What is "witch ball"

alt. A hollow sphere of plain or stained glass hung in windows in 18th century England to ward off evil spirits, witches' spells or ill fortune. n. A hollow sphere of plain or stained glass hung in windows in 18th century England to ward off evil spirits, witches' spells or ill fortune.

A witch ball is a hollow sphere of colored glass traditionally used as a fishing float. Modern witches balls are decorative replicas. Some are made to look like Christmas tree baubles that contain a few thin fibers strung inside. Floating glass buoys became connected with witches during the witch hunts in England. In the late 17th century, suspected witches were tried by being tied up and thrown into water. If the water rejected them from a second baptism and they floated, then the suspects were confirmed as witches, under the rule of trial by water, and they were then hung by the neck until dead. In a like manner these heavy glass fishing floats, all tied up in a net, could not be made to sink. The water rejected them and they bobbed merrily upon its surface. Historically, witch's balls were hung in cottage windows in 17th and 18th century England to ward off evil spirits, witches, evil spells, ill fortune and bad spirits. Just as hanging a witch was believed to remove evil influences from a village, hanging a tried and tested witch's ball that had been floating in water, around a home, was believed to protect the home from similar ills. Usage has continued to a smaller extent in America up to the present day.