All entries

2,660 entries so far, best known first. 2,250 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

🇩🇪 GermanyChymical Wedding of Christian RosenkreutzChymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosencreutz anno 1459 An allegorical romance and Rosicrucian manifesto detailing a seven-day alchemical initiation.Text · Change and initiation · Power and authority Historical

🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreAlfonso X of Castileel Sabio A medieval king who sponsored astronomical tables and translated works on magic and astrology.Text · Power and authority · Seeing and foretelling Historical

🇷🇸 Serbia and 3 moreSerbian folkloreСрпски фолклор The folk traditions and epic poetry of the Serbs, blending pre-Christian customs with Orthodox faith.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreSator Square A five-word Latin palindrome found in Roman ruins and medieval churchesCharm · Protection · Healing Historical

🇮🇹 ItalyMarsilio Ficino A Renaissance priest and philosopher who revived Plato and blended astrology with Christian theology.Text · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Healing Historical

🇩🇪 GermanyMalleus Maleficarum A 15th-century manual on witchcraft written by Heinrich KramerText · Cursing and harm · Binding and oaths Historical

🇫🇷 FranceÉliphas Lévi A French writer who shaped modern occult thought and ceremonial magic.Figure · Power and authority · Change and initiation Historical

🇮🇹 Italy and 3 moreRenaissance magic A 15th and 16th century revival of magical arts blending philosophy, astrology, and hidden knowledge.Tradition · Power and authority · Seeing and foretelling Historical 🇩🇪 Germany and 3 moreSixth and Seventh Books of Moses A grimoire claiming to reveal the hidden spells of Moses for controlling spirits and natureText · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical

🇪🇸 SpainDirectorium Inquisitorum A 14th-century manual for inquisitors on heresy, magic, and trial procedureText · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreJohn Dee An English scholar and advisor to Elizabeth I who pursued angelic communication through scrying.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Seeing and foretelling Historical

🇬🇧 United KingdomGeoffrey of MonmouthGruffudd ap Arthur A medieval cleric whose writings shaped the King Arthur legend and British myth.Text · Power and authority Historical

🇸🇪 Sweden and 4 moreEmanuel Swedenborg An 18th-century Swedish scientist who became a mystic and claimed to visit the afterlife.Text · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living

🇫🇷 France and 1 moreNostradamus A French astrologer and physician known for his book of poetic propheciesText · Seeing and foretelling · Healing Historical

🇫🇷 FranceThree Books of Occult PhilosophyDe occulta philosophia libri III A Renaissance treatise on elemental, celestial and divine magicText · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical 🇮🇪 IrelandLorica A Hiberno-Scottish monastic prayer for protection against evilText · Protection Historical

🇫🇷 FranceDictionnaire Infernal A French demonology book cataloguing spirits and their hierarchies with engravings.Text · Power and authority Historical

🇫🇷 FrancePetit AlbertSecrets merveilleux de la magie naturelle et cabalistique du petit Albert An 18th-century French grimoire of natural and cabalistic magic sold to rural householdsText · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇮🇸 Iceland and 3 moreDeal with the Devil A cultural trope of trading one's soul for worldly favours in exchange for demonic aidBelief · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Historical

🇨🇿 Czech Republic and 1 moreCodex GigasObří kniha A massive medieval manuscript known for its size and a portrait of Satan.Text · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreCrucifix A cross bearing the figure of Jesus, central to Christian worship and artText · Power and authority Living 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandArbatel de magia veterum A 1575 Swiss grimoire focused on celestial spirits and Christian ethicsText · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical 🇩🇪 GermanyBuch der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit A 15th-century German alchemical treatise that aligns chemical work with Christian theology.Text · Change and initiation Historical

🇨🇭 SwitzerlandA Book on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies, and Salamanders, and on the Other SpiritsEx Libro de Nymphis, Sylvanis, Pygmaeis, Salamandris et Gigantibus, etc Paracelsus's late treatise on the spirits of the four classical elementsText · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Seeing and foretelling Historical 🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreApocryphal prayer A folk prayer text blending church forms with apocrypha and incantations for protection and healingText · Protection · Healing Living

🇬🇧 United KingdomSaducismus Triumphatus A 1681 English book defending witchcraft beliefs and attacking skepticsText · Cursing and harm Historical

Photo credits on this page

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

Alfonso X of Castile: Otto Posse (1847-1921), Public domain, source
A Book on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies, and Salamanders, and on the Other Spirits: A.Hirschvogel, Public domain, source
Nostradamus: After César de Notre-Dame, Public domain, source
Three Books of Occult Philosophy: Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Public domain, source
Serbian folklore: Uroš Predić, Public domain, source
Sator Square: M Disdero, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Marsilio Ficino: Marsilio Ficino, Public domain, source
Crucifix: Turismo Bahia, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Dictionnaire Infernal: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source
Malleus Maleficarum: Johann Jakob Wick, Public domain, source
Saducismus Triumphatus: unknown engraver of the 17th century, Public domain, source
Petit Albert: Albertus Parvus Lucius, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Renaissance magic: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Éliphas Lévi: Eliphas Lévi [1810-1875], Public domain, source
Directorium Inquisitorum: Nicolás Eymerich, Public domain, source
Deal with the Devil: Christoph, Public domain, source
John Dee: Unidentified painter, Public domain, source
Codex Gigas: Herman the Recluse of the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice, Public domain, source
Geoffrey of Monmouth: Colin Cheesman, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Emanuel Swedenborg: Carl Frederik von Breda, Public domain, source

All entries

Photo credits on this page

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