Spirits, creatures and beings

Djinn, fairies, orisha, golems and the other powers that magic deals with.

A feather: used in cleansing and blessing in some traditions, worn as a sign of office, and carried as a charm.

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, Candomblé, 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.

RegionSouth Asia Southeast Asia East Asia Central Asia and the Caucasus Middle East North Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Europe North America Latin America and the Caribbean Oceania

PurposeProtection Healing Seeing and foretelling Luck and prosperity Love and attraction Cursing and harm Cleansing and purification Speaking with spirits and the dead Change and initiation Binding and oaths Power and authority Wonder and entertainment

WhoShamans Folk healers Priests and ritual specialists Witches, sorcerers and cunning folk Diviners and readers Mediums and the possessed Ceremonial magicians and alchemists Households and ordinary people Stage magicians Scholars and sceptics

BeliefHindu and Tantric Buddhist Jain Muslim and Sufi Jewish Christian Sikh Zoroastrian Shinto and Taoist Indigenous and shamanic African and Afro-diasporic Pagan and Neopagan Esoteric and occult Folk and village custom Secular and stage Other traditions

OccasionWeddings and betrothal Festivals Birth and childhood Death and remembrance Harvest, farming and weather New year Initiation and coming of age Illness and misfortune Journeys and voyages Everyday use

StandingLiving Revived Fading Historical Legendary Performed

OrderBest known A to Z Newest Living first

🇮🇹 ItalySquasc A small, tawny creature from Eastern Lombardy folklore that frightens children and plays jokes on young girlsBeing · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Legendary

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreMinoan Genius A composite creature from Bronze Age Crete, often shown as a libation bearer or sacrificial attendant.Being · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary

🇮🇪 IrelandDevil Whale A giant sea creature mistaken for an island that drags sailors to the deepBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary

🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreSupernatural beings in Slavic religion Mythic entities of nature, death, and fate in Slavic folklore and belief.Being · Protection · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇬🇷 GreecePolemosΠόλεμος A Greek spirit of war and the personification of conflictBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary

🇬🇷 GreeceEurynomosΕὐρύνομος An ancient Greek underworld spirit said to strip corpses down to bone.Being Legendary 🇮🇪 IrelandEllén Trechend A three-headed creature from Irish myth that terrorized the landBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇯🇵 Japan and 5 moreMythic humanoids Creatures that blend human and animal traits across global folkloreBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary 🇷🇴 RomaniaMuma Pădurii A forest spirit in Romania who protects nature and punishes those who harm itBeing · Protection · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇷🇴 RomaniaSântoaderi Supernatural beings in Romanian folklore known for causing illness through music and danceBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary 🇫🇮 FinlandFirefoxtulikettu A mythical Finnish fox whose tail sparks the northern lightsBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary

🇮🇹 ItalyCacus A fire-breathing giant of Roman myth who stole cattle and was slain by HerculesBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇬🇧 United KingdomCeffyl Dŵr A Welsh water spirit that takes the form of a horse to test or harm travellers.Being · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary 🇦🇱 AlbaniaStihistihí A fire-breathing storm demon from Albanian folkloreBeing Legendary 🇦🇱 AlbaniaLjubi A multi-headed water demon from Albanian folklore linked to storms and sacrificeBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary

🇱🇹 Lithuania and 1 moreAšvieniai Twin horse deities of Baltic mythology who pull the sun chariotBeing · Protection Legendary 🇬🇧 United KingdomBluecap A blue flame spirit of English mines that guides miners and warns of dangerBeing · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Legendary

🇬🇷 GreeceCentaurideΚενταυρίδε (Kentauride) A female centaur from Greek mythology, depicted in art and literature as a hybrid of woman and horse.Being · Wonder and entertainment Legendary

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreScyllaΣκύλλα A sea monster from Greek tales who guards a perilous passage and devours sailors.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary

🇪🇸 SpainXana A water spirit of Asturian myth who offers treasures or madness to those who hear her song.Being · Luck and prosperity · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇸🇪 SwedenVittra A forest spirit from northern Sweden linked to livestock and seductionBeing · Cursing and harm · Love and attraction Legendary

🇫🇷 France and 1 moreOgre A legendary humanoid monster known for its size and cannibalistic appetiteBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary

