All entries
2,161 entries so far, best known first. 3,219 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
馃嚥馃嚘 Morocco and 1 moreZuhri夭賵賴乇賷
A human-djinn hybrid child in North African folklore, sought for treasure ritualsBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Fading
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptScatomancy
A divination method that reads fortunes by examining bodily excrement or animal waste.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptUnlucky Mummy
A painted wooden coffin lid from ancient Egypt that became famous for myths of misfortune.Charm 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚳 Algeria and 5 moreZawiya夭丕賵賷丞
A Sufi building and institution for worship, education, and community life in the Islamic world.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptMagical alphabet
Letter systems used in occult rituals and talismanic magicText 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptCelestial Ferryman
An ancient Egyptian god who guides souls and judges sins in the underworld.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptHermanubis峒櫹佄嘉蔽轿酷喀尾喂蟼
A Graeco-Egyptian god who guides the souls of the dead to the underworld.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptAkhekh
A winged desert creature of Egyptian myth linked to chaos and royal powerBeing 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚛馃嚳 AlgeriaTassili Mushroom Figure
Neolithic cave art in Algeria interpreted by some as depicting psychedelic mushroom use.Belief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptMenatmnj.t
A beaded necklace and rattle linked to Hathor for protection and luck in ancient EgyptCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptPrima materia
The formless base of all matter in alchemyText 路 Change and initiation Historical
馃嚛馃嚳 AlgeriaHezzab丨夭賾丕亘
A Quran reciter who leads daily collective chanting in Algerian mosques.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚛馃嚳 AlgeriaWezeea賵賻夭賽賷毓賻丞
A Kabyle custom of communal slaughter and meat sharing for social solidarityRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptSoul Collector
A mythical figure said to gather, guide, or judge the spirits of those who have passed away.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptAkhty
A rarely attested ancient Egyptian deity linked to the ibis and the evening horizon.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreCurse of Ham
A biblical story used to justify slavery and racial discriminationBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚳 AlgeriaMawsim賲賵爻賲
Annual Maghrebi festival blending Sufi veneration with social and economic gatheringTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚬馃嚦 TunisiaOmek Tannou
A Tunisian rainmaking ritual using a sculpted head or stick to call for water during droughts.Rite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptUnlucky Mummy
A painted wooden coffin lid from ancient Egypt that became famous for myths of misfortune.Charm 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚳 Algeria and 5 moreZawiya夭丕賵賷丞
A Sufi building and institution for worship, education, and community life in the Islamic world.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptMagical alphabet
Letter systems used in occult rituals and talismanic magicText 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptCelestial Ferryman
An ancient Egyptian god who guides souls and judges sins in the underworld.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptHermanubis峒櫹佄嘉蔽轿酷喀尾喂蟼
A Graeco-Egyptian god who guides the souls of the dead to the underworld.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptAkhekh
A winged desert creature of Egyptian myth linked to chaos and royal powerBeing 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚛馃嚳 AlgeriaTassili Mushroom Figure
Neolithic cave art in Algeria interpreted by some as depicting psychedelic mushroom use.Belief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptMenatmnj.t
A beaded necklace and rattle linked to Hathor for protection and luck in ancient EgyptCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptPrima materia
The formless base of all matter in alchemyText 路 Change and initiation Historical
馃嚛馃嚳 AlgeriaHezzab丨夭賾丕亘
A Quran reciter who leads daily collective chanting in Algerian mosques.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚛馃嚳 AlgeriaWezeea賵賻夭賽賷毓賻丞
A Kabyle custom of communal slaughter and meat sharing for social solidarityRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptSoul Collector
A mythical figure said to gather, guide, or judge the spirits of those who have passed away.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptAkhty
A rarely attested ancient Egyptian deity linked to the ibis and the evening horizon.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreCurse of Ham
A biblical story used to justify slavery and racial discriminationBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚳 AlgeriaMawsim賲賵爻賲
Annual Maghrebi festival blending Sufi veneration with social and economic gatheringTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚬馃嚦 TunisiaOmek Tannou
A Tunisian rainmaking ritual using a sculpted head or stick to call for water during droughts.Rite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Tassili Mushroom Figure: I redrawn the rock art written by ancient people., Public domain, source
- Menat: Anagoria, CC BY 3.0, source
- Hezzab: Elph, Public domain, source
- Akhty: R茅mih, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Curse of Ham: 袣褋械薪芯褎芯薪褌芯胁 袠胁邪薪 小褌械锌邪薪芯胁懈褔. Ksenof贸ntov Iv谩n Step谩novich (1817-1875), Public domain, source
- Mawsim: Beghdadi Walid, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Magical alphabet: Francis Barrett, Public domain, source
- Hermanubis: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Unlucky Mummy: amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, source
- Zawiya: Schneders, CC BY-SA 4.0, source