The following article was written by Kristin Keck, a Teen Associate at the Manitowoc Public Library.
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall—Not One Word Out of You!
Is it just me or is there something inherently creepy about mirrors?
They pop up all the time in horror movies, usually with someone looking away for a moment only to look back and find something else looking out of the mirror at them. It’s an easy jump scare and definitely a cliche, but it gets me every time.
Many of the superstitions about mirrors begin with the idea that when you look into a mirror, you’re looking at your soul. That’s why vampires can’t see themselves in mirrors, for instance, and why it’s traditional in some places to cover mirrors when someone has died to prevent the soul becoming trapped in the mirror.
That naturally leads to the worrying idea that, if something can go into a mirror and become trapped, something could also come out of a mirror. Try not to think of that the next time you get up in the night and catch a glimpse of yourself reflected in glass. Better still, just stay in bed.
Mirrors are old technology. The oldest mirrors were made of polished obsidian—a dark volcanic glass. The image in an obsidian mirror wasn’t the crisp, bright reflection we’re used to today, but a smoky impression. It’s no wonder the idea of mirrors as a portal to a different plane of existence started almost as soon as people started making them.
Kristen Keck
Dark mirrors came back in the 18th and 19th Centuries, when landscape viewing mirrors came into fashion among the traveling and artistic class in Europe. Also called Claude Glasses, these devices were small, slightly convex mirrors tinted a dark color that could be carried in a pocket. People turned their backs on the actual landscape they wanted to see, and looked at the reflection in the mirror, preferring the dark, soft, atmospheric picture presented there to reality. Victorians should be commended for inventing Instagram filters long before the actual internet.
If you want to experience this effect yourself, just turn off your cell phone, stand with your back to a landscape, and use the screen to look at the reflection of what’s behind you. I’ve tried this and can confirm it does work. It also confirms that the Victorians were—and this is an academically accurate term—weirdos.
In honor of the Spooky Season, we’re going to risk some mirror magic of our own and create “haunted” mirrors with picture frames, some mirror-effect spray paint, and some printed ghosts. On Thursday, October 8, the Teen Hang-Out: Haunted Mirrors will kick off at 6PM in the Balkansky Community Room. Come by to create a mirror with a ghostly face or just decorate one with some spiderwebs and raven feathers. Supplies are first-come, first-served and yes, there will be snacks. Make yourself a spooky prop for Halloween or something to catch people off guard all year long.
Just don’t turn your back on it.
