All entries
2,158 entries so far, best known first. 3,227 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
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 5 moreMolybdomancy
A divination method using molten metal poured into water to read omensRite 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm 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
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 5 moreBirkat haMinim讘专讻转 讛诪讬谞讬诐
A Jewish liturgical curse against apostates and Christians within the daily standing prayerRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Binding and oaths Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreOrdeal of the bitter water诪值讬 讛址诪指旨专执讬诐 (mei ha-marim)
A biblical test for a wife accused of adultery when no witnesses are present.Rite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelPulsa diNura驻讜诇住讗 讚谞讜专讗
A Kabbalistic curse invoking destroying angels to block forgiveness and cause deathRite 路 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.
- Ordeal of the bitter water: Charadron, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Curse: Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain, source
- Molybdomancy: Micha L. Rieser, Attribution, source
- Child sacrifice: Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Public domain, source