History Main / HouseOfBrokenMirrors

* In the InteractiveFiction game ''VideoGame/{{Bronze}}'', a retelling of ''Beauty and the Beast'', the heroine has moved all the mirrors in the Beast's castle into her room, at first to keep the beast away, and then, later, when she comes to know him, says that she'll keep them there because she knows the beast doesn't like seeing them around the castle.

* Granny Weatherwax in [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Witches Abroad]] has a sort-of subversion of this- she goes around destroying or hiding every mirror she comes across, however, this is because [[spoiler:her sister is watching them through the mirrors.]]

* In the InteractiveFiction game ''VideoGame/{{Bronze}}'' by Emily Short, a retelling of ''Beauty and The Beast'', the heroine has moved all the mirrors in the Beast's castle into her room, at first to keep the beast away, and then, later, when she comes to know him, says that she'll keep them there because she knows the beast doesn't like seeing them around the castle.

* In the InteractiveFiction game ''Bronze'' by Emily Short, a retelling of ''Beauty and The Beast'', the heroine has moved all the mirrors in the Beast's castle into her room, at first to keep the beast away, and then, later, when she comes to know him, says that she'll keep them there because she knows the beast doesn't like seeing them around the castle.

* A slight variant shows up in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', where Shalash, one of the Ten Heralds (humans revered somewhere between saints and gods by the Vorin church and believed to have AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence millennia ago, but actually still around incognito) goes around destroying every representation of herself that she can find. Statues, paintings, murals... it's started to make the other Heralds ''very'' worried.

* In the novel ''Peeps'' by ScottWesterfeld, the Peeps in question will do then when they first get the virus.

* ''VideoGame/AHouseOfManyDoors'': There is an entire CITY dedicated to ''literally going to war with your own reflection''. You're not considered a true citizen until your mirror reflection is a walking corpse. The Fetch-Mirrors obtained from this city allow you to slow-teleport anywhere in the house in two weeks at the cost of shattering the mirror.

* In the opening montage of Disney's ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' the beast shreds a portrait of his former prince self with his claws. Broken mirrors abound inside the castle, especially in the west wing.

* ''Eveless Eden'' by Marianne Wiggins. The EvilIsSexy rival of the protagonist, a Romanian diplomat and spy, has a habit of removing all the mirrors in whatever room he's staying in (given his country of origin, this leads to the ObligatoryJoke about {{Dracula}}). He eventually bleeds to death after he smashes the mirror in a safehouse and cuts himself on the shards.

* Interesting variation in ''Series/TheTenthKingdom'': the mirror in question was not smashed by the person looking into it, or in order to keep from seeing something terrible (it was a simple accident), and because of this it is no longer magical. However, considering the point this happens in the narrative (the smashing of the mirror itself keeps the characters from [[PortalNetwork getting back to our world]], their princely companion is [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody losing his mind in the dog body]] [[FreakyFridayFlip he's been trapped in]], and Virginia just learned (she thinks) that Wolf didn't love her and so she has left him), having the heroine see her shattered reflection in the pieces they've managed to gather is still extremely symbolic.

* ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark?'': In "The Tale of the Mystical Mirror", a girl visiting the house of her new employer (who owns a beauty salon) notes that there are no mirrors in the house, even in the bathroom. Turns out it was to avoid GlamourFailure.

* In ''GunsmithCats'', one of the villains loses his right hand to Rally. He goes around his place hacking off the right hands of pictures and suits of armor.

* In ''Film/PatGarrettAndBillyTheKid'', after killing Billy, Garrett spots himself in a bedroom mirror and shoots the glass in disgust.

* ''Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'': after killing Billy, Garrett spots himself in a bedroom mirror and shoots the glass in disgust.

* ''AreYouAfraidOfTheDark?'': In "The Tale of the Mystical Mirror", a girl visiting the house of her new employer (who owns a beauty salon) notes that there are no mirrors in the house, even in the bathroom. Turns out it was to avoid GlamourFailure.

* ''{{Exalted}}'': The Lunar Exalted Ma-Ha-Suchi. He used to be a dashing, urbane {{bishounen}} who everyone desired (and not just the women), but centuries of hiding in the [[RealityIsOutToLunch Wyld]] have warped him into a goat-man monstrosity. So now he set out to destroy anything resembling civilization, saying that they breed weakness. But of course the elder Lunars know his real reason. He also has a literal house for this, the Nameless Lair. Once the Salon Provocative, a wonderful temple devoted to the finest beauties of the First Age, Ma-Ha-Suchi destroyed most of the artwork inside once he got back from the Wyld, and only kept around a few things either because they were useful or they were enchanted not to break.

[[folder:Film]]

* In at least one appearance, DoctorDoom looks at his marred face in a gilt-framed mirror only to smash it. He then muses that once the world is his, he might decree to have all mirrors destroyed.

* Happened in ''Film/PunisherWarZone'', Jigsaw, a villain who's face wound up looking like patchwork of skin, can't bear to look at himself in the reflection anymore because he used to be a babyface. His brother, [[AxCrazy Loony Bin Jim]] took it upon him to smash every mirror they come across.

* In ''[[PuyoPuyo Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary]]'', Oshare Bones mentions having thrown away every picture of depicting himself when he was alive into the ocean. When another character considers recovering these photographs via magic, Oshare begs him not to.

* A slight variant shows up in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', where Shalash, one of the Ten Heralds (humans revered somewhere between saints and gods by the Vorin church. Believed to have AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence millennia ago, but actually still around incognito) goes around destroying every representation of herself that she can find. Statues, paintings, murals... it's started to make the other Heralds ''very'' worried.

->''"I saw the monster I had become. Not the one [[spoiler:Smyke]] created. ''[...]'' So I destroyed that mirror. I shattered them all in a blind rage."''
-->-- '''[[spoiler:The Shadow King]]''', ''Literature/TheCityOfDreamingBooks''

* In Alexander Pehov's pentalogy ''Spark and Wind'' the trope is played straight: Alenari rei Vallion, a beautiful noble sorceress, receives disfiguring scars during a mages' rebellion. The only capable healer refuses to help her. Alenari has a mask crafted from some precious alloy. As every really powerful mage gains some titles or nicknames, invoking this trope gains her the title "Executioner of Mirrors".