Spirits, creatures and beings
Djinn, fairies, orisha, golems and the other powers that magic deals with.
Beings are the powers that magic deals with: spirits, ancestors, gods, djinn, fairies, orisha, nats, kami, demons, golems, ghosts and the many kinds of household and landscape spirit. People in most cultures have described a world shared with unseen others, who may help, trouble or ask for respect. This page covers what these beings are said to be and the very different ways communities relate to them. They are always described here as what communities believe, not as established fact.
Different kinds of beings
A being can be a god with a priesthood, such as an orisha served in Yoruba religion, Cuba and Brazil. It can be an ancestor, honoured in China, Africa and Mexico. It can belong to a place, such as the kami of Shinto, the Thai phi or the Burmese nats. It can be a trouble-maker, like the djinn of Arabic and Islamic tradition, formed from smokeless fire, or the fairies of Ireland, whom people avoided naming.
Relationship, not command
In many traditions, a person does not command a being but enters a relationship with it, through offerings, promises and respect. Possession and mediumship are forms of that relationship, as in Vodou, Candombl茅, Korean mudang rites and Sufi gatherings. In ceremonial magic of the European grimoires, by contrast, the magician summons spirits by name and authority, which the Church condemned as demon-raising. The same being may be loved in one household and feared in the next, and a spirit helpful to its servant can be harmful to a stranger.
Religions and renaming
Dominant religions often absorbed beings by relabelling them. Christian missionaries called many African and Indigenous spirits demons. Islam reads the djinn as real creatures, some of whom are Muslim, and Hindu and Buddhist traditions fold local deities into their own pantheons. Pagan and fairy beliefs were sometimes recast as the devil's work, which fed witch trials in Europe. Churches and mosques have sometimes divided beings into good and evil in ways the older traditions did not, so that a neutral local spirit became a demon on the day a missionary arrived.
Harm and interpretation
Belief in harmful spirits has been used to accuse people. Children in parts of West and Central Africa have been branded as witches possessed by evil spirits, and some have been abused by pastors or families in the name of deliverance. Scholars read spirit beliefs as ways to make sense of illness, loss and conflict, and many communities see them simply as neighbours. That is why accusations tied to spirit beliefs fall hardest on children and the vulnerable, and why many agencies train local leaders to challenge them.
Being on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
馃嚙馃嚧 Bolivia and 1 moreEkekoIqiqu
An Andean deity of abundance and prosperity, central to the Alasitas festival.Being 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreSupay
An Andean spirit of the underworld who balances life and death forcesBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 2 moreCurupira
A backwards-footed forest guardian from Brazilian indigenous myth who punishes loggers and misleads travelers.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚪 Puerto Rico and 5 moreChupacabrachupacabras
A legendary creature said to drain livestock of blood, emerging from Puerto Rico in the mid-1990sBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina and 5 moreGauchito Gil
A folk saint from Argentina who protects the poor and outcastsBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 2 moreMapinguari
A hairy Amazonian monster with a belly mouth and backwards feetBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiGedeGu茅d茅
A family of spirits in Haitian Vodou who guard the dead and grant fertility.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiErzulie脠zili
A family of spirits in Haitian Vodou representing love, beauty, and protective fury.Being 路 Protection 路 Love and attraction Living
馃嚚馃嚤 ChileTrauco
A small forest spirit from Chilo茅 mythology known for seducing women and causing pregnancyBeing 路 Love and attraction 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 1 moreEzili Dantor脠zili Dant貌
A fierce mother spirit in Haitian Vodou who protects the marginalized and demands loyalty.Being 路 Protection 路 Love and attraction Living
馃嚞馃嚬 GuatemalaMaxim贸nRi Laj Mam
A Maya folk saint and trickster deity venerated in the Guatemalan HighlandsBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreViracochaWiraqucha
The supreme creator deity of the Andes, associated with the sea and civilization.Being 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilBoitat谩
A fiery serpent of Brazilian folklore that guards forests or frightens childrenBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreChullachaqui
A one-footed forest spirit of the Amazon that lures or challenges humansBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚙馃嚡 Benin and 2 morePapa Legba
A loa who stands at the crossroads and opens the gate between people and spiritsBeing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoChaneque
Mexican folklore sprites that guard nature and homesBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreAluxaluxo'ob
A small Maya spirit believed to guard fields and cause mischief if offended.Being 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 5 morePachamama
The Andean mother goddess of space-time and the earthBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 2 moreLwa
Spirits in Haitian Vodou that mediate between people and the creator god.Being 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilPomba Gira
An Afro-Brazilian spirit of love and desire worshipped in Umbanda and QuimbandaBeing 路 Love and attraction 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreSihuanaba
A shapeshifting spirit that lures men with beauty before revealing a monstrous faceBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 5 moreSoucouyant
