They can magnify or contract, predict the future and guard against evil. They are a source of superstition and ritual. See through the glass darkly, and they can divine the truth. They are the scourge of vampires, and even Medusa lost her head because of one. We stare into them every day, and yet do we know their provenance? In this talk, speaker and novelist Dr Justin Newland will reflect on the role of mirrors in our world.