Mirror Of Erised

The Mirror of Erised was a magical mirror, which, according to Albus Dumbledore, showed the "deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts." The name "Erised" was "desire" spelled backwards, as if reflected in a mirror. The happiest and most satisfied person in the world would look in the mirror and see a reflection of them, exactly as they were, for they would then have no one and nothing more to yearn or desire for that the mirror could ever show them. But of course, it was intrinsically inherent for human nature to desire something greater than one's own self — meaning that an event wherein the mirror failed to carry out its intended purpose rarely, if at all, happened. The writing engraved on the frame of the mirror was supposedly in a foreign and probably dead language, but if one looked closely it said "I show not your face but your heart's desire" backwards, with the spaces rearranged. Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
==History==
===Early history===
===1991-1992===
In 1991, Dumbledore had brought it out, and, tucking it out of sight in a disused classroom, initiated some key modifications to the mirror, so that it could hide the Philosopher's Stone.The Mirror was discovered by Harry Potter on the night that he used his father's Invisibility Cloak for the first time, to search the restricted section of the library for information about Nicolas Flamel. In his attempt to stay hidden from Argus Filch, the school caretaker, he stumbled upon the classroom where the mirror was being stored. Upon looking into it, Harry saw his late parents, Lily and James Potter. On his next midnight visit to the mirror, he brought Ronald Weasley, hoping to show him his family. However, Ron saw himself as the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and Head Boy, holding up the Quidditch Cup, as he has always been overshadowed by his brothers and is always striving to be noticed by others.Over the next few days, Harry proceeded to visit it as often as he could to see his parents' faces; the Mirror also occupied his thoughts beyond anything else, to the extent that he disregarded Ron's warning that he was growing obsessed with it. Dumbledore found Harry visiting the mirror one night, and after explaining to Harry what the mirror was all about, told him that the mirror was to be moved and requested that Harry not go looking for it. Before heading back to bed, Harry asked Dumbledore what he saw when he looked into the mirror. Dumbledore claimed to see himself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks, telling Harry that "one can never have enough socks." If this had been true, it would suggest that Dumbledore was so content with life that the only things he wished for were small things. However, Dumbledore was lying — the matter being a very personal one. Unbeknownst to Harry, for a long time, Dumbledore’s greatest desire was to be with his former lover, Gellert Grindelwald. But, by 1998, as revealed to Harry, Dumbledore, having come to terms with his guilt over his sister’s death, saw his family whole and intact, free of any pain or suffering. It is unknown if Grindelwald, as a redeemed man, was included in these later reflections.
====The Philosopher's Stone====
In 1992, the Mirror was the final guardian of the Philosopher's Stone in its Chambers. Dumbledore placed an enchantment on the mirror, hiding the stone inside of it, and allowing the mirror to transfer the stone only to one who wanted to find the stone but not to use it. Anybody wishing more than simply to find it would see themselves making gold or the Elixir of Life, or in Professor Quirrell's case presenting the stone to his master. This is because the greatest desire of anyone wanting to use the stone would not have their greatest desire to be finding it in the first place; anyone just wanting to find the stone but not use it would thus have their greatest desire to find the stone thus have their wish granted.When Professor Quirrell ordered Harry to look into the mirror, Harry focused on finding the stone, and, uninterested in actually using the stone for his own purposes, saw his reflection pocketing the stone, at which time it magically appeared in his real pocket.It is not known what happened to the mirror after these events. It might have stayed in the chamber or returned to its classroom.
===The Calamity===
During the Calamity which mysteriously happened across the wizarding world in the 2010s, the Mirror of Erised was one of the numerous magical artefacts and items that were displayed across the world as Foundables. Volunteer wizards and witches had to cast spells to banish the Confoundables guarding them, to return the Foundables to their rightful places of belonging.
==Powers==
The Mirror showed the greatest desire of the one looking into it upon its surface, often with them having achieved some goal or ambition. However, since each person was unique, only they could likewise see it from their point of view and no one else. According to Albus Dumbledore, the Mirror showed neither truth nor knowledge (though it could if the subject being or question what was was it that the person most desires), and some has in fact gone mad from staring at it. Additionally, in time what a person saw in the Mirror can change, if that person's greatest desire changes. Dumbledore later bewitched the Mirror to hold the Philosopher's Stone, where the only one who could retrieve it from the Mirror would be one who wanted to find the Stone but not use it or have it used.
