Mirror Of Erised

> The Mirror of Erised is an ancient, ornate mirror. It has clawed feet and a gold frame inscribed with the phrase "*Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi*". The mirror shows the most desperate desire of a person's heart, a vision that has been known to drive men mad.
>
> Description, Pottermore

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.*Template:Object

## History

### Early history

> Men have wasted away before it, not knowing if what they have seen is real, or even possible.
>
> Albus Dumbledore explaining the danger of the mirror to Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

### 1991-1992

> It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.
>
> Albus Dumbledore when he discovered that Harry had been using the Mirror, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

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

> He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket — and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow — incredibly — he’d gotten the Stone.
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> Harry gaining the Philosopher's Stone by looking into the Mirror of Erised, Harry Potter and 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 ***2010***s, the Mirror of Erised was one of the numerous magical artefacts and items that were displayed across the world as ***Foundable***s. Volunteer wizards and witches had to cast spells to banish the ***Confoundable***s guarding them, to return the Foundables to their rightful places of belonging.

## Powers

> Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?
>
> Albus Dumbledore explaining the Mirror's powers to Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

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

> And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees — Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.
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> Harry seeing his extended family for the first time, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

## 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.*"
* The Mirror is possibly inspired by the magic mirrors in classic fairy tales such as *Template:W*, in which the desire of the story's antagonist, the Template:W, 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 Template:PS 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 Template:W 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

Template:Imagecat

* Template:PS Template:1st
* *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* (film) Template:Flashback
* *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince* (film) Template:C
* *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2*

## Notes and references

Template:Reflist

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Template:PS
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Template:PS
3. ↑ Template:WU
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 16 July 2005 Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview with J.K. Rowling
5. ↑ Accio Quote: Hermione Granger
6. ↑ It 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.
7. ↑ 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.
8. ↑ "Fry, Stephen, interviewer: J.K. Rowling at the Royal Albert Hall, 26 June 2003" at Accio Quote!