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The origin of the term crystal ball is derived from the belief that one can see into its clear and transparent interior.
In October 1621, a Frenchwoman called Jeanne de Lestonnac told Nostradamus (1503–1566) that she was pregnant. He claimed to have seen in her a hollow ball of black crystal with a white pupil and around it a black halo. He deduced that this would be the birth of a powerful king and that it would happen in two years time, in 1622.
Nostradamus also told her that she would have seven children and they would each die in the same year as their father.
The son born in 1622 was Louis XIV of France (1638–1715), who would go on to be remembered as the Sun King. The prediction was said to have been made in response to her demand to know what she would be called, and what her dream would be.
The seven children died as predicted.
In the same way, an Italian artist named Luca da Pisa (active 14th century) made an engraving entitled "Portrait of a woman with a crystal ball".
Portraits of Marie Tussaud and some of her famous wax figures contain glass balls or orbs, which are commonly believed to be crystal spheres. Many have a white gem mounted in them.
In 1825, French scientist Louis Pasteur claimed that he had used a crystal ball in 1856 to prove his germ theory of disease.
Crystal balls are also used in divination.
Lilium
The Latin name for the sweet william or lily is "lilium" or "lily".
The lily is the state flower of Indiana and the school mascot of Bloomington, Indiana. It is also the state flower of Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
In the Middle Ages the lily was associated with purity, chastity and nobility. The lily is the patron saint of St. Louis, Missouri.
Saucer or bowl-shaped
A saucer or bowl-shaped piece of glass is often in use as a
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