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
🇯🇵 JapanKagura神楽
A Shinto ritual dance where performers embody deities to purify and welcome spiritsTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇺🇸 United StatesMenehune
A legendary race of tiny builders in Hawaiian folkloreFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreChinese guardian lions石獅 (shíshī)
Stone lion pairs placed at entrances to ward off harm and welcome fortuneCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreBeltaneBealtaine
A Gaelic festival marking the start of summer with protective bonfires and livestock ritualsTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Revived
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreBoriBòòríí
A traditional Hausa spirit possession system and healing practice in West AfricaTradition · Healing · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇪 IrelandLia Fáil
A standing stone at the Hill of Tara used for royal inaugurations in Irish legendCharm · Power and authority Historical
🇯🇵 JapanKappa河童
A river-dwelling yōkai known for its head dish and love of cucumbersBeing · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanKitsunebi狐火
Atmospheric ghost lights in Japanese folklore, often linked to foxes and natural phenomena.Belief · Wonder and entertainment · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the CongoKindoki
A belief in spirit possession that leads to abuse and abandonment in the Congo regionBelief · Cursing and harm Living
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreZeusΖεύς
Supreme king of the Greek gods and ruler of the sky and thunderBeing · Power and authority Legendary
🇧🇯 Benin and 3 moreZangbeto
A masked night-guardian tradition among the Ogu people of West AfricaTradition · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇨🇳 ChinaPixiu貔貅
A winged Chinese creature that guards wealth and wards off evil spiritsFigure · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 moreZoroasterZarathushtra Spitama
Spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism and composer of the GathasFigure Historical
🇬🇧 United KingdomDeath knell
A church bell rung to announce a person's death and mark the funeral.Rite · Speaking with spirits and the dead Fading
🇮🇳 India and 1 morePishachaपिशाच (piśāca)
A flesh-eating demon from Indian religions, feared for possession and madness.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreAlexandrian Wicca
A British Neopagan tradition founded in the 1960s by Alex and Maxine SandersTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇮🇪 IrelandBodach
A Gaelic trickster figure used to frighten children and warn of deathFigure · Cursing and harm · Seeing and foretelling Historical
🇮🇶 Iraq and 1 morePazuzu𒀭𒅆𒊒𒍪𒍪 (pà.zu.zu)
A Mesopotamian wind demon and protective amulet against child-harming spiritsBeing · Protection · Cursing and harm Historical
🇪🇬 EgyptHekaḥkꜣw
The ancient Egyptian deification of magic, medicine, and primordial creative powerBeing · Healing · Protection Historical
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreNostradamus
A French astrologer and physician known for a book of poetic propheciesText · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Historical
🇲🇱 MaliDogon religion
The traditional spiritual beliefs of the Dogon people of MaliTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreNaming taboo避諱
A cultural rule against speaking or writing the names of rulers and ancestors in East AsiaBelief · Protection Historical
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreJangseung장승
Wooden or stone poles that guard Korean villages and temples from evil spiritsTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 2 morePadmasambhavaཔདྨ་འབྱུང་གནས།
A tantric master credited with establishing Buddhism in Tibet and founding the Nyingma school.Figure · Protection · Power and authority Living
🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreFinnish mythology
The pre-Christian folklore and cosmology of the Finns and KareliansTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Revived
🇻🇺 Vanuatu and 5 moreKava culture
A shared ritual across Oceania where a root brew marks ceremony, respect, and social gathering.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living
🇸🇸 South Sudan and 1 moreDinka religion
The traditional animist and creator-based faith of the Dinka people of South SudanTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 3 moreDragon's blood
A bright red resin from several plant species used in magic, medicine, and art since antiquitySubstance · Healing · Protection Living
🇺🇸 United StatesHawaiian religion
The traditional spiritual practices of the Indigenous people of Hawaiʻi, centered on deities and ancestral guardians.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇬🇷 GreeceTiresiasΤειρεσίας
A blind Greek seer who lived as both man and woman and spoke to the dead.Figure · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 moreIfritعفريت
A class of powerful chthonic spirits in Islamic tradition and folkloreBeing · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreTriquetra
A three-arc knot used in medieval art and modern pop culturePower and authority Living
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreUpsherinאָפּשערן (opshern)
