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
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptCurse
A spoken wish for misfortune to befall a person or placeBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 2 moreDukun
A traditional healer and spirit medium in Indonesian folk practiceTradition 路 Healing 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚚馃嚝 Central African Republic and 5 moreWitchcraft in Africa
Beliefs about supernatural harm and the social responses to accusations across the continentBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Living
馃嚨馃嚞 Papua New GuineaWitch-hunts in Papua New Guinea
Violent attacks on people accused of sorcery, mainly women and girlsBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreDruiddruides
A learned priestly class of the ancient Celts in Gaul and BritainTradition 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 3 moreHoodoo
A spiritual tradition of the African diaspora in the American South using herbs and charms for protection and justice.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚦馃嚞 Nigeria and 4 moreJuju
A West African spiritual belief system involving charms and ritualsTradition 路 Healing 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreChild sacrifice
The ritual killing of children to appease deities or restore cosmic order in ancient culturesRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 2 moreMagic in the Greco-Roman world
Private supernatural practices in ancient Greece and Rome, distinct from public state religion.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiBois Ca茂man
The sacred site where enslaved Africans planned the Haitian Revolution through a Vodou ceremony.Rite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚚馃嚞 Republic of the CongoNkisi
Spirit containers and power figures from the Congo Basin used for justice and healingCharm 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚳馃嚘 South Africa and 5 moreMurder for body parts
The killing of people to harvest body parts for traditional medicine or the illegal organ trade.Belief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 5 moreObeah
A Caribbean tradition of ritual healing and spell-casting with African rootsTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚚馃嚦 China and 1 moreScapulimancy
Divination using animal shoulder blades, practiced across Asia and the Americas.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚘馃嚭 AustraliaKurdaitchakwertatye
A ritual executioner and feathered shoes of the Arrernte people in Central Australia.Tradition 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesWitchcraft in the Philippinespangkukulam
Indigenous beliefs about sorcery and malevolent magic in the PhilippinesTradition 路 Cursing and harm 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚬 Ethiopia and 4 moreBuda釅♂嫵
An Ethiopian and Eritrean belief in the evil eye and hyena transformationBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Living
馃嚚馃嚛 Democratic Republic of the CongoKindoki
A belief in spirit possession that leads to abuse and abandonment in the Congo regionBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚫馃嚛 SudanBenge
A divination method among the Azande using a poisoned chicken to identify witches.Oracle 路 Cursing and harm Fading
馃嚞馃嚟 Ghana and 4 moreSpirit children
A Ghanaian belief that disabled children are harmful spirits requiring ritual treatment or deathBelief 路 Cursing and harm Fading
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 2 moreTsentsak
Invisible darts used by Amazonian shamans for healing and sorcerySubstance 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Living
馃嚬馃嚦 TunisiaOmek Tannou
A Tunisian rainmaking ritual using a sculpted head or stick to call for water during droughts.Rite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainHuman sacrifice in the ancient Iberian Peninsula
Ancient ritual killings by Lusitanian and Vetton peoples for divination and warRite 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaTunggal panaluan
A carved magic staff of the Batak shamans in North SumatraCharm 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚦馃嚞 Nigeria and 5 moreWitchcraft accusations against children in Africa
Violent persecution of children blamed for misfortune across Sub-Saharan Africa and beyondBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Dukun: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Human sacrifice in the ancient Iberian Peninsula: Manuel Parada L贸pez de Corselas User:Manuel de Corselas ARS SUMMUM, Ce, Public domain, source
- Tagalog religion: The original uploader was Rodsan18 at English Wikipedia . ( Original t, CC BY 2.5, source
- Nkisi: MiddleOfAfrica, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- European witchcraft: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Curse: Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain, source
- Obeah: Various, published by David Nutt, Public domain, source
- Scapulimancy: Albert Peter Low, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kurdaitcha: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Buda: Aberdeen Bestiary, Public domain, source
- Witch-hunts in Papua New Guinea: The original uploader was Dr. Blofeld at English Wikipedia ., Attribution, source
- Druid: Bernard de Montfaucon, Public domain, source
- Hoodoo: Hoodoowoman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Juju: ILN Staff, after special artist correspondent Mr Harries F.R.G.S., Public domain, source
- Child sacrifice: Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Public domain, source
- Magic in the Greco-Roman world: ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tunggal panaluan: Tropenmuseum, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tsentsak: Veton PICQ, CC BY-SA 3.0, source