Olde English Witch Balls

Then

Witch balls originated in 18^th Century England. The seventeen-hundreds were a turbulent time for witchcraft in England as it was a century that saw both the execution of witches and the abolishment of the idea that a person could even be guilty of witchcraft through the Witchcraft act of 1735.

            For the average person it must have been a confusing time. Are witches real and to be feared? Or simply illusionary?

            Fortunately, witch balls presented a passive-aggressive solution to the problem. They were something that could be used to protect ones self from the danger of a witch’s curse or spell, without accusing or persecuting any members of the community. And what’s more, they were, and are, very beautiful.

            Most witch balls are blown glass with strings of glass that look like webbing running through the inside portion. It was believed that these balls would attract any evil curse or spell trying to enter ones home. Thus, it became customary to hang the balls from the homes window’s.  Then, as the witch’s dreadful curse approached to do it’s harm, it would instead find itself trapped in the inner webbing of the witch ball, leaving the home safe from evil. And it was believed that if the witch ball began to glow, a curse was trapped inside.

            Some variations of witch balls were silvered to create a mirror like image that would reflect the evil curse away from the home rather than trapping it inside the webs. It’s this form of witch ball that our garden gazing balls developed from.

            Witch balls are also associated with seafaring. In time, the purpose of witch balls expanded to include the attraction and inevitable capturing of evil spirits along with witches’ curses.

During the early days of seafaring, when fishermen cast their nets into the sea, they would use glass balls, know as float balls, to weigh down the nets. But on the eastern coast of the United States, many fishermen would change out the float balls for witch balls in hopes of capturing the evil spirits that rode along the waves.

Now

With the popularity of witch balls back in England, it’s no surprise that they eventually made their way across the Atlantic to the United States. Here, witch balls saw their heyday in the 19^th century but soon died out in popularity what with the turbulence of the war and other concerns that were far more real than a witch’s curse.

            However, they remain a very popular souvenir and novelty item. There’s not a shop in Salem Massachusetts where you can’t find one for sale. And I myself have purchased a dozen or so on my trips there. They now make for a beautiful display in my front window!

Thoughts

One aspect of the witch ball that I find very interesting is the insight into the superstitious beliefs surrounding witches and their spells in England at the time.

            Because it was able to stop a curse as it entered the home by trapping it or reflecting it, we know that people saw a spell as something physical rather than purely ethereal. It had to travel from the caster and make its way to its intended victim. A curse or an enchantment wasn’t instantaneous and could be avoided.

            Though we don’t know the exact origin of the first witch ball or how it came to be used in such a capacity, it shows that even after the Witchcraft Act in 1735, people still actively believed in witches and what’s more, felt the need to self empower themselves against their conjuring.

Examples

 A Pairpoint Witch Ball from Salem Massachusetts

An Antique Silvered Witch Ball

A Pairpoint Witch Ball from Salem Massachusetts

Where You Can Get One

I’ve seen them in shops in Salem MA, Boston MA, and Williamsburg VA. But if none of those places are one of your stops this summer, you can order one from either:

www.pairpoint.com

www.kitras.com

I don’t mean to be biased, but having seen witch balls made from both glass companies, I find the ones sold by Pairpoint to be more appealing. Not to mention that the company has been making them since the eighteen-hundreds! However, Kitras witch balls tend to come in a larger variety of colors and sizes. Check out both sights to see what appeals to you!

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As always…If you have a comment or something to share, don’t be shy. Leave a comment here at the blog or contact me at aislinnmarshallwriter@gmail.com or  visit my website at www.aislinnmarshall.com

The Evil Eye

What it Is

The evil eye is the idea that bad luck or harm can be cast on another simply through a look. The belief is an ancient one that dates back thousands of years and remnants of it can still be found the world over. However, it is most predominant among the cultures of the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

Casters and Recipients

In some cultures the evil eye is believed to be purposefully cast by those born with the magical ability to do so. But in most, it is seen as an unintentional result of envy. But however unintentional it may be, it is still feared as a destructive force. When the evil eye is cast no one is immune, including livestock. Sadly, children are often the most affected by the evil eye and it is thought that even the compliment of a stranger about ones child can cause them to fall ill or even die if the compliment is made from a place of envy.

However, illness and death represent the extreme case, and bad luck is more often attributed to the envious eye.

           

Protection

With a curse so easily cast, (by seemingly innocent people no less) it became necessary to take protective measures in order to safeguard ones family and cattle from the evil that could befall one at any moment.

