All entries
2,161 entries so far, best known first. 3,219 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
OccasionWeddings and betrothalFestivalsBirth and childhoodDeath and remembranceHarvest, farming and weatherNew yearInitiation and coming of ageIllness and misfortuneJourneys and voyagesEveryday use
PeopleEgyptians (remove)
馃嚫馃嚧 Somalia and 5 moreFrankincense
An aromatic tree resin harvested for incense, perfume, and religious ritualSubstance 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 2 moreLibation
The ritual pouring of liquid as an offering to spirits or the deadRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚫馃嚛 Sudan and 5 moreIncense
Aromatic plant materials burned to release fragrant smoke for ritual, scent, or timekeeping.Substance 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 4 moreWinter solstice
The shortest day and longest night of the year, marked by rites of solar returnTradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Protection Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreAncient Egyptian religion
Polytheistic worship, divine kingship, and funerary rites along the NileTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚠馃嚩 Iraq and 5 moreGrimoire
A textbook containing instructions for spells, rituals, and the creation of magical objects.Text 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptCurse of the pharaohs
A belief that disturbing ancient Egyptian tombs brings illness or death to the living.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 5 moreTurquoise
An opaque blue-green gemstone prized for its color since ancient timesSubstance 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚠馃嚩 Iraq and 1 moreLibanomancy
Divination by reading the smoke and ash of burning frankincenseOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptSham Ennessim卮賲 丕賱賳爻賷賲
An Egyptian spring holiday marked by picnics, colored eggs, and salted fishTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptBarbarous name
A magical word whose meaning is unknown or ignored, valued for its sound alone.Text 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptEn-Naddaha丕賱賳丿丕賴丞
A water spirit of the Nile who lures men to their doom with a hypnotic callBeing 路 Cursing and harm Fading
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptSoul Collector
A mythical figure said to gather, guide, or judge the spirits of those who have passed away.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Grimoire: Bengt A. Lundberg, CC BY 2.5, source
- Libation: Arkady Zarubin ( 袗褉泻邪写懈泄 袟邪褉褍斜懈薪 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Incense: nakimusi, CC BY 2.0, source
- Barbarous name: Aktiophis, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Curse of the pharaohs: Jerzy Strzelecki, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Turquoise: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Libanomancy: 4174332, CC0, source
- Sham Ennessim: Ikonact, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Winter solstice: Image by Przemyslaw " Blueshade " Idzkiewicz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ancient Egyptian religion: Moh hakem, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Frankincense: No machine-readable author provided. Gaius Cornelius assumed (based on, Public domain, source