==Known desires==
Person 	Date 	Desire
Harry Potter 	1991 	His parents and extended family
Harry Potter 	4 June, 1992	Himself shaking hands with Albus Dumbledore after winning the House Cup (a lie to Voldemort/Quirrell)
Harry Potter 	4 June, 1992	Himself holding the Philosopher's Stone (he was able to get the stone because he had no intention of using it).
Harry Potter 	1997 	Lord Voldemort defeated and dead16 July 2005 Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview with J.K. Rowling
Hermione Granger 	1997 	Herself and her friends alive and unscathed, Voldemort defeated, and herself in a romantic embrace with Ron Weasley.Accio Quote: Hermione GrangerIt is unknown if Hermione ever looked into the Mirror of Erised; J. K. Rowling only confirmed what Hermione would see if she looked into it.
Ron Weasley 	1991 	Himself as Quidditch Captain, Head Boy, standing apart from his brothers, and being better than all of them.
Quirinus Quirrell	4 June, 1992	Himself presenting the Philosopher's Stone to his master, Lord Voldemort.
Lord Voldemort 	1997-1998 	Himself, all powerful, more than anyone, immortal, and with no Harry Potter to stop him.It is unknown if Voldemort ever looked into the Mirror of Erised; J. K. Rowling only confirmed what he would see if he looked into it.
==Etymology==
The word "Erised" (pronounced eer-eh-said) is "desire" spelled backwards, meaning the name could also be known as the "Mirror of Desire". The backwards spelling symbolises how mirror reflections flip images around (for example, "erised" when reflected in a mirror spells "desire"). However, because this is no ordinary mirror, the text also shows how the mirror is very different from standard mirrors, in the way that it shows the inner desires and not the outside appearance of a person.
==Behind the scenes==
*The quote "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi" on the mirror mentioned by Dumbledore reversed is "ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desire", which with proper spacing becomes "I show not your face but your heart's desire".
*The Mirror of Erised can probably be considered to be an enchanted mirror, albeit an unparalleled advanced one.
*Contrary to Dumbledore's words, the mirror does give its users knowledge, as it shows them what they want the most, even if they do not know for certain. Stranger still, it is implied that the picture of his family Harry Potter saw in the mirror was accurate, even though he could not possibly have known what his grandparents and other distant relatives looked like beforehand.
*In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, when Harry finds the lost diadem in the Room of Requirement, Draco (along with Goyle and Blaise) stands in the way of Harry's progress. Behind them the mirror can be seen among a pile of other hidden objects. Thus, it is quite obvious it was destroyed with everything else in the room by Goyle's spell, unless the prop was being reused as an easter egg for the fans. Neither is yet to have been confirmed.
*In 2003, J. K. Rowling said that she would probably see herself as she is in the Mirror, because she had had another child, David Rowling Murray, just a few months before. She also added that she would like to see her mother alive again, and would hope that "there'd be room over [her] shoulder to see a scientist inventing a cigarette that would be healthy" and "a particular journalist being boiled in oil.""Fry, Stephen, interviewer: J.K. Rowling at the Royal Albert Hall, 26 June 2003" at Accio Quote!
*The Mirror is possibly inspired by the magic mirrors in classic fairy tales such as , in which the desire of the story's antagonist, the , is to be the fairest in the kingdom.
*The scene where Harry sees his parents in the mirror for the first time makes an appearance in The Film Adaptation on Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix during Harry's Occlumency lessons with Snape.
*The simplified Chinese version of included various footnotes from the translator explaining various aspects of British culture to Chinese readers. The footnote for the Mirror of Erised's inscription incorrectly claims that it is a secret charm.
===Author's comments===
"Albus Dumbledore's words of caution to Harry when discussing the Mirror of Erised express my own views. The advice to 'hold on to your dreams' is all well and good, but there comes a point when holding on to your dreams becomes unhelpful and even unhealthy. Dumbledore knows that life can pass you by while you are clinging on to a wish that can never be - or ought never to be - fulfilled. Harry's deepest yearning is for something impossible: the return of his parents. Desperately sad though it is that he has been deprived of his family, Dumbledore knows that to sit gazing on a vision of what he can never have, will only damage Harry. The mirror is bewitching and tantalising, but it does not necessarily bring happiness."
==Appearances==
* 
*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) 
*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) 
*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
==Notes and references==
Category:Foundables
Category:Gold Known Objects
Category:Real Magical Objects
Category:Mere Mental-Real Magic
Category:Mirrors
Category:Entire Underground Chambers