Mary Worth lived in the town of Idlewood, near Salem in the 17th Century. A local minister’s wife noticed that the unmarried Mary was starting to look more rounded. She accused Mary of being pregnant and this being a sin in those days, prompted the local constabulary to investigate.
It was found that indeed Mary was pregnant but when she was questioned, she denied ever sleeping with a man. The town fathers got angry and demanded to know the name of the father. Mary refused. The town fathers were left with little choice but to accuse her of being a witch and being pregnant with the devil’s child.
Eager for a confession, the townspeople brutally beat her – not caring for either mother or the unborn child. Still Mary refused to speak the name or deny the charges. Eventually the townsfolk decided that Mary must die, but before she was put to death they would try one more thing: each citizen of the town would cut her on the face. Either she would then give up the name, or the father would hesitate before carrying out the deed.
To add to the torture, the Magistrate ordered that a big mirror was to be set up in front of her, so that she could see the results of her erroneous ways. The minister’s wife was the first in line. With a flourish she cut Mary’s cheek with a small, sharp knife. One by one the rest of the townsfolk lined up to mete out the punishment.
All the while Mary prayed for a quick death. When that did not happen she would gaze into the mirror, begging that whatever lay within would come and take her soul. Cut after cut left her face a bloody mess and the pain was excruciating.
Finally, unable to take the torture any longer, Mary forced herself to stand and she screamed out to the townsfolk:
“I curse you all for the evil you have done to me and my unborn child. Beware for your children when they gaze into a mirror and remember the name of Mary Worth!”
She stumbled forward towards the mirror and fell down dead – her bloody handprints smeared down the surface of the mirror. The townsfolk then took her body, tied it up, burnt it at the stake until it was ash and then threw it to the four winds.
From that day forward, parents would worry about the curse, for whenever their children would get together alone, they would remember the name of Bloody Mary and feel the need to call on her spirit by gazing into a mirror and saying the words “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary,Bloody Mary”. Mary would then appear to take a blood revenge on the summoner.
To this very day when children gaze into a mirror, they feel an unearthly urge to speak the name of Bloody Mary!
Did Mary Worth ever exist? Continue reading »
