The Cottage Witch Inc.

The history of what we now call a 'Witch Ball' was an ancient pagan custom that was widely used amongst cultures where harmful magic and those that practiced it were feared. Hollow glass spheres were hung in windows to ward off witches spells, demons, evil spirits and ill fortune. They became very popular and more ornate in England during the 17th & 18th century, where they were most often created in blue or green glass. Hanging these decorative glass balls in doorways and windows was thought to mesmerize mischievous spirits that threatened the homes tranquility. Enticing them with their reflective beauty and then trapping them inside within the filaments of glass. 

Larger variations of Witch Balls were also used in gardens, often more opaque and less colourful, they later became referred to as Gazing Balls and were used for scrying and divination. Glass balls, derived from these silvered witch balls, are still used in gardens today to ward against evil by reflecting it away. Fishermen's nets traditionally had glass balls woven into the ropes for the same purpose. 

Unlike Yule Balls, Witch balls are not tied to a holiday and are used year-round by cultures that accept magick and magickal practitioners. They are often blessed or enchanted by a local witch or medicine women before being placed in the home to ward against any negative energies, entities or spirits that can cause ill will or sickness. They may be filled with a variety of ingredients to increase their magickal working.