            In Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” he describes the towns folk performing the sign of the cross before pointing two fingers in the direction of one they thought in danger of the evil eye. He described this as, “[…] a charm or guard against the evil eye.” This protection charm is still used in parts of Europe today. It is a combination charm consisting of the Christian sign of the cross and the pagan sign of the horns.

 Along with this physical charm, a plethora of protective amulets and good luck charms have popped up to aid the innocent victim from the malevolent stare. Most of these items take the shape of an eye and it is believed that when the evil eye falls upon it, it will be reflected back to the gazer.

            The most common of these talismans is the nazar. It can be found all over the Middle East and the Mediterranean and has become a favorite souvenir of tourists traveling to the area.  To look at it you might not know that you’re looking at a representation of the eye. It looks like a dark blue dot with thick rings of varying dark and light blue separated by white circling around it. This symbol has been made into many different items including sun catchers, bracelets, and beads; all beautifully crafted and ready to ward off the evil eye!

A nazar bracelet I picked up on one of my trips to Greece

An artistic representation of the nazar

Comments

As always, I’d love to hear any comments or insight you may have on this topic. Please feel free to leave a comment here or visit my website at AislinnMarshall.com. You can also email me at AislinnMarshallWriter@gmail.com.

Ghosts, Witches and Water

Lore

Ghosts can’t cross water. Witches can’t cross water. We all know this (or at least those of us consumed by the paranormal do), but did you know that the two superstitions come from two entirely different cultures? I didn’t!

Ghosts

So, in case you’re unfamiliar with the superstition, ghosts can’t cross water. In the lore, they’re even scared to come near it! In Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” the Headless Horsemen (as well as a few lesser know specters) are known to disappear as they near the bridge that crosses the stream. And we’ve all heard the countless tales of souls trapped forever on ghost ships in the sea.

            It seems that this integral part of our superstition’s doctrine comes from the Gullah people of the American Deep South. Decedents of African slaves, the Gullah, have added greatly to the culture, and as it seems, superstitions here in America.

            They believed that there were malevolent sprits called “Haints” that were set on doing the living harm. They would scour the land looking for innocent victims of their evil doings and no one was safe from their torment.  However, and most fortunately, it was believed that these vindictive spirits couldn’t cross water.

            But it’s not like everyone could dig a moat around his or her house. So in order to stay safe they took to painting the entrance to the house blue in hopes of tricking the spirits into thinking they were crossing water. Doors, shutters, porches, and just about any opening into the house would get the blue treatment. It became so common that the tradition lives on today in the Deep South. There, if you look closely, you can still see the ceilings of porches painted blue. I’ve even heard tell that if you go to your local Sherwin Williams, you can find a color of paint named, “Haint Blue.”

            Now here’s where we hit a bit of a snag. Why they believed these spirits couldn’t cross water isn’t very clear. All we know about Haints is that they were afraid of it enough that a celling painted blue would keep them at bay. But if we look at the lore of witches and water, we might find our answer.

Witches

The idea that witches can’t cross water originated during the witch hysterias in Europe. But only because this was the first time that witches were seen as something bad or evil.

            Prior to the witch-hunts, what we view as a witch didn’t really exist. The same women accused of cavorting with the devil were at one time seen as valuable members of the community. They were intelligent, science minded women that knew about herbs and medicines. But, for reasons I won’t delve into here, they were eventually labeled as being evil and worshipers of the devil.

            As for water, it has been seen as something pure and purifying since the most ancient of times. Some peoples believed that rivers were gods or created by gods. Others believed that heaven lie just beyond the ocean’s horizon. Water has always been at the center of sacred lore.

So put the two beliefs together, (witches are bad and water is good) and you get the oil and water effect! One repels the other.  Water is holy and pure and can’t accept evil to dwell in it. It’s the same reason why they used to throw suspected witches into water. If she sinks she innocent, the water had no need to repel her she was a good person of God. But if she floats…cry witch!

So…

Well, none of this really explains why a ghost couldn’t just float through a wall or why a witch couldn’t just find a bridge or use her broomstick, but that’s the superstition. In either culture it was clear that water was something pure, and evil whether it be a witch or a ghost, didn’t stand a chance against it!

Contact me

If you have any further insight on this topic or any I post here on the blog, I’d love to hear about it. You can leave a comment on this page, contact me through my website—AislinnMarshall.com—or email me at aislinnmarshallwriter.com.