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
馃嚚馃嚳 Czech Republic and 4 moreGolem讙旨讜止诇侄诐
An animated clay figure from Jewish folklore created to serve or protectBeing 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 5 moreMagi
Priests of Zoroastrianism and the figures who inspired the word for magicTradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreSpirit possession
A global belief that spirits or demons can take control of a person's body and mindBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreBehemoth讘职旨讛值诪讜止转
A primeval land-monster from the Book of Job and later Jewish legendBeing 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreMagic and religion
A study of how ritual power and sacred belief overlap or separate across culturesBelief 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreUpsherin讗指驻旨砖注专谉 (opshern)
A first haircut ceremony for Jewish boys, marking the start of formal study.Rite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreLaying on of hands住诪讬讻讛
A physical gesture used across religions to convey authority, healing, or spiritual presence.Rite 路 Healing 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreLeviathan诇执讜职讬指转指谉 (Livya峁乶)
A primordial sea monster from ancient Near Eastern myth and biblical textBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreShimon bar Yochai砖诪注讜谉 讘专 讬讜讞讗讬
A second-century sage of the Land of Israel and a central figure in Kabbalistic tradition.Figure 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreSacred dance
Movement used in worship to honour deities, heal communities, or connect with the spirit world.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚫馃嚧 Somalia and 5 moreFrankincense
An aromatic tree resin harvested for incense, perfume, and religious ritualSubstance 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 3 moreGematria讙讬诪讟专讬讛
A numeric writing system that assigns numerical values to words and phrases for interpretation.Text 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelJewish astrology诪址讝指旨诇讜止转 (mazz膩l么t)
A belief system within Judaism that celestial bodies influence earthly affairs and human destiny.Belief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreSolomon's shamir砖指讈诪执讬专
A legendary worm or stone used to carve stone without iron toolsBeing 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreRahab专址讛址讘
A Hebrew mythic sea monster and symbol of chaos, later used as a poetic name for Egypt.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚜馃嚫 Spain and 3 moreJewish heraldry
Heraldic achievements used by Jewish communities in Europe and abroadTradition 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelSeder hishtalshelus住讚专 讛砖转诇砖诇讜转
A Kabbalistic cosmology mapping the descent of divine light through spiritual realms to the physical world.Belief 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelShekhinah砖职讈讻执讬谞指讛
The divine presence of God dwelling among people in Jewish and Islamic thoughtBelief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelMelchom
A demon of hell and former Ammonite idol described in the Dictionnaire InfernalBeing 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 5 moreJewish views on astrology讞指讻职诪址转 讛址诪址旨讝指旨诇讜止转
A long-standing debate within Jewish thought about the influence of stars and planetsBelief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreAna BeKoach讗谞讗 讘讻讞
A medieval Jewish liturgical poem linked to the 42-letter name of GodText 路 Power and authority 路 Protection Living
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 5 moreAxis mundi
A concept describing a central point connecting the earthly and heavenly realms.Belief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptMagical alphabet
Letter systems used in occult rituals and talismanic magicText 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelMessiah ben Joseph诪指砖执讈讬讞址 讘侄旨谉志讬讜止住值祝
A Jewish eschatological figure who wages war and dies before the final age of peaceFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreRighteous Priest
A messianic priestly figure in Jewish eschatology, identified with Shem and Melchizedek.Figure 路 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.
- Golem: user Thander, Public domain, source
- Spirit possession: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Jewish heraldry: Consulta Araldica, 1868, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Magi: Colijn de Coter, CC0, source
- Behemoth: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source
- Jewish astrology: Talmoryair, Public domain, source
- Upsherin: Vered Peer, CC BY 4.0, source
- Solomon's shamir: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eberhard_Werner_Happel, Public domain, source
- Melchom: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source
- Seder hishtalshelus: Daderot, Public domain, source
- Laying on of hands: User:Lipsio, CC BY 3.0, source
- Leviathan: Gustave Dor茅, Public domain, source
- Shimon bar Yochai: 讗讬转讬 驻专抓, Attribution, source
- Axis mundi: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Magical alphabet: Francis Barrett, Public domain, source
- Sacred dance: Jorge Barrios, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ana BeKoach: Baruch Zvi Ring (c. 1872 - 1927) Details on Google Art Project, Public domain, source
- Frankincense: No machine-readable author provided. Gaius Cornelius assumed (based on, Public domain, source
- Gematria: Bethsheba Ashe, CC BY-SA 4.0, source