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
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesKahuna
A Hawaiian expert or priest, keeper of hidden knowledge in craft and spiritTradition 路 Healing 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚮馃嚭 Vanuatu and 5 moreKava culture
A shared ritual across Oceania where a root brew marks ceremony, respect, and social gathering.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesHawaiian religion
The traditional spiritual practices of the Indigenous people of Hawai驶i, centered on deities and ancestral guardians.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚮馃嚭 VanuatuLand divingnanggol
A ritual jump from a wooden tower using vines to ensure a good harvestRite 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚭馃嚘 Ukraine and 5 moreBullroarer
A wooden slat on a string that produces a roaring sound for ritual and communication.Tradition 路 Protection 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.
- Kahuna: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Kava culture: Jaejay77, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hawaiian religion: Jacques Arago, Public domain, source
- Land diving: Paul Stein, CC BY-SA 2.0, source