All entries
2,216 entries so far, best known first. 3,111 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 KingdomEgyptian Hall
A London exhibition hall known for magic shows and Egyptian-style architecture, demolished in 1905.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 3 moreJoseph Pinetti
An eighteenth-century magician who brought illusion to the theatre and pioneered stage advertising.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚦馃嚧 NorwaySteilneset Memorial
A 2011 monument in Norway marking the 1621 Vard酶 witch trials and their victims.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 5 moreBuatier De Kolta
A French stage magician known for mechanical illusions and the vanishing chair.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 3 moreAlexander Herrmann
A 19th-century magician known for sleight of hand and card throwingIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomDavid Devant
English magician and early film exhibitor known for witty stage presentationIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚙馃嚜 BelgiumServais Le Roy
A Belgian magician who designed classic illusions and performed in a famous trio act.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 3 moreEusapia Palladino
An Italian medium whose s茅ances were investigated by leading scientists and magicians in the late nineteenth century.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomJohn Nevil Maskelyne
A Victorian magician who exposed fraud and invented the pay toiletIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 5 moreJean Eug猫ne Robert-HoudinJean-Eug猫ne Robert-Houdin
A French clockmaker who elevated stage magic into a refined theatrical art.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomIsaac Fawkes
An English conjurer who moved magic from the fairground to fashionable London society.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 2 morePhantasmagoria
A horror theatre using magic lanterns to project frightening images in the darkIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyMagic Circle of the German Democratic RepublicMagischer Zirkel der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik
A national association for stage magicians in East Germany from 1956 to 1990.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Alexander Herrmann: Photographer unidentified, Public domain, source
- Steilneset Memorial: Stylegar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- David Devant: Simon Edwards Esq, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eusapia Palladino: Baldi., Public domain, source
- John Nevil Maskelyne: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Jean Eug猫ne Robert-Houdin: Carcharoth (Commons), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Isaac Fawkes: William Hogarth, Public domain, source
- Phantasmagoria: Alphonse de Neuville or A. Jahandier, Public domain, source
- Egyptian Hall: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source