Mirror, Mirror, on the wall...

Supersitions about mirrors have been around since the age of mirrors began. Mirrors were originally pools of dark water which evolved into polished stones used to reflect images. I can't imagine the quality was very good! Eventually mirrors were made out of polished glass and molten precious metals. (Now they're just cheap silver material attached to glass--sold for a buck at your local Dollar General.) But the myths and stories behind the dreaded mirror have been around since the beginning.

It is said that a mirror is a reflection of the soul--that it cannot ever lie. The danger behind this thought is that a mirror can be broken. We've all heard that if you break a mirror, it's seven years bad luck...but why? When you break a mirror, legend has it that a piece of your soul breaks off too. Your soul is a precious thing--you only have one--you don't want to break it! However, there is a cure: Wait 7 years! The soul regenerates in exactly 2556 days! Yep, that's 7 years--coincidence huh?! Break the mirror but not have an extra seven years to wait it off? Simple--grind the mirror into dust. (What this does, I have no clue, but that's the rule!) It is also extremely unlucky to see something in the mirror that is not actually there. Remember, mirrors don't lie! It could be the soul of a long lost relative of a southern family that forgot to cover the mirrors during the wake of a dead person. The souls, when leaving the body and heading to the great hereafter, sometimes get caught in the uncovered mirrors during the mourning period.

So whether you believe in superstitions or not, it's usually not a good idea to mess with mirrors. I really don't know anyone who has an extra seven years to wait around for the dead guy with a deep southern accent to leave.