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
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 3 moreHobby horse
A costumed character made from wood or cloth used in seasonal folk customs and processions.Illusion 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomJack in the Green
A foliate figure worn in English May Day processions to celebrate summerIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Revived
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreSnake charming
A street performance using a gourd flute to make snakes swayIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Luck and prosperity Fading
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 3 moreEusapia Palladino
An Italian medium whose s茅ances were investigated by leading scientists and magicians in the late nineteenth century.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 2 moreDavenport brothers
A pair of American stage magicians who performed spirit cabinet illusions in the late nineteenth century.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Hobby horse: Timkevan at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Jack in the Green: SiGarb, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Snake charming: Paris75000, Public domain, source
- Eusapia Palladino: Baldi., Public domain, source
- Davenport brothers: Unknown author, Public domain, source