All entries
2,106 entries so far, best known first. 3,323 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
🇨🇳 ChinaTaotie饕餮
A zoomorphic mask on ancient Chinese bronzes and a mythological creature of gluttonyFigure · Protection · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 5 moreMami Wata
A water spirit of beauty and wealth in African folklore and the Atlantic diasporaBeing · Healing · Luck and prosperity Living
🇪🇬 EgyptAnubis𓇋𓈖𓊪𓃣
The jackal-headed god who guides souls and oversees mummification in ancient Egypt.Being · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇮🇪 IrelandThe MorríganMórrígan
An Irish goddess of war, fate, and sovereignty who appears as a crow or shape-shifter.Figure · Seeing and foretelling · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreHanumanहनुमान्
A divine vanara deity of devotion and strength in HinduismBeing · Protection · Power and authority Living
🇭🇹 HaitiGedeGuédé
A family of spirits in Haitian Vodou who guard the dead and grant fertility.Being · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreKalachakraདུས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ།
A Tibetan Buddhist tantric deity and system of yogic time cyclesTradition · Change and initiation · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇵🇭 Philippines and 1 moreAgimatAnting-anting
A Filipino amulet or charm believed to grant protection, power, and supernatural abilities.Charm · Protection · Love and attraction Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLakshmiलक्ष्मी
A Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, and beauty, worshipped as the consort of Vishnu.Being · Luck and prosperity · Power and authority Living
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreTelling the bees
A Western European custom of informing bees about major household eventsRite · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇯🇵 JapanBaku獏
A Japanese spirit said to eat bad dreams and protect sleepersBeing · Protection Living
🇳🇿 New ZealandTohunga
A Māori expert practitioner of sacred or secular arts, from priests to carvers.Tradition · Healing · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇬🇷 Greece and 3 moreOracle
A person or site believed to channel divine insight and predict the future.Oracle · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Historical
🇪🇸 SpainBasque witch trials
A seventeenth-century Inquisition campaign against alleged witches in the Basque Country.Belief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇬🇧 United KingdomJack in the Green
A foliate figure worn in English May Day processions to celebrate summerIllusion · Wonder and entertainment Revived
🇳🇿 New Zealand and 5 moreFace tattoo
Marks inked on the face for spiritual protection, identity, rank, and rite of passageTradition · Protection · Power and authority Living
🇯🇵 JapanYutaユタ
Okinawan folk shamans who guide families through spirits and fortune-tellingTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇺🇸 United StatesBraucherei
A Pennsylvania German folk healing tradition using prayers and gestures to cure illness and remove curses.Tradition · Healing · Protection Fading
🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 moreMapinguari
A hairy Amazonian monster with a belly mouth and backwards feetBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇪🇬 Egypt and 2 moreSibylline Oracles
A mixed collection of ancient prophecies attributed to pagan prophetesses but shaped by Jewish and Christian writers.Text · Seeing and foretelling Historical
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreRangoliरंगोली
Floor art made with coloured powders and flowers to welcome guests and deitiesTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreSnake charming
A street performance using a gourd flute to make snakes swayIllusion · Wonder and entertainment · Luck and prosperity Fading
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreWitch trials in the Holy Roman Empire
A wave of executions across Central Europe between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries.Belief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇬🇧 United KingdomDavid Devant
English magician and early film exhibitor known for witty stage presentationIllusion · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇮🇹 ItalyWitch trials in Italy
Historic legal proceedings against alleged witches across Italian states from the 14th to 18th centuries.Belief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇨🇳 ChinaNian年兽 (Nián shòu)
A mythical creature linked to Chinese New Year customs and the lion danceFigure · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBlue men of the Minchna fir ghorma
Mythical blue-skinned spirits of the Scottish strait who challenge sailors to poetry contestsBeing · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreSt John's Eve
A Christian vigil marked by bonfires and plant gathering on the summer solstice eveRite · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreMezuzahמְזוּזָה
A scroll of Torah verses placed in a case on Jewish doorpostsCharm · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇰🇪 Kenya and 1 moreMaasai religion
The spiritual beliefs of the semi-nomadic Maasai people of East AfricaTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇬🇧 United KingdomPixie
A mischievous sprite of British folklore from the southwest countiesBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreTamamo-no-Mae玉藻前
