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
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilBoitat谩
A fiery serpent of Brazilian folklore that guards forests or frightens childrenBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚨馃嚪 Puerto Rico and 5 moreChupacabrachupacabras
A legendary creature said to drain livestock of blood, emerging from Puerto Rico in the mid-1990sBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina and 5 moreGauchito Gil
A folk saint from Argentina who protects the poor and outcastsBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 2 moreMapinguari
A hairy Amazonian monster with a belly mouth and backwards feetBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiGedeGu茅d茅
A family of spirits in Haitian Vodou who guard the dead and grant fertility.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiErzulie脠zili
A family of spirits in Haitian Vodou representing love, beauty, and protective fury.Being 路 Protection 路 Love and attraction Living
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilPomba Gira
An Afro-Brazilian spirit of love and desire worshipped in Umbanda and QuimbandaBeing 路 Love and attraction 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚞馃嚬 GuatemalaMaxim贸nRi Laj Mam
A Maya folk saint and trickster deity venerated in the Guatemalan HighlandsBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreViracochaWiraqucha
The supreme creator deity of the Andes, associated with the sea and civilization.Being 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚙馃嚧 Bolivia and 1 moreEkekoIqiqu
An Andean deity of abundance and prosperity, central to the Alasitas festival.Being 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚚馃嚤 ChileTrauco
A small forest spirit from Chilo茅 mythology known for seducing women and causing pregnancyBeing 路 Love and attraction 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 1 moreEzili Dantor脠zili Dant貌
A fierce mother spirit in Haitian Vodou who protects the marginalized and demands loyalty.Being 路 Protection 路 Love and attraction Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreChullachaqui
A one-footed forest spirit of the Amazon that lures or challenges humansBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreSupay
An Andean spirit of the underworld who balances life and death forcesBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚙馃嚡 Benin and 2 morePapa Legba
A loa who stands at the crossroads and opens the gate between people and spiritsBeing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 2 moreCurupira
A backwards-footed forest guardian from Brazilian indigenous myth who punishes loggers and misleads travelers.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoChaneque
Mexican folklore sprites that guard nature and homesBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreAluxaluxo'ob
A small Maya spirit believed to guard fields and cause mischief if offended.Being 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 5 morePachamama
The Andean mother goddess of space-time and the earthBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 2 moreLwa
Spirits in Haitian Vodou that mediate between people and the creator god.Being 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreSihuanaba
A shapeshifting spirit that lures men with beauty before revealing a monstrous faceBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 5 moreSoucouyant
A shape-shifting vampire spirit of Caribbean folklore that sheds its skin to fly as a fireballBeing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoCamazotz
A bat spirit of the Maya underworld linked to night, death, and sacrificeBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚚馃嚧 ColombiaPatasola
A Colombian jungle monster that lures men with beauty before revealing a one-legged formBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoAhuizotl膩huitzotl
A legendary Aztec water creature said to lure people to their deathsBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilMinhoc茫o
A giant aquatic worm or fish from Brazilian folklore blamed for earthquakes and animal disappearancesBeing Legendary
馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 3 moreDuppy
A Caribbean term for a ghost or malevolent spirit, rooted in West African folklore.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican Republic and 1 moreCiguapa
A back-footed forest spirit of the Dominican Republic known for seduction and jealousyBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Love and attraction Legendary
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilBoi煤na
A powerful river serpent from Amazonian mythology that shifts shape to guard its watersBeing Legendary
馃嚨馃嚲 ParaguayAo Ao
A Guarani mythic beast that hunts humans and frightens children in ParaguayBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoWerejaguar
A supernatural figure from Olmec art, blending human and jaguar traits.Being 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 1 moreCuerotr眉lke wekuf眉
An aquatic creature from Mapuche and Chilote myth that drags victims into the depths.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚦馃嚠 Nicaragua and 3 moreHeadless priestel cura sin cabeza / paring pugot
A headless Catholic spirit that haunts Central America and the Philippines as a warning against sacrilege.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Cleansing and purification Living
馃嚛馃嚥 DominicaBelie Belcan
A loa of justice and protection in Dominican Vud煤, linked to Saint Michael.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 3 moreNago lwa
A Haitian Vodou nation of masculine spirits rooted in Yoruba traditionsBeing 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 1 moreDouen
A faceless creature with backwards feet from Trinidad and Tobago folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚘 PanamaPanama Creature
A decomposing sloth carcass mistaken for a monster in PanamaBeing Historical
馃嚚馃嚤 ChileWarlock of Chilo茅brujo chilote
A legendary network of sorcerers from the Chilean archipelago and their mythical powers.Belief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚚馃嚤 ChilePincoya
A Chilotan sea spirit whose dance predicts the catch of fish and seafood.Being 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilLobisomem
A South American shape-shifter born from family fate or sin, often linked to the full moon.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 1 moreKalku
A Mapuche sorcerer who works with negative powers and malevolent spiritsBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚞馃嚲 Guyana and 1 moreBaccoo
A half-wood spirit from Guyanese and Surinamese folklore that serves as a mercenary or a haunting presence.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 2 moreMama D'Leau
A river spirit of the Caribbean islands who protects aquatic life and heals people.Being 路 Healing 路 Protection Legendary
馃嚚馃嚧 ColombiaMohan
A forest spirit and ancestor soul in Colombian Indigenous folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚙馃嚳 BelizeTata DuendeNukuch Tat
A thumbless forest spirit of Belizean folklore that protects animals and warns children.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican Republic and 5 moreZemi
A Ta铆no deity or ancestral spirit housed in a carved object used for worship and protectionBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 3 moreGualichu
An evil spirit feared in Mapuche and Tehuelche traditions, and a word for bad luckBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican RepublicAnaisa Pye
A Dominican loa of love and wealth, linked to Saint Anne.Being 路 Love and attraction 路 Luck and prosperity Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Maya mythology: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mohan: Sanjuan, Public domain, source
- Pincoya: Paul Lowry, CC BY 2.0, source
- Trauco: Seo2 (Cristian), CC BY 2.0, source
- Ezili Dantor: Oficinalis, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chullachaqui: LLs, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Curupira: Sturm, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chaneque: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alux: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Pachamama: Penarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lwa: Hector Hyppolite, Public domain, source
- Maxim贸n: Sapfan (Jan Pesula), Public domain, source
- Folk saint: Sergio Serrano, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Viracocha: Pattych ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Boitat谩: The ponta cabe莽a, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sihuanaba: Orlando Callejas, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Folk Catholicism: Calvin Hennick, for WBUR Boston, CC BY 3.0, source
- Ahuizotl: Infrogmation, New Orleans, Public domain, source
- Ao Ao: Cowboymax, CC0, source
- Werejaguar: Ruben Charles, ( http://www.rubencharles.com ), CC BY 2.0, source
- Belie Belcan: Domfranciscorodrigues, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Panama Creature: Christian Mehlf眉hrer, User:Chmehl, CC BY 2.5, source
- Ekeko: Ciudades, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Erzulie: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Mapinguari: Lauro Iyambae (@Aptix_4p0clix), CC0, source
- Zemi: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Chupacabra: Dick Langer, CC BY-SA 4.0, source