馃嚠馃嚫 Magic in Iceland
47 entries from Iceland, best known first, across 5 places of magic.
Places of magic in Iceland
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandIcelandic magical stavesgaldrastafir
Sigils from Icelandic grimoires believed to hold magical powerCharm 路 Power and authority 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
馃嚫馃嚦 Senegal and 5 morePentagram蟺蔚谓蟿维纬蟻伪渭渭慰谓
A five-pointed star figure used across history for protection, ritual, and cosmologyCharm 路 Protection 路 Binding and oaths Living
馃嚠馃嚩 Iraq and 5 moreGrimoire
A textbook containing instructions for spells, rituals, and the creation of magical objects.Text 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandGaldrab贸k
An Icelandic grimoire of spells and staves from around 1600Text 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreWiederg盲nger
A German term for a revenant or ghost that returns to the world of the living.Being 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandYule catJ贸lak枚tturinn
A giant feline from Icelandic folklore that threatens those without new Christmas clothesFigure 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.
- Grimoire: Bengt A. Lundberg, CC BY 2.5, source
- Jiangshi: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pentagram: Tomruen, Attribution, source
- Wiederg盲nger: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Yule cat: Christine Rondeau, CC BY 2.0, source
- Icelandic magical staves: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mare: Henry Fuseli, Public domain, source