A nine-tailed fox spirit from Japanese legend who possessed emperors and concubines across Asia.Figure · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary
🇨🇳 ChinaZhang Jue張角
A Taoist leader who used healing magic to spark a major rebellion in ancient China.Figure · Healing · Power and authority Historical
🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreFinnic mythologies
The traditional beliefs and spiritual practices of the Finnic-speaking peoples of northern Eurasia.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇸🇪 SwedenTorsåker witch trials
The largest mass execution of witches in Swedish history, carried out in a single day.Belief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 morePietro d'Abano
A medieval physician and astrologer accused of heresy and magic.Text · Healing · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇬🇧 United KingdomWitch trials in early modern Scotland
A period of judicial persecution where thousands were executed for alleged sorcery and diabolic pactsBelief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreBeating the bounds
A ceremonial walk along parish or town borders to reaffirm boundaries and community memory.Rite · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇧🇪 BelgiumServais Le Roy
A Belgian magician who designed classic illusions and performed in a famous trio act.Illusion · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreTang-ki童乩 (tóngjī); 乩童 (jītóng)
A Chinese folk-religion medium whose body a deity is held to take overTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇮🇳 IndiaAlakshmiदेवी अलक्ष्मी
A Hindu goddess of misfortune and the shadow opposite to LakshmiBeing · Cursing and harm Living
🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreKey of SolomonClavicula Salomonis
A Renaissance grimoire attributed to King Solomon, detailing ritual preparations and invocations.Text · Cursing and harm · Love and attraction Historical
🇨🇳 ChinaChinese alchemy煉丹術
A Taoist pursuit of longevity through elixirs and internal cultivationTradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreHoodoo
A spiritual tradition of the African diaspora in the American South using herbs and charms for protection and justice.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇩🇿 Algeria and 1 moreAhmad al-Buniأحمد البوني المالكي
A medieval Sufi scholar known for works on letter mysticism and talismansText · Power and authority · Seeing and foretelling Historical
🇮🇷 Iran and 4 morePersian mythologyاسطورهشناسی ایرانی
Ancient Iranian myths of cosmic struggle between light and darknessBelief · Power and authority Historical
🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreJannes and Jambresיניס וימבריס
Named Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in biblical traditionFigure · Cursing and harm Historical
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 5 moreWitch hunt
A campaign to find and punish people accused of using magic for harmBelief · 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.
- North Berwick witch trials: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Folk Catholicism: Calvin Hennick, for WBUR Boston, CC BY 3.0, source
- Taotie: anonymous, CC0, source
- Mami Wata: Daderot, Public domain, source
- Anubis: Hunefer, Public domain, source
- Hanuman: Niranjan Arminius, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kalachakra: Nabin K. Sapkota, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Agimat: FroyAgta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lakshmi: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
- Baku: Momotarou2012, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tohunga: Gottfried Lindauer, Public domain, source
- Oracle: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
- Basque witch trials: Alberto-g-rovi, CC BY 3.0, source
- Jack in the Green: SiGarb, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Face tattoo: Gottfried Lindauer, Public domain, source
- Mapinguari: Lauro Iyambae (@Aptix_4p0clix), CC0, source
- Sibylline Oracles: Domenichino, Public domain, source
- Rangoli: SreeramKalyan, CC0, source
- Snake charming: Paris75000, Public domain, source
- Witch trials in the Holy Roman Empire: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- David Devant: Simon Edwards Esq, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Blue men of the Minch: Lord P in the Commons 17:16, 17 June 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- St John's Eve: Jules Breton, Public domain, source
- Mezuzah: Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, source
- Maasai religion: Dr. Ondřej Havelka (cestovatel), CC BY 4.0, source
- Pixie: John D. Batten, Public domain, source
- Tamamo-no-Mae: ウィキ太郎 Wiki Taro, Public domain, source
- Torsåker witch trials: Y-näsmannen, CC0, source
- Pietro d'Abano: Marco Chemello (Wikimedia Italia), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Beating the bounds: Andrew Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Tang-ki: Bunkichi Chang, CC BY 2.0, source
- Key of Solomon: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Chinese alchemy: 尹真人, Public domain, source
- Hoodoo: Hoodoowoman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ahmad al-Buni: Khalili Collections, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo, source
- Persian mythology: Raphael, Public domain, source
- Jannes and Jambres: Gerard Hoet, Public domain, source
- Witch hunt: Johann Jakob Wick, Public domain, source