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
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 3 moreJet
A black gemstone carved into amulets and mourning jewellery for centuriesCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreMezuzah诪职讝讜旨讝指讛
A scroll of Torah verses placed in a case on Jewish doorpostsCharm 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreEye of Horusw岣応湥t
A stylized eye symbol in ancient Egypt representing healing and cosmic orderCharm 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚫馃嚦 Senegal and 5 morePentagram蟺蔚谓蟿维纬蟻伪渭渭慰谓
A five-pointed star figure used across history for protection, ritual, and cosmologyCharm 路 Protection 路 Binding and oaths Living
馃嚬馃嚟 Thailand and 3 moreThai Buddha amulets喔炧福喔班箑喔勦福喔粪箞喔竾 (phrakhrueang)
Sacred Buddhist images and relics worn for protection, merit, and fortune in Thailand.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚚馃嚦 China and 1 moreTaoist coin charm閬撴暀鍝佸鐢熼將
Chinese and Vietnamese numismatic charms used for protection and feng shuiCharm 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚡馃嚨 JapanMagatama鍕剧帀
A curved Japanese bead used as jewelry, status symbol, and sacred object in Shinto.Charm 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Pentagram: Tomruen, Attribution, source
- Taoist coin charm: Etnografiska Museet, CC BY 2.5, source
- Magatama: Kakidai, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jet: Thmsfrst, Public domain, source
- Thai Buddha amulets: User:Mattes, Public domain, source
- Mezuzah: Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, source
- Eye of Horus: Tangopaso, Public domain, source