A first haircut ceremony for Jewish boys, marking the start of formal study.Rite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇬🇧 United KingdomSt Mark's Eve
An English folk custom to witness omens of death and future marriage on the eve of a saint's feast dayRite · Seeing and foretelling · Cursing and harm Historical
🇫🇷 FranceNicolas Flamel
A medieval scribe turned legendary alchemist and immortal in fictionFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreRabbit's foot
A charm carried for luck, often linked to graveyards and strict folk rulesCharm · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇳🇿 New Zealand and 5 moreTapu
A Polynesian concept of sacred restriction and spiritual prohibitionTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇹 Italy and 3 moreJoseph Pinetti
An eighteenth-century magician who brought illusion to the theatre and pioneered stage advertising.Illusion · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇮🇩 IndonesiaNyepiᬜᬾᬧᬶ
A Balinese day of total silence, fasting, and self-reflection to mark the new year.Rite · Cleansing and purification · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 2 morePlanets in astrology
Seven celestial bodies used to map human character and destinyBelief · Power and authority · Luck and prosperity Living
🇲🇳 Mongolia and 1 moreOvooовоо
A stone or branch cairn used as a shrine and boundary marker in Mongolic folk practice.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇦🇺 Australia and 5 moreSword swallowing
A dangerous stage skill where a performer guides a blade down the throat into the stomachIllusion · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreSibylΣίβυλλα (Sibylla)
Ancient Greek prophetesses who spoke divine counsel at holy shrinesFigure · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Legendary
🇰🇷 South Korea and 3 moreKorean shamanism무속
A Korean folk religion centered on ritual specialists who mediate between humans and spiritsTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇮🇳 IndiaKapalikaकापालिक
A medieval Indian Shaivite ascetic order known for wearing skulls and transgressive ritualsTradition · Power and authority Historical
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreLodestone
A naturally magnetized mineral used for early navigation and divinationSubstance · Healing Historical
🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreDuende
A humanoid spirit of Iberian and Latin American folklore, ranging from household pranksters to forest guardians.Being · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇪🇬 EgyptDjedḏd
An ancient Egyptian pillar symbol representing stability and resurrectionCharm · Protection · Power and authority Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Rabisu: editor Austen Henry Layard , drawing by L. Gruner, Public domain, source
- Kaula: Joshua Jonathan, CC0, source
- Lia Fáil: August Schwerdfeger, CC BY 4.0, source
- Ovoo: Bouette ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Korean shamanism: Steve46814, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kagura: Elstner Hilton, Public domain, source
- Chinese guardian lions: Pvt pauline, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Beltane: Stefan Schäfer, Lich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Menehune: D. Howard Hitchcock, Public domain, source
- Kappa: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Bori: Tremearne, A. J. N. (Arthur John Newman), 1877-1915, Public domain, source
- Kitsunebi: Abasaa, Public domain, source
- Zangbeto: Grete Howard, CC BY 3.0, source
- Pixiu: Sol lc, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Zoroaster: 19th century in Mumbai according to 青木健 The original uploader was Aria, Public domain, source
- Death knell: Dougsim, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pishacha: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Nostradamus: After César de Notre-Dame, Public domain, source
- Dogon religion: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, source
- Jangseung: Yoshiaki Sano, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Padmasambhava: John Hill, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Naming taboo: Haruno Akiha, Public domain, source
- Finnish mythology: Väinö Blomstedt, Public domain, source
- Kava culture: Jaejay77, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dragon's blood: Andy Dingley, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hawaiian religion: Jacques Arago, Public domain, source
- Tiresias: Pietro della Vecchia, Public domain, source
- Ifrit: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Triquetra: Wiglaf at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Upsherin: Vered Peer, CC BY 4.0, source
- Nicolas Flamel: Balthasar Moncornet, Public domain, source
- Rabbit's foot: Sobebunny, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nyepi: Matt Croxson, Public domain, source
- Planets in astrology: Jan van Loon, Public domain, source
- Sibyl: Filippino Lippi (1457-1504), Public domain, source
- Lodestone: Ryan Somma, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Duende: René Mayorga, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Djed: Anonymous ( Egypt ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Zeus: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0, source
- Sword swallowing: Jeff Kubina, CC BY-SA 2.0, source