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
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreJannes and Jambres讬谞讬住 讜讬诪讘专讬住
Named Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in biblical traditionFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreAzazel注讝讗讝诇
A desert place and fallen angel linked to the Yom Kippur scapegoat ritualFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Cleansing and purification Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelMessiah ben Joseph诪指砖执讈讬讞址 讘侄旨谉志讬讜止住值祝
A Jewish eschatological figure who wages war and dies before the final age of peaceFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚲馃嚜 Yemen士An膩q兀賳丕賯 亘賳鬲 丌丿賲
A monstrous daughter of Adam in Islamic extra-Quranic traditionFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreBalak讘指旨诇指拽
A biblical king who sought a sorcerer's curse against the IsraelitesFigure 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚪 IranArzhang Div丕乇跇賳诏 丿蹖賵
A demon chief in Persian epic who is defeated by the hero RostamFigure 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreFiery flying serpent砖指讉专指祝 诪职注讜止驻值祝 (s膩r膩f m蓹鈥樑峟膿f)
A biblical creature described as a venomous winged snake in the Book of IsaiahFigure 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelEisheth Zenunim讗值砖侄讈转 讝职谞讜旨谞执讬诐
A demonic epithet for Lilith in Kabbalah and Western esotericismFigure 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.
- Arzhang Div: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Azazel: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source
- Balak: Philip De Vere, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jannes and Jambres: Gerard Hoet, Public domain, source
- Fiery flying serpent: 讚讜讚 讚讜讚.. Original uploader was Androctonus at he.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source