A sphere of glass used in 18th-century England. Hung in windows, they were used to ward off evil. They could be quite large and in 19th century America appeared on stands in gardens where they were called “gazing balls.” Smaller ones eventually changed into the modern spherical Christmas tree ornament.
Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Sandra Kynes, author of several books, including The Herb Gardener's Essential Guide, Plant Magic, and the new Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical Plants, among many others.
Although a few old books...