After month of look , you come up the complete flat , and it ’s finally time to move . But just as you ’re about to chuck yourself on the back , something dire happens : You trip over a crack in the pavement , and the large , antiquemirroryou’re carry slips from your grasp . Before you may fully translate what ’s happening , the mirror attain the concrete and cracks into hundreds of pieces .
Your first idea ? Well , we likely should n’t reiterate it here . Your second ? Abroken mirrormeans seven age of bad luck .
Early Origins of the Broken Mirror Superstition
Humans were superstitious about their reflections long before the design of the mirror as we know it today . The ancient Greeks believed it was ill-starred to see one ’s reflection , exemplify by the story of Narcissus , who fell in love with the hatful of his reflection in a stream and died , pine , at the piddle ’s edge [ root : Britannica ] .
Despite Narcissus ’s tragical tale , the ancient Romans could n’t help but figure out how to see their reflection without trek down a matte body of piddle . They used convex , extremely polished metal surfaces as mirror [ seed : Britannica ] . These were highly prized possessions , which may explain why breaking a mirror was turn over such big luck .
The earliest mention of the break mirror superstition in English is a 1777 report claim that break a mirror is " a very unlucky stroke " because mirror were part of an " ancient kind of divination " and " formerly used by prestidigitator in their superstitious and diabolical operations " [ source : Brand ] . Since then , impoverished mirrors have been popular in British refinement , as seen inthis poemby Alfred , Lord Tennyson :
She left the WWW , she left the loom
She made three paces thro ' the way
She fancy the piss - flower bloom ,
She see the helmet and the plume ,
She look’d down to Camelot .
Out wing the web and floated widely ;
The mirror crack’d from side to side ;
' The curse is come upon me , ' blazon out
The Lady of Shalott .
Why Seven Years of Bad Luck?
The misfortune relate with bump a mirror go only seven class since the ancient Romans believed life ’s changes pass in seven - yr cycle [ reference : Drazin , Oliver ] .
Another account for the seven age of speculative destiny is that the cost of a young mirror would equal seven year of a servant ’s oeuvre , should that servant be unlucky enough to damage a mirror while cleaning [ rootage : Denham Wade ] .
What Happens If You Accidentally Crack a Mirror?
Nothing happens if you break a mirror , except you might have to pick up a mint and buy a new one . However , a broken mirror is a foretoken of unfit luck if you are superstitious .
Some masses believe that a mirror reflects more than just one ’s physical appearance — it also reflects one ’s individual . Therefore , break a mirror would stand for break the someone into spell [ reference : Winsham ] . Now severely damage , the soul ca n’t in full protect its consistence from misfortune .
In an alternate explanation , the damaged soul seek revenge against the one creditworthy for its accidental injury . The type of misfortune varies but may admit the loss of a close-fitting supporter or the dying of someone in the house [ source : Radford ] .
4 Superstitions to Mitigate the Bad Luck of Breaking a Mirror
accord to superstition , breaking a mirror results in seven years of uncollectible fortune . Here ’s how to understate the bad luck :
Does Breaking Glass Bring Bad Luck?
Unlike a broken mirror , humiliated glass can sometimes be a signaling of good luck — but it depend on who you take . According to some English superstitious notion , break glass is a demise prognostication [ origin : Opie ] .
However , according toGreek tradition , break home at a celebration will ward off malevolent life , and stomping on a wine glass is an important Jewishwedding tradition .
