WITCH BALL – AN ATTRACTION CHARM

Adele Elliott explains the history and significance behind the Witch Ball attraction charm. Learn more about Adele's upcoming novel, Witch Ball, here.

I live in a part of the South known as “The Buckle of the Bible Belt”. Here, EVERYONE is Christian (mostly Baptist). They love Jesus and fear Satan. The lines of good and bad, black and white, are specific and distinct. Witchcraft? Bite your tongue!

One common bit of Southern yard décor is a bottle tree. Once upon a time, they were generally made from real trees. These days, they are usually branches of welded metal, reaching upward, to serve as a stanchion for colored bottles.

The “blossoms”, primarily wine bottles, sparkle in the sun, creating a charming sculpture. (Baptists do not drink, either. So, how did the bottles become empty? I have no idea; maybe by magic.)

Many of the folks around here would be mortified to learn that these “trees” have their roots in Vodou. The Yoruba and Fon peoples of West Africa used them to trap evil spirits before they entered the home. Tiny bits of hair or string were placed inside the bottles. The spirits got tangled on them and could not escape.  

Objects like these have been used for centuries by some very diverse cultures. Remember Aladdin? That was the story of a genie in a lamp, dating to before the invention of glass. From 1965 to 1970, television “Jeannie” (Barbara Eden) lived in a glamed-up bottle where she granted wishes for her “master”.

Gazing balls, de rigueur in Victorian gardens, are a form of Witch Ball. They are the progeny of all this magic and witchcraft, but with a more positive slant.

Witch balls are orbs of glass, filled with anything pretty and sparkly. They attract good spirits into the home. Said to be the inspiration for Christmas ornaments, they can be clear or colored, but always lovely.

No matter if you call them Fairy Orbs, Globes of Happiness, Spirit Balls, or Pond Balls, these delightful charms will attract just the right magic into your realm. Enjoy this bit of beauty, but please don’t tell my neighbors where you learned about Witch Balls. These Christians would never understand.