Folk and village custom: magic in this belief world
Rural and household beliefs that belong to no single organised religion.
Folk and village custom is the large body of belief and practice that belongs to no organised religion: the charm against the evil eye, the cure for warts, the fairy hawthorn, the household spirit, the lucky day. It is passed within families and communities and exists in every society. This page looks at how it is kept, who keeps it, and why it is both valued and dismissed. It is also called popular religion, vernacular religion or lived religion by scholars.
Keepers and settings
Keepers are often older women, farmers, midwives, shepherds and craftsmen. Settings are the house, field, well, crossroads and church porch. European cunning folk offered help for fees and kept charms and books. In many Asian and African villages the specialist is a healer, a diviner or a spirit medium working beside religion. The same grandmother may light a candle at church, tie a thread on a child and say a charm for a burn, and see no conflict between them.
Names and labels
The same thing carries many names: the evil eye is the nazar, mal de ojo and ayin hara. Folklorists collected such customs from the nineteenth century, sometimes as relics of a vanished past and sometimes as living culture. The label folk also marks class, since the term often implies rural, poor or uneducated, a bias that modern scholars try to avoid. Where the village has a wise woman or a bone-setter, the community knows what to ask of her and what she will refuse to do.
Religion, state and reform
Churches, mosques and temples have absorbed, tolerated and condemned folk practice in turn. States have banned it as backward: Chinese campaigns against superstition in the twentieth century closed local temples and shrines, and Soviet policy targeted village healers. At times governments have turned to it as national heritage, as in revived festivals across Europe and Asia. Historians and folklorists note that it often keeps old customs alive within newer religions, such as lighting fires at midsummer within Christian saints' days.
Change and commerce
Urban life and migration thin out folk knowledge, while heritage projects and the internet gather it. Customs reappear as products, such as protective charms in shops and festival tourism. Some folk practice carries harm: village accusation of witchcraft, treatments that delay medical care, and fees charged to relieve fear. Illness needs real medical care. In places with active heritage movements, folk custom has become a source of pride, and young people record songs and cures from grandparents before they are lost.
Folk and village custom on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
馃嚪馃嚫 Serbia and 5 moreVampire
An undead being from European folklore that feeds on the life force of the living.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚚馃嚟 Switzerland and 5 moreWerewolf
A figure in folklore who transforms into a wolf or hybrid beastFigure 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyWitches of Benevento
A medieval Italian legend of witches gathering under a walnut treeBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreMare
A spirit that sits on sleepers to cause nightmares and physical distressBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 2 moreGermanic seeressv谦lva
Diviners and sorceresses of early Germanic and Norse societyTradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Revived
馃嚪馃嚫 Serbia and 1 moreDrekavac袛褉械泻邪胁邪褑
A South Slavic night creature born from unbaptised souls or sinnersBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreWitch bottle
A container filled with personal items and sharp objects to trap harmful magicCharm 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚪馃嚧 Romania and 5 moreVampire folklore
Global legends of blood-drinking spirits and undead revenantsBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 5 moreWhite Lady
A female ghost in white clothing linked to tragedy and omens across many culturesFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Seeing and foretelling Legendary
馃嚭馃嚘 Ukraine and 5 moreMugwort褔芯褉薪芯斜懈谢褜 (chorn贸byl')
An aromatic herb used in folk medicine, cooking, and magical protection across Eurasia.Substance 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 5 moreRevenant
An animated corpse or spirit that returns from the grave to haunt the livingBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreWill-o'-the-wisp
A ghostly light in folklore that guides or misleads travellers over marshes and bogs.Belief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreEach-uisge
A fierce water spirit of the Scottish Highlands and Irish shores that takes the form of a horse.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 4 moreLady MiddayPoludnitsa
A Slavic noon spirit who watches over fields and punishes those who work during the hottest hours.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBarghest
A mythical black dog from Northern England that foretells death and haunts the countryside.Being 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 3 moreChangeling
A substitute left by supernatural beings in place of a stolen human child or adultBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreBlue men of the Minchna fir ghorma
Mythical blue-skinned spirits of the Scottish strait who challenge sailors to poetry contestsBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreSixth and Seventh Books of Moses
A grimoire claiming to reveal the hidden spells of Moses for controlling spirits and natureText 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreBugbear
A medieval English creature used to frighten children into obedienceFigure 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 3 moreWitches' Sabbath
A legendary gathering of witches described in early modern trial records and folkloreBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreKrampus
A horned Alpine figure who punishes misbehaving children on KrampusnachtFigure 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚘馃嚬 Austria and 3 morePerchtaPercht
A Alpine goddess of winter who rewards diligence and punishes laziness during the twelve days after Christmas.Being 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Revived
