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
🇵🇪 Peru and 1 moreViracochaWiraqucha
The supreme creator deity of the Andes, associated with the sea and civilization.Being · Power and authority · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇨🇱 ChileMoaimoꞌai
Monolithic ancestor statues of Rapa Nui, carved from volcanic stone between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.Being · Power and authority · Protection Historical
🇵🇪 Peru and 1 moreSupay
An Andean spirit of the underworld who balances life and death forcesBeing · Cursing and harm · Protection Historical
🇦🇺 AustraliaKurdaitchakwertatye
A ritual executioner and feathered shoes of the Arrernte people in Central Australia.Tradition · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇸🇪 Sweden and 1 moreNoaidi
A Sámi spiritual leader who mediated between the living and the spirit world using a drum.Being · Healing · Protection Historical
🇸🇪 Sweden and 2 moreMjölnirMjǫllnir
The hammer of the Norse thunder god Thor, used as a weapon and for blessingsBeing · Cursing and harm · Protection Historical
🇪🇬 EgyptImhotepỉỉ-m-ḥtp
An ancient Egyptian architect deified as a god of healing and wisdomBeing · Healing · Power and authority Historical
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreCernunnos
An antlered Celtic deity associated with nature and fertilityBeing · Power and authority · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreUpiórупіор
A demonic spirit from Slavic and Turkic folklore that is believed to return from the dead to feed on the living.Being · Cursing and harm Historical
🇪🇬 EgyptAnubis𓇋𓈖𓊪𓃣
The jackal-headed god who guides souls and oversees mummification in ancient Egypt.Being · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇮🇶 Iraq and 1 moreRabisu
A wind spirit in Akkadian myth sent to correct human transgressionsBeing · Cursing and harm · Cleansing and purification Historical
🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreDomovoyДомовой
A household spirit in Slavic folklore that guards the family and home.Being · Protection · Seeing and foretelling Historical
🇪🇬 EgyptDemon
A supernatural entity believed to cause harm or possess humansBeing · Cursing and harm · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇬🇷 GreecePeleiadesΠελειάδες
Sacred women of the Oracle at Dodona, linked to doves and ZeusBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇸🇾 SyriaLilulilû (Akkadian), lilu (Sumerian)
A class of Mesopotamian spirits linked to unfulfilled lives and illnessBeing · Cursing and harm · Healing Historical
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 1 moreStrichaСтріча
A Slavic goddess who spins the golden thread of human destiny and good fortuneBeing · Luck and prosperity · Protection Historical
🇪🇪 Estonia and 1 moreKalevaKalev
A primordial giant and ancestral figure in the mythologies of Estonia and FinlandBeing · Power and authority Historical
🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreHiisi
A Finnic spirit of sacred places that evolved into a demonic giant in folkloreBeing · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇯🇵 Japan and 4 moreHousehold deity
A spirit or minor god believed to guard a home and its family members.Being · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇱🇹 Lithuania and 2 moreLaumaLaumė
A Baltic fairy-like spirit of the sky, weather, and newborn children.Being · Protection · Healing Historical
🇮🇩 IndonesiaAntabogaꦄꦤ꧀ꦠꦨꦺꦴꦒ
A serpent deity of Javanism and Sundanism who created the world turtle and rice goddessBeing · Power and authority Historical
🇵🇱 PolandBoginka
Female spirits of wild nature in Polish pagan mythologyBeing · Cursing and harm Historical
🇪🇬 EgyptSet animalsha
A mysterious creature from ancient Egypt, linked to the god Set and chaos.Being · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇳 IndiaKhunu Leimaꯈꯨꯅꯨꯔꯩꯃ (Khunu Leima)
A Meitei goddess who rules over pigeons and doves in the religion of Manipur.Being Historical
🇸🇧 Solomon IslandsAdaro
Ghosts and elemental spirits from Makira island in the Solomon IslandsBeing · Cursing and harm Historical
🇫🇮 Finland and 2 moreHaltija
A supernatural guardian of a specific place or animal species in Finnish and Baltic Finnic mythologyBeing · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇸🇪 Sweden and 1 moreStalloStállu
A large, clumsy creature from Sámi folklore that eats people and is often outwitted by humans.Being · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇺🇸 United StatesChepi
A spirit of the dead in Narragansett belief, called upon for vengeance.Being · Cursing and harm · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇪🇸 SpainLamialamiak
River and sea spirits of Basque folklore, known for their beauty and magical labour.Being · Power and authority Historical
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreHephaestusἭφαιστος
The Greek smith god who forged divine weapons and crafted automata for the gods.Being · Power and authority Historical
🇹🇼 Taiwan and 3 moreHanitu
A spirit concept from the Bunun people of Taiwan, found in all living and non-living things.Being · Cursing and harm · Healing Historical
🇯🇵 JapanYume no seirei夢の精霊
A Japanese yōkai believed to cause nightmares during the Edo periodBeing · Cursing and harm Historical
🇨🇦 CanadaPinga
An Inuit goddess of the hunt and medicine who oversees caribou herds and souls.Being · Healing · Cursing and harm Historical
🇼🇸 Samoa and 3 moreAtua
Polynesian deities and spirits representing power and the natural worldBeing Historical
🇵🇭 PhilippinesTigmamanukan
A pre-colonial Tagalog omen bird believed to guide journeys and aid creationBeing · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreVäinämöinen
An ancient Finnish demigod and master singer from the Kalevala epicBeing · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreWeiße Frauen
Elven spirits of sunlight and water in Germanic folkloreBeing · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇯🇵 JapanYamawaro山童
A mountain spirit of Western Japan, often linked to river kappa and known for pranks and lumberjack assistance.Being · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇦🇷 ArgentinaLegendary creatures of the Argentine Northwest region
Myths and spirits from the Andean highlands of ArgentinaBeing · Protection · Cursing and harm Historical
🇬🇷 GreeceEudaemonεὐδαίμων
A benevolent Greek spirit offering guidance and protection to individuals.Being · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇬🇷 GreeceDaimonδαίμων
A Greek spirit or divine force that mediates between gods and humansBeing · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇪🇬 EgyptAkhty
A rarely attested ancient Egyptian deity linked to the ibis and the evening horizon.Being · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇫🇮 FinlandUkonvasara
The hammer of the Finnish thunder god Ukko, a symbol of lightning and powerBeing · Power and authority · Protection Historical
🇬🇱 GreenlandAnguta
A Greenlandic Inuit figure who guides the dead and fathered the sea goddess SednaBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreVelesВелес
A Slavic chthonic deity of cattle, the underworld, and oathsBeing · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇨🇱 Chile and 3 moreGualichu
An evil spirit feared in Mapuche and Tehuelche traditions, and a word for bad luckBeing · Cursing and harm Historical
🇸🇾 Syria and 1 moreShatiqatu𐎌𐎓𐎚𐎖𐎚 (šʿtqt)
A Ugaritic healing figure created from clay to cure the king KirtaBeing · Healing Historical
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic and 5 moreZemi
A Taíno deity or ancestral spirit housed in a carved object used for worship and protectionBeing · Protection · Healing Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Set animal: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Antaboga: fir0002 flagstaffotos [at] gmail.com Canon 20D + Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, GFDL 1.2, source
- Demon: Martin Schongauer, Public domain, source
- Moai: Rivi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Imhotep: Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0 fr, source
- Gilgamesh: editor Austen Henry Layard , drawing by L. Gruner, Public domain, source
- Anubis: Hunefer, Public domain, source
- Yume no seirei: Brigham Young University, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Domovoy: Ivan Bilibin, Public domain, source
- Viracocha: Pattych ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tigmamanukan: Illustrator and uploader Dragonbite ., CC BY-SA 1.0, source
- Kurdaitcha: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Väinämöinen: Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Public domain, source
- Cernunnos: Nationalmuseet, Roberto Fortuna og Kira Ursem, Public domain, source
- Upiór: Віщун, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Boginka: Walery Eljasz Radzikowski, Public domain, source
- Weiße Frauen: Wojciech Gerson, Public domain, source
- Khunu Leima: Author: DALL-E; prompted by Haoreima, Public domain, source
- Yamawaro: Brigham Young University, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eudaemon: WolfgangRieger, Public domain, source
- Daimon: François-André Vincent, Public domain, source
- Akhty: Rémih, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Household deity: Claus Ableiter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Veles: Andrey Shishkin, CC BY 3.0, source
- Noaidi: O. H. von Lode, Public domain, source
- Lauma: Raki_Man, CC BY 3.0, source
- Mjölnir: Mårten Eskil Winge, Public domain, source
- Shatiqatu: Rama, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, source
- Zemi: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Stallo: John Bauer, Public domain, source
- Lamia: Josu Goñi Etxabe, Public domain, source
- Hephaestus: Foundry Painter (name vase), Public domain, source