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
🇪🇬 Egypt and 2 moreAnkh
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for life and the amulet that carries its meaningCharm · Protection · Power and authority Historical
🇪🇬 EgyptPlummet amulet
An Ancient Egyptian charm shaped like a plumb bob to ensure balance in the afterlifeCharm Historical
🇪🇬 EgyptUnlucky Mummy
A painted wooden coffin lid from ancient Egypt that became famous for myths of misfortune.Charm · Cursing and harm Historical
🇪🇬 EgyptBenben
The primeval mound of Egyptian creation myth and the stone cap of a pyramidBelief · Power and authority Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Scarab: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Ushabti: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Plummet amulet: The Art Institute of Chicago, CC0, source
- Unlucky Mummy: amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, source
- Benben: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Ankh: Soutekh67, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eye of Horus: Tangopaso, Public domain, source
- Birth tusk: Anonymous ( Egypt ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Shen ring: Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0 fr, source
- Menat: Anagoria, CC BY 3.0, source