All entries
2,635 entries so far, best known first. 2,304 more are on the list to be written. Narrow by region, kind, purpose, practitioner, belief world, occasion or how alive it is.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
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
🇭🇹 Haiti and 1 moreOungan
A male priest in Haitian Vodou who leads rituals and serves as a medium for spirits.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Healing Living
🇭🇹 Haiti and 1 moreEzili DantorÈzili Dantò
A fierce mother spirit in Haitian Vodou who protects the marginalized and demands loyalty.Being · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇧🇷 BrazilPomba Gira
An Afro-Brazilian spirit of love and desire worshipped in Umbanda and QuimbandaBeing · Love and attraction · Power and authority Living
🇧🇷 Brazil and 5 moreSanto Daime
A Brazilian syncretic religion using ayahuasca for spiritual work and healingTradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇭🇹 Haiti and 2 moreBokorbòkò
A Haitian Vodou practitioner said to serve spirits for both protection and harmTradition · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇭🇹 HaitiBois Caïman
The sacred site where enslaved Africans planned the Haitian Revolution through a Vodou ceremony.Rite · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇭🇹 HaitiErzulieÈzili
A family of spirits in Haitian Vodou representing love, beauty, and protective fury.Being · Protection · Love and attraction Living
🇯🇲 Jamaica and 1 moreMyal
An Afro-Jamaican healing tradition rooted in Arawak and Akan spiritualityTradition · Healing · Protection Living
🇧🇷 BrazilMacumba
A term for Afro-Brazilian spiritual practices, often carrying negative connotations of sorceryBelief · Healing · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇨🇺 Cuba and 5 morePalo
An Afro-Cuban religion centered on spirit vessels and ancestral powerTradition · Healing · Cursing and harm Living
🇭🇹 Haiti and 2 moreManbo
A female priestess in Haitian Vodou who leads rituals and healing workTradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreQuimbanda
An Afro-Brazilian religion focused on male and female street spirits for worldly mattersTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreBatuque
An Afro-Brazilian religion with spirit possession and a pantheon of Orixás and encantadosTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇭🇹 HaitiGedeGuédé
A family of spirits in Haitian Vodou who guard the dead and grant fertility.Being · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living
🇨🇺 Cuba and 2 moreAbakuá
A male-only Cuban religious fraternity with West African roots and strict secrecyTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreWitchcraft in Latin AmericaBrujería
A syncretic blend of Indigenous, African, and European magical practices across Latin AmericaTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 moreCandomblé
An Afro-Brazilian religion blending West African spirits with Catholic imageryTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Healing Living
🇧🇯 Benin and 2 morePapa Legba
A loa who stands at the crossroads and opens the gate between people and spiritsBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇭🇹 HaitiVodou veve (sample)Vèvè
Ground drawings that call the lwa.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic and 1 moreDominican VudúVudú Dominicano
A syncretic Afro-Caribbean religion on Hispaniola with its own spirit lineages and titles.Tradition · Protection · Love and attraction Living
🇨🇺 Cuba and 1 moreHaitian Vodou in CubaVodú Haitiano
A Caribbean religious tradition brought by migrants and maintained in eastern CubaTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living
🇧🇷 BrazilCasa das MinasQuerebentã Toi Zomadonu
A historic Tambor de Mina temple in Brazil with roots in the Kingdom of DahomeyTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇧🇧 Barbados and 2 moreObeah and Wanga
A Caribbean folk magic tradition and a Haitian charm packet, referenced in Western occult texts.Tradition · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Living
🇭🇹 Haiti and 3 moreNago lwa
A Haitian Vodou nation of masculine spirits rooted in Yoruba traditionsBeing · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇭🇹 HaitiPotomitanpoto mitan
The painted centre post of a Haitian Vodou temple, said to be the spirits' way downCharm · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇨🇺 CubaPatakí
Teaching stories from the oral tradition of Santería and IfáText · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇭🇹 HaitiHaitian CarnivalKanaval
A major Caribbean festival of music, dance, and satire leading to Mardi Gras in HaitiTradition · Wonder and entertainment · Luck and prosperity Living
🇭🇹 HaitiRada lwa
A family of cool-tempered spirits in Haitian VodouBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇧🇷 BrazilIle Maroia LajiIlê Maroiá Lájié
An old Candomblé house in Salvador, with roots traced to a Yoruba kingdomTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇭🇹 Haiti and 1 morePetwo
A family of hot and volatile spirits in Haitian VodouBeing · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Living
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 1 moreTrinidadian Vodunu
A West African Vodun tradition practiced in Trinidad and Tobago with Catholic elementsTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇦🇷 Argentina and 1 moreSan Baltasar
A folk saint of African origin, honoured in Argentina with drums and dance on 6 JanuaryFigure · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇩🇲 DominicaBelie Belcan
A loa of justice and protection in Dominican Vudú, linked to Saint Michael.Being · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇭🇹 Haiti and 1 moreHaitian Vodou and homosexuality
The place of LGBTQ people in Hait Vodou practice and beliefTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇭🇹 HaitiBoum'ba Maza
A family of water spirits in Haitian Vodou ritesBeing · Luck and prosperity · Healing Living
🇭🇹 HaitiBizango
Haitian secret societies linked to Vodou and social controlTradition · Cursing and harm · Binding and oaths Living
🇨🇺 CubaInleErinlẹ
The Orisha of healing and the estuary in Santería and CandombléBeing · Healing Living
🇨🇺 Cuba and 1 moreInitiation in Santeríakariocha
The seven-day ceremony that makes a person a full practitioner of the Caribbean religion.Rite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreCandomblé Angola
A branch of Candomblé in Brazil honouring Nzambi and the divinities called NkisiTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living
🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreIjexá
A Yoruba-derived rhythm central to Candomblé ritual and Brazilian carnival musicTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreAnima SolaÁnimas del purgatorio
A soul in purgatory depicted in art and prayer across Catholic and Afro-Caribbean traditionsBelief · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Anima Sola: Muñoz LC, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Candomblé Jeje: I cropped, original authors are Ridpath, John Clark, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Witchcraft in Latin America: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Ezili Dantor: Oficinalis, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Palo: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Manbo: Aliceba, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Haitian Carnival: User:Doron, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Abakuá: M. Puente, Public domain, source
- Rada lwa: Calvin Hennick, for WBUR Boston, CC BY 3.0, source
- Oungan: Anthony Karen, CC BY 4.0, source
- Santo Daime: Tonelada, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Haitian Vodou in Cuba: Dr. Anthony R. Picciolo, NOAA NODC, Public domain, source
- Bokor: Hector Hyppolite, Public domain, source
- Erzulie: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Belie Belcan: Domfranciscorodrigues, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Inle: Happycheetha32, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Initiation in Santería: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Candomblé: André Koehne, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Candomblé Angola: autor desconhecido, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ijexá: Alex@Eddi ( Diskussion ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Casa das Minas: clecio muller frança leal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source