All entries
2,261 entries so far, best known first. 3,022 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
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreGolden FleeceΧρυσόμαλλον δέρας
A magical ram's skin from Greek myth, symbol of kingship and a quest objectFigure · Power and authority Legendary
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreEaster Bunny
A German folkloric hare that judges children and delivers colored eggs for EasterBeing · Luck and prosperity · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇬🇷 GreeceAegisαἰγίς
A mythical shield or skin of Zeus and Athena, symbolizing divine protectionBeing · Protection · Power and authority Legendary
🇱🇰 Sri LankaMara
A Buddhist figure representing the forces that block spiritual awakening and keep beings trapped in rebirth.Being · Cursing and harm · Binding and oaths Living
🇺🇦 UkraineGhost of KyivПривид Києва
A wartime legend of a mythical fighter pilot who rallied Ukrainian morale.Figure · Power and authority Historical
🇬🇷 GreeceCeryneian HindΚερυνῖτις ἔλαφος
A swift deer with golden antlers and bronze hooves from Greek mythBeing Legendary
🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreUraeusjꜥrt
An ancient Egyptian rearing cobra emblem of royal power and divine protectionCharm · Protection · Power and authority Historical
🇺🇸 United StatesMothman
A humanoid cryptid from West Virginia folklore, linked to large birds and a bridge collapse.Being · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇬🇷 GreeceErymanthian Boarὁ Ἐρυμάνθιος κάπρος
A wild boar from Greek myth captured by Heracles as his fourth labourBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇲🇳 MongoliaMongolian death wormолгой-хорхой (olgoi-khorkhoi)
A legendary desert creature said to kill with venom or electricityBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreRound Tablela Table ronde
A legendary table with no head, symbolizing equality among King Arthur's knights.Figure · Power and authority Legendary
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreHippogriffippogrifo
A legendary hybrid creature with the front of an eagle and the back of a horse.Figure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreWyvern
A two-legged winged dragon common in European heraldry and fantasy fictionBeing · Power and authority Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreMakaraमकर
A legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology and a symbol of water and thresholdsBeing · Protection · Power and authority Historical
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreTooth fairy
A childhood figure who exchanges lost baby teeth for gifts or coins.Figure · Luck and prosperity Living
🇬🇷 Greece and 3 moreHippocampusἱππόκαμπος
A mythological hybrid of a horse and fish from ancient Mediterranean culturesBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaMahishasuraमहिषासुर
A bovine asura slain by the goddess Durga in Hindu myth and legendBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 morePalladiumΠαλλάδιον (Palladion)
A wooden statue of Athena said to protect cities, stolen from Troy and brought to Rome.Charm · Protection Historical
🇫🇷 France and 2 moreMelusineMélusine
A water spirit of French and Luxembourgish lore, known for her serpent form and the castles she built.Figure · Luck and prosperity · Power and authority Legendary
🇮🇶 Iraq and 1 moreTawûsî Melekتاوسی مەلەک
The central angel of Yazidism, known as the Peacock Angel and leader of the Seven Mysteries.Being · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreKinnaraकिन्नर (Sanskrit)
A half-human, half-bird creature from Hindu and Buddhist myth, known for music and devotion.Being · Love and attraction · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇬🇷 Greece and 4 moreTutelary deity
A guardian spirit or god assigned to protect a specific place, person, or group.Being · Protection Living
🇬🇷 GreeceEmpusaἜμπουσα
A shape-shifting phantom of Greek myth with a single brass leg, sent by Hecate to seduce and devour young men.Being · Cursing and harm · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaVahanaवाहन
The animal or mythical creature that carries a Hindu deityTradition · Power and authority Living
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreMoon rabbit月兔 (yuètù)
A mythical figure seen in lunar markings, pounding elixirs or rice cakes across Asia and the Americas.Being · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreAstaroth
An arch-demon in Western occultism, derived from the ancient goddess Astarte.Being · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Historical
🇧🇹 BhutanDrukའབྲུག
A mythical thunder dragon from Tibetan and Bhutanese traditionBeing · Power and authority Legendary
🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreYazata𐬫𐬀𐬰𐬀𐬙𐬀
A Zoroastrian term for divine beings worthy of worship and venerationBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Historical
