Almost everyone has heard the urban legend of Bloody Mary. As the story goes, this ghastly, murderous spirit can be summoned through your mirror if you stand in the bathroom, turn off the lights, and repeat her name aloud. Some versions of the story claim that she'll drive her summoner insane — while others state that she'll kill or maim them.

Ever since this urban legend was first documented in the 1970s, it’s shown incredible staying power. For decades, children across the world have reported hearing the tale — with different variations — and enacting the ritual themselves. Some even claim to have actually seen Bloody Mary in the mirror.

But how did this creepy story start? Though its exact origins are unknown, there are several real women throughout history who've been linked with this terrifying ghost. They include Mary Worth, an alleged witch who was burned at the stake in the 17th or maybe 19th century, Elizabeth Bathory, a 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman who allegedly killed and tortured hundreds of women and girls, and even the English queen Mary I, who earned the nickname "Bloody Mary" for burning hundreds of Protestants alive in the mid-1500s.

Wherever and however this unsettling urban legend began, it remains one of the world’s most widely-known ghost stories to this day. Now, let’s explore the legend itself, its murky origins, and the women who just might be the real-life Bloody Mary.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/bloody-mary

credits: https://allthatsinteresting.com/podcast-credits

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