All entries
2,161 entries so far, best known first. 3,219 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
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptAncient Egyptian afterlife beliefs
A system of rituals and texts guiding the soul through the underworld to eternal rebirthTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptLucifer
A Latin name for the planet Venus that became an epithet for the Devil in Christian traditionFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptHeka岣隃
The ancient Egyptian deification of magic, medicine, and primordial creative powerBeing 路 Healing 路 Protection Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptDjed岣廳
An ancient Egyptian pillar symbol representing stability and resurrectionCharm 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptCurse of the pharaohs
A belief that disturbing ancient Egyptian tombs brings illness or death to the living.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreAncient Egyptian religion
Polytheistic worship, divine kingship, and funerary rites along the NileTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreUraeusj隃t
An ancient Egyptian rearing cobra emblem of royal power and divine protectionCharm 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚥馃嚘 Morocco and 1 moreZuhri夭賵賴乇賷
A human-djinn hybrid child in North African folklore, sought for treasure ritualsBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Fading
馃嚛馃嚳 AlgeriaTassili Mushroom Figure
Neolithic cave art in Algeria interpreted by some as depicting psychedelic mushroom use.Belief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreCurse of Ham
A biblical story used to justify slavery and racial discriminationBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptEgyptian days
Medieval calendar days believed to bring bad luck for new ventures and medical proceduresBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Curse of the pharaohs: Jerzy Strzelecki, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Curse: Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain, source
- Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs: Hunefer, Public domain, source
- Lucifer: Gustave Dor茅, Public domain, source
- Djed: Anonymous ( Egypt ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Uraeus: Bj酶rn Christian T酶rrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tassili Mushroom Figure: I redrawn the rock art written by ancient people., Public domain, source
- Curse of Ham: 袣褋械薪芯褎芯薪褌芯胁 袠胁邪薪 小褌械锌邪薪芯胁懈褔. Ksenof贸ntov Iv谩n Step谩novich (1817-1875), Public domain, source
- Egyptian days: Unknown Unknown (Paris scriptorium), Public domain, source
- Ancient Egyptian religion: Moh hakem, CC BY-SA 4.0, source