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
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 2 moreCurse tablet魏伪蟿维未蔚蟽渭慰蟼
A lead sheet inscribed with a binding curse in the Greco-Roman worldCharm 路 Cursing and harm 路 Love and attraction Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 Iceland and 1 moreNornsnornir
Fate-weaving figures from Norse myth who shape human destiny and tend the world tree.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandGaldergaldr
A Germanic incantation and the written charms derived from itText 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚩 Iraq and 5 moreLove magic
Rituals and spells used to attract, preserve, or end romantic relationships across many cultures.Tradition 路 Love and attraction 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 2 moreMagic in the Greco-Roman world
Private supernatural practices in ancient Greece and Rome, distinct from public state religion.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 moreEuropean witchcraft
Historical beliefs in harmful magic and the resulting trials across EuropeBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreMagic in Anglo-Saxon Englandgaldorcr忙ft
Healing charms and protective rituals practiced by early English tribesTradition 路 Healing 路 Protection Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreKollyra curse tablet
An ancient Greek tablet cursing a thief to suffocation until stolen goods are returned.Text 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚦馃嚧 NorwayGr贸galdr
An Old Norse poem about raising a dead seeress to ask for helpText 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceMeilichios螠蔚喂位委蠂喂慰蟼
An ancient Greek chthonic spirit linked to Zeus and appeased through fire offerings.Being 路 Protection 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.
- Bald's Leechbook: Unknown, the Internet Archive scan is low quality, and some of the tex, Public domain, source
- Gr贸galdr: W.G. Collingwood (1854 - 1932), Public domain, source
- European witchcraft: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Norns: file: James Steakley ; artwork: Gustav Heidenreich, Public domain, source
- Galder: Bengt A. Lundberg, CC BY 2.5, source
- Meilichios: Mark Landon, CC BY 4.0, source
- Love magic: K枚lner Meister [ 1 ] The artist is an unknown lower Rhenish artist. [, Public domain, source
- Magic in the Greco-Roman world: ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Curse tablet: Unknown artist, Public domain, source