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomGlaistig
A Scottish shape-shifting spirit linked to cattle, deer, and haunted castles.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 2 moreTrial by ordeal
An ancient judicial test where a dangerous physical trial determined guilt or innocenceRite 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 4 moreBaba Yaga
A complex Slavic witch figure who lives in a moving hut and flies in a mortar.Figure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomSt Mark's Eve
An English folk custom to witness omens of death and future marriage on the eve of a saint's feast dayRite 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 FranceLady of the LakeDame du Lac
A water spirit who raises knights and captures wizards in Arthurian talesFigure 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚜馃嚫 Spain and 5 moreDuende
A humanoid spirit of Iberian and Latin American folklore, ranging from household pranksters to forest guardians.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyAlp
A Germanic spirit that presses on sleepers and drinks milkBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 5 moreMolybdomancy
A divination method using molten metal poured into water to read omensRite 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreFuath
A class of malevolent water spirits in Scottish and Irish folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreStraw bearStrohb盲r
A carnival figure wrapped in straw that visits homes for gifts and marks the turning of seasons.Tradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandBodach
A Gaelic trickster figure used to frighten children and warn of deathFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBlack Shuck
A ghostly black dog from East Anglia folklore, often seen as a death omen or a terrifying apparition.Belief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 Spain and 6 moreBurning of Judas
An Easter rite where an effigy of the betrayer is destroyed by fire or other meansRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Cleansing and purification Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreAradia
A figure of Italian folklore and modern pagan witchcraft, seen as a teacher of magic and liberation.Figure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Revived
馃嚙馃嚞 Bulgaria and 5 moreKukeri泻褍泻械褉懈
A costumed ritual in Bulgaria to chase away evil spirits and welcome springRite 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚨馃嚬 Portugal and 5 moreCocoCoca
A monster used to frighten children into obedience across the Iberian world and Latin America.Figure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Binding and oaths Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomC诺n Annwn
Spectral hounds of the Welsh otherworld that hunt souls and signal deathBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomGwyllion
Welsh spirits that lead travellers astray and are feared in mountain folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreNachzehrer
A German revenant believed to consume the living from beyond the graveBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandP煤ca
A shape-shifting spirit of Celtic folklore that brings fortune or mischiefBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 moreBogeyman
A mythical creature used across cultures to frighten children into obedienceFigure 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 1 moreLikho袥懈褏芯
A Slavic spirit of bad luck and misfortune, often depicted as a one-eyed creature.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 3 moreJack
A trickster hero from English folklore who outwits giants and oppressorsFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚪馃嚧 Romania and 1 moreMoroi
A Romanian phantom that drains the living, linked to strigoi and unbaptised infants.Figure 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 3 moreVodyanoy胁芯写褟薪芯泄
A water spirit of Slavic folklore that dwells in rivers and lakesBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 moreFig sign
A hand gesture used to ward off the evil eye or as an insult in many culturesBelief 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Lady of the Lake: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, source
- Artes prohibitae: engraved by Ames of Bristol (according to Fincham, Artists and engrave, Public domain, source
- Krampus: Naturpuur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Trial by ordeal: James Sibree, Public domain, source
- Baba Yaga: Ivan Bilibin, Public domain, source
- Witch-cult hypothesis: Francisco Goya, Public domain, source
- Alp: Henry Fuseli, Public domain, source
- Changeling: Henry Fuseli, Public domain, source
- Coco: Francisco de Goya, CC0, source
- P煤ca: Wirt Sikes, Public domain, source
- Bogeyman: Francisco Goya, Public domain, source
- Likho: Mhapon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vodyanoy: Ivan Bilibin, Public domain, source
- Jiangshi: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Fig sign: Harald the Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kukeri: Nenko Lazarov, CC BY 2.5, source
- Jack: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, source
- Duende: Ren茅 Mayorga, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Burning of Judas: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Molybdomancy: Micha L. Rieser, Attribution, source
- Wiederg盲nger: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Perchta: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mugwort: Prahlad balaji, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lady Midday: 袙褨褖褍薪, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Blue men of the Minch: Lord P in the Commons 17:16, 17 June 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Will-o'-the-wisp: Hermann Hendrich, Public domain, source
- Germanic seeress: Emil Doepler, Public domain, source
- Each-uisge: John Allan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Witch bottle: British Museum, Daniel Pett, 2004-10-25 15:27:22, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Straw bear: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Mare: Henry Fuseli, Public domain, source
- Witches of Benevento: Guglielmo della Porta, CC0, source
- Vampire: Edvard Munch, Public domain, source
- Werewolf: Mont Sudbury, Public domain, source