Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re discussing a well-known Hogwarts artefact known as the Mirror of Erised. Specifically, we’re going to be getting in to a theory regarding it’s dark and otherwise UNKNOWN history. This particular mirror also happens to be the inspiration behind the outro featured on every video I launch on this channel.

Harry first discovers the Mirror for himself in the Philosopher’s Stone:

“It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. “

In case you’ve forgotten how the mirror works, it’s essentially a magical mirror that holds the power to show us the ‘deepest, most desperate desires’ of our hearts. This is reflected in the mirror’s name, no pun intended, as ‘Erised’ flipped around reads as ‘desire’. Engraved on the mirror are the words ‘Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi, which, backwards, reads as ‘I show not your face but your hearts desire’.

According to existing Harry Potter lore all we know is that it existed BEFORE the nineteenth century (pretty open window there) and that no one knows HOW it arrived at Hogwarts. These two aspects of the mirror’s existence seem to be entirely undocumented. Moreover, it is entirely ambiguous whether the Mirror of Erised was created with innocent and playful intentions or with more malevolent and darker motives.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices