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
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreTurquoise
An opaque blue-green gemstone prized for its color since ancient timesSubstance · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreCleromancy
A divination method that uses random chance to reveal divine willOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreJinnجِنّ
Supernatural beings in Islamic and pre-Islamic Arabian belief, capable of shapeshifting and living in society.Being · Protection · 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.
- Astrology: Wilfredor, CC0, source
- Cleromancy: Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Public domain, source
- Amulet: Anonymous ( Egypt ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Turquoise: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Geomancy: Jacopo188, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tawûsî Melek: Bernd Schwabe in Hannover, CC BY 3.0, source
- Jinn: VenusFeuerFalle, CC0, source
- Sacred dance: Jorge Barrios, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Religious restrictions on the consumption of pork: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Wild rue: Yuriy75, CC BY-SA 3.0, source