Where Did Crystal Balls Come From?

Crystal ball of a fortune teller. Source: (Photo by Wodicka/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

The crystal ball is a standard piece equipment for any modern "fortune teller," but where did crystal balls come from? Gazing into the orb is supposed to give the soothsayer a vision of the future, which will then be shared with the client for a fee. Today, we connect crystal balls with fortune tellers, often of Roma ("gypsy" culture), but that’s not where these mystical spheres originated. To learn the origin of crystal balls, and how they are often shrouded in mystery, and how all powerful psychics (most often women) we have to go back to the ancient Druids and a practice called scrying. The history of crystal balls starts with the ancient Druids, and their origins are a bit of a mystery to this day.