Long, long ago, the King of the Goblins, who was a powerful wizard, made a mirror. It was a very special mirror: it did not reflect the person in front of it as the world saw them; instead, it reflected their worst qualities, which it magnified. The Goblin King used it to sow discord and hatred among humans, increasing his own power. Finally, he set out to subjugate all the peoples of the world, leading his army, with the mirror carried before it. He won many victories, and spread hatred and distrust.
One day, in the high passes of the mountains, his army was attacked and before he could turn the mirror on his foes, one of the boulders they rolled down towards his army struck the mirror and smashed it into thousands and thousands of pieces. The goblin army fled, and the Goblin King, who had poured so much of his strength and magic into the mirror died soon afterwards.
Though the mirror was shattered, its pieces survived. Some washed down the stream, and when they were found, they brought misery to the finders. Other, smaller pieces were caught up by the wind, blown hither and yon, and they also brought great sadness to the world.