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
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 1 morePawang
A shaman from Indonesia and Malaysia who commands spirits, weather, and wild animals.Being · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 2 moreDukun
A traditional healer and spirit medium in Indonesian folk practiceTradition · Healing · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇵🇭 PhilippinesAnito
Indigenous Philippine spirits and the carved figures that represent themBeing · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 moreGhosts in Thai cultureผี (phi)
A wide range of spirits and ghosts found in Thai folklore and popular belief.Belief · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇵🇭 PhilippinesBabaylan
Spiritual leaders of pre-colonial Philippines who mediated with the unseen world.Tradition · Healing · Seeing and foretelling Historical
🇮🇩 IndonesiaTunggal panaluan
A carved magic staff of the Batak shamans in North SumatraCharm · Protection · Cursing and harm Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Pawang: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tagalog religion: The original uploader was Rodsan18 at English Wikipedia . ( Original t, CC BY 2.5, source
- Ghosts in Thai culture: Heinrich Damm ( User:Hdamm , Hdamm at de.wikipedia.org ), CC BY 2.0, source
- Burmese folk religion: Wagaung ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Babaylan: Hptina24, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tai folk religion: ( เทวประภาส มากคล้าย ), Tevaprapas, Public domain, source
- Tigmamanukan: Illustrator and uploader Dragonbite ., CC BY-SA 1.0, source
- Nat: Emily Khine, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tunggal panaluan: Tropenmuseum, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dukun: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Anito: Frederic H. Sawyer, Public domain, source
- Vietnamese folk religion: Unknown (traditional painting dated back to the 17th century), Public domain, source
- Barong: Skha, CC BY-SA 4.0, source