Bloody Mary - The Woman, The Legend, The Cocktail by Spookygirl Insandiego

The Woman

 

Who was Bloody Mary? A witch named Mary Worth, who was burned at the stake? Queen Mary I, Queen Mary Tudor or even Mary, Queen of Scots? As far as local legends she might be described as a woman named Mary who’d died in a car crash, an unwed mother named Mary who threw her baby off a bridge or even a teenaged girl or a nun named Mary who hanged herself when she found out she was pregnant. Some even say she’s Countess Elizabet Bathory, who was said to keep herself looking young by bathing in the blood of young, virginal girls.

The Legend 

 

There are many versions of Mary’s origin – and many stories about how to summon her spirit. The basic idea is that one must stand in a darkened room with a mirror. Candles are lit and Mary’s spirit is called. Some stories say one must call her name three times (or thirteen times) or say, “Bloody Mary, I have your baby.” When the candles are blown out the spirit of Mary is said to appear in the mirror. Mary is said to unleash her torment on her summoner by scratching out their eyes, dragging them into the mirror with her, killing them or cursing them for the rest of their lives.

Divination and other folk magic are said to provide a glimpse of the future or past. Here are some examples regarding marriage:

• Throwing a bouquet or garter at a wedding is said to mean whomever catches it will be the next to marry.
  
• Putting a slice of wedding cake under one’s pillow is said to make them dream of their future spouse.
• Peeling the skin off an apple and throwing it out a window is said to make the apple peel dry into the shape of the letter of their future spouse’s first name.

I can’t imagine what anyone would expect from attempting to summon the spirit of an angry ghost. The Bloody Mary legend has made appearances in a number of movies. The story has also been featured on TV shows including Charmed, Ghost Whisperer and Supernatural.

I tried the “Bloody Mary” game when I was a teenager. Aside from a lot of giggling and my friends intentionally trying to scare me by scratching on the bathroom door, Miss Mary was a no-show.

The Bloody Mary Cocktail

 

Whether or not the cocktail has anything to do with the story of a woman, it is, interestingly made with spirits (vodka). There are a number of people who are said to have invented this “hangover cure.” Some say it was created by a bartender, a Canadian restaurant owner, a comedian and even author Ernest Hemingway (Hemingway’s favorite drink was a very dry martini.)

Liquor.com contributor Wayne Curtis wrote about Bloody Marys, saying one of the most fanciful stories about the drink is that the Bloody Mary dates to the rule of ruthless Queen Mary I of England in the mid-1550s. “The tomato juice,” according to the always-reliable Weekly World News, “represents the blood spilled, while the vodka, a ‘firewater,’ is symbolic of the queen’s brutal means of executing the martyrs.”

The Bloody Mary’s basic ingredients are usually the same: tomato juice, vodka, celery salt, black pepper, lemon juice, and a combination of Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper and horseradish. It’s typically served in a pint glass and garnished with a lemon wedge or celery stalk. Nothing scary about that.

Final Thoughts

 

I scoured the Internet looking for any “real” Bloody Mary incidents, similar to the “Slender Man” stabbing that happened in Wisconsin but wasn’t able to find anything. I did find lots of stories about people getting scared, falling down and hurting themselves as they ran screaming from the bathroom when their friends scared them, etc. but nothing directly related to injury, disappearance or murder by the hand of Bloody Mary herself.