A shape-shifting vampire spirit of Caribbean folklore that sheds its skin to fly as a fireballBeing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoCamazotz
A bat spirit of the Maya underworld linked to night, death, and sacrificeBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚚馃嚧 ColombiaPatasola
A Colombian jungle monster that lures men with beauty before revealing a one-legged formBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoAhuizotl膩huitzotl
A legendary Aztec water creature said to lure people to their deathsBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilMinhoc茫o
A giant aquatic worm or fish from Brazilian folklore blamed for earthquakes and animal disappearancesBeing Legendary
馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 3 moreDuppy
A Caribbean term for a ghost or malevolent spirit, rooted in West African folklore.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilBoi煤na
A powerful river serpent from Amazonian mythology that shifts shape to guard its watersBeing Legendary
馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican Republic and 1 moreCiguapa
A back-footed forest spirit of the Dominican Republic known for seduction and jealousyBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Love and attraction Legendary
馃嚨馃嚲 ParaguayAo Ao
A Guarani mythic beast that hunts humans and frightens children in ParaguayBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoWerejaguar
A supernatural figure from Olmec art, blending human and jaguar traits.Being 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 1 moreCuerotr眉lke wekuf眉
An aquatic creature from Mapuche and Chilote myth that drags victims into the depths.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚛馃嚥 DominicaBelie Belcan
A loa of justice and protection in Dominican Vud煤, linked to Saint Michael.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 3 moreNago lwa
A Haitian Vodou nation of masculine spirits rooted in Yoruba traditionsBeing 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 1 moreDouen
A faceless creature with backwards feet from Trinidad and Tobago folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚘 PanamaPanama Creature
A decomposing sloth carcass mistaken for a monster in PanamaBeing Historical
馃嚚馃嚤 ChileWarlock of Chilo茅brujo chilote
A legendary network of sorcerers from the Chilean archipelago and their mythical powers.Belief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiRada lwa
A family of cool-tempered spirits in Haitian VodouBeing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚚馃嚤 ChilePincoya
A Chilotan sea spirit whose dance predicts the catch of fish and seafood.Being 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilLobisomem
A South American shape-shifter born from family fate or sin, often linked to the full moon.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 2 moreMama D'Leau
A river spirit of the Caribbean islands who protects aquatic life and heals people.Being 路 Healing 路 Protection Legendary
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 1 moreKalku
A Mapuche sorcerer who works with negative powers and malevolent spiritsBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚙馃嚳 BelizeTata DuendeNukuch Tat
A thumbless forest spirit of Belizean folklore that protects animals and warns children.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican Republic and 5 moreZemi
A Ta铆no deity or ancestral spirit housed in a carved object used for worship and protectionBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚞馃嚲 Guyana and 1 moreBaccoo
A half-wood spirit from Guyanese and Surinamese folklore that serves as a mercenary or a haunting presence.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 3 moreGualichu
An evil spirit feared in Mapuche and Tehuelche traditions, and a word for bad luckBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican RepublicAnaisa Pye
A Dominican loa of love and wealth, linked to Saint Anne.Being 路 Love and attraction 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚚馃嚧 ColombiaMohan
A forest spirit and ancestor soul in Colombian Indigenous folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Maya mythology: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mohan: Sanjuan, Public domain, source
- Pincoya: Paul Lowry, CC BY 2.0, source
- Trauco: Seo2 (Cristian), CC BY 2.0, source
- Ezili Dantor: Oficinalis, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chullachaqui: LLs, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chaneque: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alux: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Pachamama: Penarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lwa: Hector Hyppolite, Public domain, source
- Maxim贸n: Sapfan (Jan Pesula), Public domain, source
- Folk saint: Sergio Serrano, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Viracocha: Pattych ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Boitat谩: The ponta cabe莽a, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sihuanaba: Orlando Callejas, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Folk Catholicism: Calvin Hennick, for WBUR Boston, CC BY 3.0, source
- Ahuizotl: Infrogmation, New Orleans, Public domain, source
- Ao Ao: Cowboymax, CC0, source
- Werejaguar: Ruben Charles, ( http://www.rubencharles.com ), CC BY 2.0, source
- Belie Belcan: Domfranciscorodrigues, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Panama Creature: Christian Mehlf眉hrer, User:Chmehl, CC BY 2.5, source
- Ekeko: Ciudades, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Erzulie: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Mapinguari: Lauro Iyambae (@Aptix_4p0clix), CC0, source
- Zemi: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Chupacabra: Dick Langer, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Curupira: Sturm, CC BY-SA 4.0, source