Mirrors are often portrayed as magical objects in both history and fantasy. It is perhaps no surprise that mirrors were believed to reveal things beyond what was normally visible. Early mirrors did not give a clear image, and seeing shadowy images was probably not uncommon. In addition, Mirrors were expensive items limited to the elite until about the 1830s, when the invention of silvered glass made mirrors broadly accessible.
Mirrors for Scrying
Mirrors are used in many rituals recorded in Medieval manuscripts. They were often involved in scrying, which was looking beyond the present realm for knowledge, which is considered a form of necromancy. The knowledge usually sought was about items lost or stolen – spells to detect thieves were extremely common in the magical tradition – and to find treasure.
There were two different ways that magical scrying mirrors were believed to work. The first was that it helped unlock the magician’s inner eye, so that they could see beyond the physical world into the spiritual world, or unbind vision from the body in a form of astral projection.
The other was to catch a demon or spirit in the mirror and compel them to answer their questions. Demons are not bound by the laws of the physical realm, so they can travel vast distances and also cross the lines between past, present, and future. According to the Church, demons also hoard knowledge, waiting for the day of reckoning, and can be forced to share that knowledge with magicians.
Magicians often employed a medium to look into the mirror, acting as an intermediary as they conducted the spell. This was based on the idea that innocent souls had better access to the spiritual realm.
The Mirror of Floron
The Mirror of Floron is one of the mirrors most often mentioned and described in surviving Medieval manuscripts. There are at least six different descriptions of the mirror, all of which are a little bit different. The best-known reference is in the Munich Manual of Demonic Magic (CLM 849), which is a 15th-century Geotic grimoire
The mirror should be a small, handled, polished steel mirror. It was to be made by a smith who had been celibate for the previous nine days on the first hour of a Friday under a Waxing Moon. It should be inscribed around the rim with ten sacred names (or demonic names) and Floron’s name written in the center.
The scrying ritual itself should be conducted at night, as the moon is associated with vision and revelation. The mirror should be anointed with oils, including frankincense. A virgin boy should be used as an intermediary who has bathed and donned fresh garments. The ritual begins with pouring honey, milk, and wine into the air to summon the demon. The magician can then pose their questions. The virgin boy will see answers in the mirror that they can describe for the magician. They may even see Floron, or a spirit commanded by Floron, in the mirror. Floron usually takes the form of a knight on horseback.
The magical ritual ends, and the magician must release the spirit, allowing it to return to its master.
An example of a Mirror of Floron survives from the Middle Ages, currently held in a museum at Dresden. It is depicted at the top of this article.
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