The mirror that causes sudden deaths for all its owners; even the doctor who sought to uncover its mystery met his demise.
The tale of enchanted mirrors appears in numerous legends and fairy tales worldwide. This is perhaps due to the ancient belief that within these reflective surfaces lies a hidden world. However, a peculiar mirror known as the “murderous mirror” is far from a fictional story.
The Portrait of the Killer
This mirror was crafted by artisan Louis Alvarez and completed in 1743 in France. Just two days after its completion, the healthy craftsman suddenly died in the workshop due to a cerebral hemorrhage. No one connected his unexpected death to the mirror. It was put up for sale at a grocery store, marking the beginning of its deadly journey.
The second victim after Alvarez was Tesemer, the owner of a flour shop in the port city of Marseille. While shopping for a birthday gift for his wife, he was drawn to the mirror and decided to purchase it. That evening, a grand birthday celebration took place in his lavish mansion. After unwrapping the gift for his wife, he casually held the intricately carved mirror up to admire himself. Suddenly, Tesemer felt an overwhelming chill, shivering, with a heavy head and distorted vision. His wife rushed to support him, but sadly, he had already passed away. Like Louis, he was diagnosed with death due to cerebral hemorrhage. His grieving young wife sold off all his belongings to avoid memories of the past, and the “haunted” mirror was lost from then on.
The murderous mirror continued its “evil deeds” 22 years later, in 1765. Its third victim was Arnold, a young editor at a publishing house. He purchased the mirror from a sidewalk shop in Paris and hung it above his bed in his bedroom. Soon after, Arnold went missing, and when people searched his apartment, they were horrified to find he had been dead for several days in that very apartment. Terrifyingly, the cause of death was also cerebral hemorrhage.
The fourth victim was Henry, an antique shop owner. While strolling through a flea market, he spotted the intricately carved mirror and bought it, hoping to sell it at a higher price. Unfortunately, three days later, Henry died suddenly in his shop while enjoying a glass of milk coffee after lunch. Remarkably, his cause of death was also… cerebral hemorrhage.
Rumors about this haunted mirror began to spread across France after a close friend of Henry’s attended the funeral and was startled to see the mirror “Alvarez 1743”. He was also a close friend of Arnold—the third victim of the murderous mirror. Years earlier, at Arnold’s funeral, he had encountered it as well. He connected the deaths of his two friends to this cursed mirror, noting they both died from cerebral hemorrhage. Was there a causal relationship here? Fearing for his own safety, he advised Henry’s family to dispose of the mirror.
The situation grew increasingly bizarre as the mirror caused tragic deaths for two more victims, Mr. Hanmer and his wife (Mrs. Jura) after 70 years of wandering. Mrs. Jura had purchased this antique mirror during a stroll and placed it on her writing desk at home. Little did she know that this unintentional act would lead to the untimely deaths of both individuals shortly after. They both died en route to the hospital due to the still-recurring cause of cerebral hemorrhage.
There have been over 20 more people who died “unexpectedly” in the century following. Most were in good health before their sudden demise, with no addictions or known illnesses. They all died within three days after encountering the haunted mirror, and the cause of death was strikingly similar. Among them, some had no prior knowledge of the mirror and used it coincidentally, while others were aware and intentionally curious. Regardless, they all met with death.
The 38th victim of the mirror was Dr. Smith. As a scientist, he did not believe that this mirror was… cursed. He decided to uncover the mystery behind it. However, shortly after approaching the mirror, he experienced dizziness, headaches, and then died, after warning his family to store the dangerous mirror carefully. Of course, the cause of his death was the same as the 37 victims before him.
Initial Theories
The mysterious death of Dr. Smith prompted the French Antique Collectors Association to urgently announce the dangers of approaching this mirror. Many scientists became particularly interested in this mystery; however, no one dared to keep it for research due to its “track record.” They raced to present their hypotheses, but none could be proven.
Since the Middle Ages, many scholars have suggested that mirrors act like a metal sheet that absorbs surrounding toxins and gradually emits them, affecting the health of those who come into contact. However, this theory does not hold up because if the mirror could absorb toxic vapors, simply washing it with cold water would suffice to dissolve and clean them. Additionally, there is no explanation for the immense lethal power of this mirror.
Russian scientists expanded the discussion. They suggested that the mirror could absorb not only tangible chemicals but also “invisible informational energies.” Tangible substances can be washed away, but with invisible energy, that is impossible. However, they could not fully explain why, while other mirrors are completely normal, this peculiar mirror possesses such invisible energy. Furthermore, some people also speculated that the mirror was coated with harmful additives, but no one dared to approach the mirror for… experimental verification. As time passed, the veil of secrecy surrounding this “haunted” mirror thickened, leading people to view it not through a “scientific lens” but to believe it harbored a “mysterious supernatural power.” In fact, a horror film has even been made based on this mysterious story, further embellishing the thrilling and terrifying aspects of it.
Daring to Unveil the Mystery
In April 2005, Waine (an American archaeologist) flew to Paris seeking permission from the French Antique Collectors Association to investigate this “haunted” mirror once more. The question of whether Dr. Waine would become the 39th victim of the murderous mirror suddenly became the focus of media and public interest. However, his request was denied as they did not wish to witness another tragedy caused by the mirror.
Undeterred, he approached the grandson of Dr. Smith. Moved by Waine’s determination and sincerity, the grandson helped him retrieve the sealed wooden box containing the mirror. After acquiring the mirror, he quickly flew back to the U.S. for research.
Ignoring all warnings from his wife, he was determined to undertake the “crazy” act of uncovering the truth. After years of lying in darkness and gathering dust, the eerie mirror finally saw the sunlight again. He conducted several examinations and realized that the mirror’s surface was less than 100 years old. Thus, it was possible that the mirror’s surface had been replaced, suggesting that the beautifully carved wooden frame was indeed the true serial killer.
After leaving the university library and returning home, he stepped into the laboratory and was stunned to find two white mice used for experiments, locked in a cage in front of the mirror, had died suddenly. The cursed mirror was once again “up to its tricks.” Upon dissection, he was shocked to discover their brains were filled with pooled blood. They had “passed away” due to cerebral hemorrhage.
To verify his hypothesis, he scraped off a few shavings from the wooden frame of the mirror for analysis. The results indicated that the frame of the “haunted” mirror was made from coura wood – a very rare type of wood that has been extinct for over 100 years.
Research documents reveal that courawood contains a highly toxic substance that evaporates into toxic gas when exposed to strong natural light. This gas causes the blood vessels in the brain of anyone inhaling it to become immediately obstructed, leading to rupture and rapid cerebral hemorrhage, resulting in death. Dr. Waine narrowly escaped death because he had the habit of keeping the curtains closed when in the laboratory and maintained good health. However, when he left the room, his wife opened the window to let in fresh air, allowing sunlight to flood the room and causing the toxic substance to evaporate rapidly, which led to the demise of the two white mice.
However, just when he was overjoyed and preparing to announce his research findings to the scientific community and the media, he was horrified to discover that the mirror had mysteriously “vanished.” Without the original artifact, he could not prove that the wood shavings were from the frame of that murderous mirror. A mystery that seemed ready to be unveiled was now at risk of being buried…
