All entries
2,651 entries so far, best known first. 2,267 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 Kingdom and 1 moreWitch's ladder
A knotted cord or braided string used to bind spells or cursesCharm · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Revived
🇬🇧 United KingdomCantrip
A Scots word for a small spell or witch's trick, now a term in fantasy gamesRite · Wonder and entertainment Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Witchcraft in Latin America: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Witchcraft in early modern Wales: Joan Blaeu / Joan Blaeu, Public domain, source
- Magic circle: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
- Witch's ladder: Various, published by David Nutt, Public domain, source
- Germanic seeress: Emil Doepler, Public domain, source