Vampires and Mirrors
Vampires have no reflections in mirrors. We’ve all heard that one before, but where did it come from?
The first one to document this phenomenon (and probably created it too!) was Bram Stoker. I love this scene in the book and in Coppola’s film version too: Dracula silently approaches Jonathan Harker as he is shaving in his room – Jonathan notices that the Count does not have a reflection. When Dracula notices the mirror he violently flings it away, as if repulsed by it.
Count Dracula
This myth of vampires casting no reflection in mirrors followed most vampire stories until the coming of Anne Rice’s luscious creations in the 1970′s. Both Louis and Lestat cast reflections in mirrors and in Louis’ interview with the human, Daniel, he exposes the elements of vampire myths that were simply not true and gives Daniel the low down on the modern day vampire.
Lestat & Louis
Now, the folklore surrounding mirrors probably was the key to Stoker’s clever creation of this particular vampire myth. In folklore, mirrors were known to reflect a person’s soul or spiritual double and were often covered when a person died, for fear of the soul becoming trapped inside the mirror. This practice of covering the mirrors when someone died continued into to 20th century. Since vampires traditionally are suppose to be creatures without souls, you could definitely speculate that when a vampire takes a peek into a mirror that there is nothing there to reflect. Maybe that is what Stoker was concluding…
Personally I think that vampires would definitely cast a reflection in mirrors. They are physical beings (and some mighty fine beings I might add!) in the same world that we are in and must follow the same physical laws along with every other creature that inhabits this world.
An Inconvenience
I mean, how else do they shave and primp?
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