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.
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
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSpiritualist church
A worship service led by a medium to communicate with the deceasedTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Healing Living
🇵🇭 PhilippinesTiyanak
A vampiric creature in Philippine mythology that mimics a baby to lure travelers.Being · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Living
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 2 moreChristian demonology
How Christian writers mapped demons: their fall, numbers, bodies and tricksTradition · Protection · Cleansing and purification Living
🇿🇦 South Africa and 1 moreSacred caves of the Basotho
Cave networks in South Africa and Lesotho used by the Basotho for ancestral rituals and healingTradition · Healing · Protection Living
🇩🇲 DominicaBelie Belcan
A loa of justice and protection in Dominican Vudú, linked to Saint Michael.Being · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇲🇽 MexicoMercado de Sonora
A Mexico City market known for herbal medicine and occult goodsTradition · Protection · Love and attraction Living
🇫🇷 France and 2 moreTarasqueTarasca
A mythical beast from Provence tamed by Saint Martha and paraded in festivalsBeing · Wonder and entertainment 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
🇩🇴 Dominican RepublicAnaisa Pye
A Dominican loa of love and wealth, linked to Saint Anne.Being · Love and attraction · Luck and prosperity Living
🇺🇸 United StatesChristian views on magic
A spectrum of Christian beliefs about magical practices, ranging from strict condemnation to esoteric integration.Belief · Cursing and harm · Protection Living
🇪🇸 Spain and 2 moreHoly ChaliceSanto Cáliz
A cup believed to have held the blood of Jesus at the Last SupperCharm · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreUnclean spiritπνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον (pneuma akatharton)
A spirit of impurity in biblical belief, driven out by breath, smoke and wordsBeing · Cleansing and purification · Cursing and harm Living
🇮🇹 ItalySegnature
An Italian folk healing rite using gestures and prayers to cure illness and remove cursesRite · Healing · Protection Living
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreAos Sí
Irish supernatural beings linked to ancient gods and burial moundsBeing · Protection Living
🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreCrucifix
A cross bearing the figure of Jesus, central to Christian worship and artText · Power and authority Living
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreVanishing hitchhiker
An urban legend where a motorist picks up a passenger who vanishes, often leaving behind proof of their death.Belief · Seeing and foretelling · Wonder and entertainment 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
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreWitchcraft accusations against children
Historical and modern persecution of children blamed for witchcraftBelief · Cursing and harm Living
🇵🇭 PhilippinesMananambal
A Filipino folk healer who treats illness with herbs, prayers, and sorceryTradition · Healing · Cursing and harm Living
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreApocryphal prayer
A folk prayer text blending church forms with apocrypha and incantations for protection and healingText · Protection · Healing Living
🇦🇱 Albania and 3 moreCross necklace
A pendant bearing the Christian cross worn as a sign of faith or protection.Charm · Protection · Power and authority Living
🇮🇹 Italy and 3 moreSaint Valentine's Key
A metal key charm from Padua used for healing epilepsy and as a romantic tokenCharm · Healing · Love and attraction Living
🇭🇹 HaitiChristian-Vodou
The blending of Haitian Vodou and Roman Catholicism into a single spiritual practiceTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreWitchwiċċe
The English word for a magic-worker, from Old English wiċċe to WiccaFigure · Cursing and harm · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇺🇸 United StatesQuviasukvikᖁᕕᐊᓲᑎᖃᕐᕕᒃ
An Arctic festival marking the new year with sunrise rituals and community gatherings.Tradition · Luck and prosperity · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇳🇮 Nicaragua and 3 moreHeadless priestel cura sin cabeza / paring pugot
A headless Catholic spirit that haunts Central America and the Philippines as a warning against sacrilege.Being · Cursing and harm · Cleansing and purification Living
🇮🇹 ItalyWitchcraft in Italy
Inquisition trials, a fertility cult and love magic in early modern ItalyTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreTree of life vision
A symbolic prophecy in the Book of Mormon about salvation and spiritual perilBelief · Protection · Healing Living
🇭🇹 HaitiMarassa Jumeaux
The divine twins of Haitian Vodou, representing love, truth, and justice.Being · Love and attraction · Cursing and harm Living
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreLutzelfrau
A German Alpine witch who brings fruit or punishes childrenFigure · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreSailors' superstitions
A global collection of omens, charms and taboos used by mariners to manage the risks of life at seaBelief · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 5 moreWitchcraft accusations against children in Africa
Violent persecution of children blamed for misfortune across Sub-Saharan Africa and beyondBelief · Cursing and harm 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
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreSpiritualism
A metaphysical belief that spirits communicate with the living through mediums.Belief · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇬🇷 Greece and 3 moreExorcist
A religious specialist who performs rites to remove alleged demonic possession from people or places.Tradition · Cursing and harm · Cleansing and purification Living
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMammon in popular culture
The personification of wealth and greed across stories, games, and media.Figure · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Living
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreGabrielגבריאל
An archangel who carries divine messages and explains visions in Abrahamic traditionsBeing · Protection Living
🇷🇸 Serbia and 2 moreBibiBibijako Dive
A Romani holiday honoring a protective aunt figure for family and children's healthRite · Protection · Healing Living
🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 moreCrown of Immortality
A wreath of leaves, then a ring of stars, said to mark a life that does not endBelief · Power and authority Living
🇨🇺 CubaOmiero
A ritual liquid in Santería used to consecrate objects and purify initiatesSubstance · Cleansing and purification · Power and authority Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDamnation
A state of divine punishment or separation from the sacred after deathBelief · Cursing and harm Living
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreHoly anointing oilשמן המשחה (šemen ham-mišḵā)
A sacred blend of spices and olive oil used to consecrate priests, kings, and sacred objects.Substance · Power and authority Living
🇬🇷 GreeceSacred mysteriesμυστήριον
Secret ceremonies and divine doctrines held to exceed human reasonBelief · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living
🇵🇹 PortugalAngel of PortugalAnjo de Portugal
A guardian spirit of Portugal, celebrated on June 10 and linked to the Fátima visions.Being · Protection · 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
- Crown of Immortality: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Xauxa, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Spiritualism: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, source
- Gabriel: uploader Koperczak ( talk ) 06:28, 24 March 2009 (UTC), Public domain, source
- Magic circle: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
- Sacred mysteries: Johannes Hopffe, Public domain, source
- Haitian Carnival: User:Doron, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Christian views on magic: Athanasius Kircher, Public domain, source
- Unclean spirit: David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Segnature: SeAnstapa, CC0, source
- Crucifix: Turismo Bahia, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Rada lwa: Calvin Hennick, for WBUR Boston, CC BY 3.0, source
- Witchcraft accusations against children: Radbot, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Spiritualist church: Jim.henderson, CC0, source
- Damnation: Didier Descouens, Public domain, source
- Tarasque: Olivier, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Holy Chalice: Vitold Muratov, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mananambal: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lutzelfrau: Karel Rozum, Public domain, source
- Exorcist: Francisco Goya, Public domain, source
- Bibi: Andrija12345678, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sacred caves of the Basotho: JMK, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Belie Belcan: Domfranciscorodrigues, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cross necklace: paterm, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tuatha Dé Danann: John Duncan, Public domain, source
- Sailors' superstitions: Siren Painter (eponymous vase), Public domain, source
- Christian demonology: Attributed to Michelangelo, Public domain, source
- Mercado de Sonora: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Quviasukvik: Jodie Wilson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Angel of Portugal: Daderot, Public domain, source
- Tree of life vision: David Hyrum Smith, Public domain, source