🇳🇴 NorwayTroll A Nordic creature of folklore and myth, ranging from mountain dwellers to modern fantasy icons.Being · Wonder and entertainment Legendary

🇮🇪 IrelandGlas Gaibhnenn A fabulous cow of Irish myth that yields boundless milk and sparks a quest for vengeance.Being · Luck and prosperity Legendary 🇦🇱 AlbaniaKukudh An undead revenant from Albanian folklore that haunts houses and spreads sickness.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇸🇪 SwedenVardøger A spirit double that precedes a person in time and spaceBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary 🇬🇧 United KingdomGwragedd Annwngwraig Annwn Welsh lake fairies linked to the origin of black cattle and the Tylwyth TegBeing Legendary 🇭🇺 HungaryLidérc A shape-shifting spirit from Hungarian folklore that brings wealth or illness.Being · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary

🇫🇷 FranceFarfadet Small helpful spirits of French folklore that perform chores for foodBeing · Luck and prosperity Legendary 🇪🇸 SpainTrenti A forest goblin from Cantabrian mythology known for pranks and mischiefBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇫🇮 FinlandRahko A Finnish mythic figure linked to the darkening of the Moon and nightmaresBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇦🇱 AlbaniaLugat A shadow-dwelling vampire of Albanian folklore that attacks sleepers and hides in ruins.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇬🇧 United KingdomMaggy Moulach A Scottish brownie known for her hair and fierce protection of her kinBeing · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇬🇷 GreeceCampeΚάμπη A female monster who guarded the imprisoned Titans in Greek mythBeing Legendary

🇬🇷 GreeceHarpyἅρπυια (hárpyia) Half-human, half-bird creatures from Greek and Roman myth, often seen as storm winds or snatchers of food.Being · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Legendary

🇪🇸 SpainGuajona A blood-sucking hag from Cantabrian and Asturian legendBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary

🇸🇪 SwedenSjörå A Swedish lake spirit that rewards kindness and drowns the disrespectfulBeing · Protection · Luck and prosperity Legendary 🇷🇸 SerbiaBaukБаук A bear-like creature from Serbian folklore that lurks in the dark.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary

🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreAufhocker A German folklore spirit that leaps on travelers and weighs them down.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreDames Blanches Spectral women in French folklore who demand dances or warn of dangerBeing · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary 🇬🇷 GreeceSoterΣωτήρ A Greek daimon of safety and deliverance from harmBeing · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary 🇦🇱 AlbaniaXhindi Invisible spirits in Albanian mythology that appear at night and may help or harm.Being · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary 🇩🇪 GermanyWitte Wiwer Subterranean spirits of Low German folklore known for music and child exchangeBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary

🇮🇹 ItalyWinged lion A mythological creature combining a lion's body with bird wings, used in heraldry and art.Being · Protection · Power and authority Legendary

🇬🇷 GreeceAloadaeἈλωάδαι (Aloadai) Twin giants of Thessaly who challenged the gods and built mountains to reach Olympus.Being Legendary 🇮🇪 IrelandSleih beggey Manx fairies and little people of the Isle of ManBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇷🇺 RussiaMeduzaМедуза A Russian mythic figure with a woman's head and a serpent body, linked to trickery.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Supernatural beings in Slavic religion: Bartolomeo Giuliano, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Winged lion: Rjcastillo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Huldra: Bernard Evans Ward, Public domain, source
Xana: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
Scylla: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
Hecate: Henryk Siemiradzki, Public domain, source
Centauride: John La Farge, Public domain, source
Ašvieniai: Wojsyl , 2005, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Devil Whale: Edmund Dulac, Public domain, source
Ogre: Henry Justice Ford, Public domain, source
Troll: John Bauer, Public domain, source
Glas Gaibhnenn: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, source
Farfadet: User:Mattes, Public domain, source
Harpy: Unknown, near the Tyrrhenian Group?, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Guajona: Francisco Goya / Francisco Goya, Public domain, source
Aufhocker: Longbow4u, Public domain, source
Aloadae: No machine-readable author provided. Antars~commonswiki assumed (based, Public domain, source
Cacus: William Blake, Public domain, source
Minoan Genius: Zde, CC BY-SA 3.0, source