All entries

2,683 entries so far, best known first. 2,203 more are on the list to be written. Narrow by region, kind, purpose, practitioner, belief world, occasion or how alive it is.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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

KindTradition Rite Charm Oracle Substance Being Figure Text Illusion Belief

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

🇮🇳 IndiaNaropa An Indian Buddhist master whose teachings shaped Tibetan Vajrayana practiceFigure · Change and initiation Historical

🇯🇵 JapanEn no Gyōja役小角 A legendary Japanese ascetic and founder of Shugendō mountain practiceFigure · Power and authority · Protection Historical

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreTilopa A tenth-century Buddhist tantric master who transmitted Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa.Figure · Change and initiation · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYoginiयोगिनी A female master of yoga and tantra, or a fierce goddess aspect in Indian temples.Tradition · Power and authority · Protection Historical

🇮🇳 India and 3 moreDakiniḍākinī A goddess figure in Hinduism and Buddhism, ranging from flesh-eating demoness to enlightened energy.Being · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical

🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreKūkai空海 Founder of Shingon Buddhism who brought Vajrayana esoteric practices from China to Japan.Text · Power and authority · Protection Historical 🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreKuji-in九字印 A system of nine syllables and hand gestures used for protection and spiritual alignment in Japanese esoteric traditionsRite · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical

🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreTennin天人 Heavenly beings in Japanese Buddhism, often depicted as beautiful women with feathered scarves.Being · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇮🇳 India and 4 moreMakaraमकर A legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology and a symbol of water and thresholdsBeing · Protection · Power and authority Historical

🇨🇳 China and 1 moreMogwai魔鬼 A Chinese term for demons and evil spirits, borrowed from Sanskrit lore through Buddhism.Being · Cursing and harm Historical

🇯🇵 JapanAkuma悪魔（あくま） An evil spirit in Japanese folklore, later used for Satan in ChristianityBeing · Cursing and harm Historical

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreCintāmaṇiचिन्तामणि A wish-fulfilling jewel from Hindu and Buddhist traditionsSubstance · Healing · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇳 IndiaAbhijñāअभिज्ञा A set of special insights and powers in Buddhist meditation.Belief · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Historical

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreAxis mundi A concept describing a central point connecting the earthly and heavenly realms.Belief · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Historical

🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreSang Thongสังข์ทอง A Southeast Asian folktale about a prince born in a shell who gains golden skin and magical powers.Figure · Luck and prosperity · Love and attraction Historical

🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreDivine retribution Supernatural punishment by a deity in response to anger or wrongdoingBelief · Cursing and harm Historical 🇨🇳 ChinaQizheng Siyu七政四餘 A Chinese horoscope system that counts eleven lights: seven planets and four computed bodiesOracle · Seeing and foretelling Historical 🇯🇵 JapanOshiroibabā白粉ばばあ A yōkai old woman from Nara folklore linked to white powder and mirrors.Being · Wonder and entertainment Historical

🇯🇵 JapanKasha火車 A Japanese yōkai that steals corpses from funerals and gravesBeing · Cursing and harm Historical 🇮🇳 IndiaEtheric body A subtle energy layer said to sustain the physical form and connect it to higher states.Being · Power and authority Historical 🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreTenma goddesses Twelve guardian deities in Tibetan Buddhism who swore to protect the faith.Being · Protection Historical

🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreClassical elements Ancient theories that explain all matter as combinations of earth, water, fire, air, and aetherBelief · Wonder and entertainment Historical

Photo credits on this page

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

Naropa: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Kasha: Brigham Young University, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Makara: Subbhashinee S, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mogwai: Gisling, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Obake: Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞), Public domain, source
En no Gyōja: Wmpearl, CC0, source
Tilopa: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Tennin: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Yogini: Soumendra Barik, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Dakini: Didier Descouens, Public domain, source
Kūkai: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
Divine retribution: John Martin, Public domain, source
Classical elements: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Cintāmaṇi: sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Abhijñā: Gryffindor, Public domain, source
Axis mundi: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Sang Thong: Narisara Nuwattiwong, Public domain, source

All entries

Photo credits on this page

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