“Go into the bathroom, turn the lights off, and say Bloody Mary three times.” This probably sounds familiar to most girls and it was a type of dare that we used to do when we were little. The game was meant to scare you and it often was preceded by a horror story describing the ghost of Bloody Mary. Whatever that story was, it obviously was not true. However, our research about the Tudors in class made me wonder if this had a connection to the real Bloody Mary.
It’s not confirmed, but it is very likely that the origin of the horror story was based off of the queen. Some of the possible fates for those who carry out the Bloody Mary challenge involve “Bloody Mary’s baby.” This is interesting because Mary Tudor actually had a false pregnancy that caused her to go into a deep depression. Coincidence? Maybe not.
Anyways, there really is no viable proof that the urban legend was based off of Mary Tudor, but it’s definitely a possibility. Out of all the supposed origins, this is the only one based off of a real person in history. I thought this was a really interesting connection and whether or not it is confirmed, I think it’s definitely possible.
Pictography:
“The Bloody Mary Dare (Mirror.)”
Computer-generated image. Parlor of Horror. October 30th, 2013. http://parlorofhorror.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/spooky-halloween-games-for-adults/. December 8th, 2013.
“Mary Tudor Portrait.” Photograph. Anita's Notebook. August 14th, 2012. http://anitasnotebook.com/2012/08/faces-in-the-mirror-the-true-story-behind-bloody-mary.html. December 8th, 2013.
Bibliography:
Wirawan,
Anita. “Faces In The Mirror: The True Story Behind Bloody Mary.” Anita's Notebook. August 14th, 2012. http://anitasnotebook.com/2012/08/faces-in-the-mirror-the-true-story-behind-bloody-mary.html (accessed December 8th, 2013).
“Bloody Mary Legend.” Scary For Kids. http://www.scaryforkids.com/bloody-mary-legend/ (December 8th, 2013).
“Bloody Mary (urban legend).” Supernatural Wiki. April 16th, 2013. http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/index.php?title=Bloody_Mary_(urban_legend) (accessed Dember 8th, 2013).
Your response to The Tudors, especially Mary, really reminded me of one of my childhood fears. I remember when me and my friends were terrified of Bloody Mary throughout Elementary School. After learning about Mary Tudor in school, I realized where the legend of Bloody Mary may have come from. Since Mary killed and imprisoned many people, people may have feared her and linked her with death and fear. I really thought this was a great conclusion and response to our lesson in class about Mary Tudor.
ReplyDeleteThe legend of Bloody Mary used to freak me out too, and it is indeed based off of Mary Tudor's harsh and brutal rule. This was probably the first thought that went into my head when I first read her nickname, and then later re-entered when I discovered the horrible things she had done. This is a great connection and an excellent post.
ReplyDeleteGood job, Nicole! I was really interested when we learned about the legend of Bloody Mary. However, I never made the connection to when I was younger. Your post was well thought out and an extremely creative idea. This was well written and made very good connections between legends and true historic facts.
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ReplyDeleteThis was a great response! I feel that this is a very relatable connection both to our history class and mary tudor, as well as our childhoods. I often took part in the bloody mary challenge as a child, and after understanding that it was a myth I always wondered who thought of it and how it came about. Like you, I also connected Bloody Mary, the english ruler to the one we all remember from our childhoods. I agree that this most likely is not a coincidence. You were well spoken in your response yet right to the point, and it was interesting and relatable. Excellent post!
ReplyDeleteGreat job Nicole! When I read your title I just had to read your post because I remember learning about Mary Tudor. I really liked how you connected this to class but also to childhood because it made me wanting to read more. Your thoughts flowed well and you had very good details about Mary. I enjoyed reading this piece. You did a great job!
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job connecting the legend of bloody murder with Mary Tudor and your personal life. I too was once terrified of the ghostly bloody murder. I thought you did a great job explaining the origin of bloody Mary. Mary Tudor was feared among people because of how many people she has imprisoned, and was connected with death. That is how the name bloody Mary started. I would recommend in the last paragraph you get rid of anyways and just start the paragraph with there... it will make the paragraph flow better. Other than that I thought you did a great job on this writing piece and connecting it with your life.
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