All entries
2,158 entries so far, best known first. 3,227 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
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyWitches of Benevento
A medieval Italian legend of witches gathering under a walnut treeBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreFaust
A German legend of a scholar who trades his soul for knowledge and pleasureFigure 路 Power and authority 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreAzazel注讝讗讝诇
A desert place and fallen angel linked to the Yom Kippur scapegoat ritualFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Cleansing and purification Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreJannes and Jambres讬谞讬住 讜讬诪讘专讬住
Named Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in biblical traditionFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreKrampus
A horned Alpine figure who punishes misbehaving children on KrampusnachtFigure 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyPhilipp Adolf von Ehrenberg
A German prince-bishop who directed a massive witch-hunt in the 1620sFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptLucifer
A Latin name for the planet Venus that became an epithet for the Devil in Christian traditionFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 FranceTempestarii
Medieval figures accused of controlling storms and the beliefs surrounding them.Belief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 4 moreRobert the Devil
A medieval legend of a knight born to Satan who seeks redemptionFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Change and initiation Legendary
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreBalak讘指旨诇指拽
A biblical king who sought a sorcerer's curse against the IsraelitesFigure 路 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.
- Robert the Devil: Gustave Dor茅, Public domain, source
- Krampus: Naturpuur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lucifer: Gustave Dor茅, Public domain, source
- Faust: Earthsphere, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Azazel: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source
- Balak: Philip De Vere, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jannes and Jambres: Gerard Hoet, Public domain, source
- Witches of Benevento: Guglielmo della Porta, CC0, source