjoyed learning about the life of Mary I of England, and how she came to be known as "Bloody Mary." Along with the theories behind the infamous urban legend of Bloody Mary.
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Thank you again for reading and listening, and we'll be back with more fascinating stories from the past soon, but until then remember to laugh when you can. It’s cheap medicine for the soul! We out!
Listen to our hilarious retelling of this story on our podcast streaming on all major platforms. Simply search "Hi-Stories" or listen here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0BlkBfYlfRq1gjVFl9NTNx?si=ec112fa8c12947ee
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