All entries
2,660 entries so far, best known first. 2,247 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 2 moreJabir ibn Hayyanجابِر بِن حَيّان
A legendary Islamic alchemist and philosopher whose writings shaped medieval magic and chemistryText · Power and authority · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 2 moreAbu Ma'shar al-Balkhiابومَعْشَر جعفر بن محمد بن عمر بلخی
A Persian astrologer whose manuals shaped medieval European and Islamic celestial studiesText · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreAzazelעזאזל
A desert place and fallen angel linked to the Yom Kippur scapegoat ritualFigure · Cursing and harm · Cleansing and purification Historical
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso and 5 moreCosmic egg
A mythological motif where the universe or a creator emerges from a primordial egg.Belief · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇹🇷 Turkey and 1 moreSeal of Muhammadختم الرسول (Khatm ar-Rasul)
Relics and designs attributed to the Prophet's signet ring and correspondence marks.Charm · Power and authority · Protection Historical
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreManba al-Ansabمنبع الانساب
A Persian manuscript tracing Sayyid lineage and Sufi practice in early modern IndiaText · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Historical
🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreCurse of Ham
A biblical story used to justify slavery and racial discriminationBelief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇮🇷 IranHouriحُورِيَّـة
Heavenly beings described in Islamic scripture as companions for the faithful in paradise.Being · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇾🇪 YemenʿAnāqأناق بنت آدم
A monstrous daughter of Adam in Islamic extra-Quranic traditionFigure · Cursing and harm Historical
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreQayyumقیوم
A supreme spiritual rank in the Naqshbandi Sufi orderTradition · 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.
- Staff of Moses: John Everett Millais, Public domain, source
- Seal of Muhammad: unknown (drawing is signed in lower left corner), Public domain, source
- Azazel: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source
- Lal Shahbaz Qalandar: Fassifarooq, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Talisman: Sasha India, CC BY 2.0, source
- Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi: User:Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Curse of Ham: Ксенофонтов Иван Степанович. Ksenofóntov Iván Stepánovich (1817-1875), Public domain, source
- Jabir ibn Hayyan: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Ahmad al-Buni: Khalili Collections, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo, source
- Cosmic egg: James Basire, 1730–1802 (engraver), Public domain, source
- Divine retribution: John Martin, Public domain, source
- Yellow badge: Edited version of original photo by Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Axis mundi: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Alchemy in the medieval Islamic world: An Islamic artist 739H/1339, probably in Baghdad, Public domain, source
- Islam and astrology: Ahmad Ibn Musa Ibn Shakir, Public domain, source
- Solomon: Simeon Solomon, CC0, source
- Gharqad: MurielBendel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source