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
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesWitchcraft in the Philippinespangkukulam
Indigenous beliefs about sorcery and malevolent magic in the PhilippinesTradition 路 Cursing and harm 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚲 Malaysia and 1 moreBomoh亘賵賲賵賴
A Malay shaman and traditional healer who works with spirits, herbs, and geomancy.Tradition 路 Healing 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚥馃嚲 Malaysia and 1 morePawang
A shaman from Indonesia and Malaysia who commands spirits, weather, and wild animals.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 2 moreDukun
A traditional healer and spirit medium in Indonesian folk practiceTradition 路 Healing 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 3 moreToyoltuyul
An undead infant spirit in Southeast Asian folklore, invoked for theft and fortune.Being 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚬馃嚟 Thailand and 1 moreGhosts in Thai culture喔溹傅 (phi)
A wide range of spirits and ghosts found in Thai folklore and popular belief.Belief 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaTunggal panaluan
A carved magic staff of the Batak shamans in North SumatraCharm 路 Protection 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.
- Dukun: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tagalog religion: The original uploader was Rodsan18 at English Wikipedia . ( Original t, CC BY 2.5, source
- Pawang: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tunggal panaluan: Tropenmuseum, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ghosts in Thai culture: Heinrich Damm ( User:Hdamm , Hdamm at de.wikipedia.org ), CC BY 2.0, source