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNew Thought
A spiritual philosophy linking mental states to physical health and prosperityTradition · Healing · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreFionn mac CumhaillFionn mac Cumaill
A legendary Irish hero and leader of the Fianna warrior bandFigure · Power and authority · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇮🇷 IranFravashi
A personal spirit in Zoroastrian belief that guides the living and protects the dead.Being · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇦🇱 Albania and 4 moreDhampir
A half-vampire figure from Balkan folklore who hunts the undeadBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇪🇬 EgyptSerpopard
A mythical hybrid creature with a serpent-like neck and feline body from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.Being · Protection · Power and authority Legendary
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 3 moreTatzelwurm
A cat-headed lizard of the Alps, said to guard mines and drink cow milk.Being · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso and 5 moreCosmic egg
A mythological motif where the universe or a creator emerges from a primordial egg.Belief · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreBrahma Kumarisप्रजापिता ब्रह्माकुमारी ईश्वरीय विश्वविद्यालय
A meditation-based spiritual movement that teaches soul identity and global peaceTradition · Cleansing and purification · Change and initiation Living
🇮🇸 Iceland and 2 moreBrísingamen
The enchanted necklace of the Norse goddess FreyjaCharm · Power and authority Legendary
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreAMORCAntiquus Mysticusque Ordo Rosae Crucis
A US-based Rosicrucian order with global lodges and a focus on correspondence study.Tradition · Change and initiation · Power and authority Living
🇯🇵 JapanNamazu鯰
A giant catfish myth believed to cause earthquakes in JapanBeing Legendary
🇪🇪 Estonia and 1 moreKalevaKalev
A primordial giant and ancestral figure in the mythologies of Estonia and FinlandBeing · Power and authority Historical
🇹🇭 Thailand and 5 moreKrasueกระสือ
A floating head with trailing organs from Southeast Asian folkloreBeing · Cursing and harm Living
🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreVegetable Lamb of Tartary
A legendary plant-animal from Central Asia said to grow sheep as fruitFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇲🇽 MexicoCamazotz
A bat spirit of the Maya underworld linked to night, death, and sacrificeBeing · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreBlack Hebrew Israelites
A religious movement claiming African Americans are descendants of ancient IsraelitesTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 2 moreOrder of the Solar TempleOrdre du Temple solaire
A neo-Templar new religious movement responsible for mass deaths in the 1990s.Tradition · Cursing and harm Historical
🇯🇵 Japan and 3 moreBahamutبهموت
A cosmic fish or bull that supports the earth in medieval Islamic cosmographyBeing · Power and authority Legendary
🇷🇺 RussiaGolden apple
A mythical fruit that sparks quests, wars, and linguistic confusion across culturesFigure · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary
🇨🇳 ChinaYeren野人
A Chinese cryptid apeman reported in remote mountains since ancient timesBelief · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Maya mythology: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Order of the Solar Temple: George Stock derivative work: thumperward ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Brownie: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Erymanthian Boar: Antimenes Painter, Public domain, source
- Mongolian death worm: The original uploader was Pieter0024 at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 1.0, source
- Mahishasura: Prakashsubbarao at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Tawûsî Melek: Bernd Schwabe in Hannover, CC BY 3.0, source
- Moon rabbit: An artist, Public domain, source
- Vahana: Unknown Nepali, Public domain, source
- Fravashi: Hooman Mallahzadeh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Serpopard: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Krasue: Xavier Romero-Frias, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Black Hebrew Israelites: Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mothman: Tim Bertelink, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Uraeus: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Easter Bunny: Dr. Bernd Gross, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Melusine: GilPe, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Round Table: Évrard d'Espinques, Public domain, source
- Tooth fairy: Eden, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wyvern: DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Astaroth: M. Jarrault, Public domain, source
- Brísingamen: Nils Blommér, Public domain, source
- Namazu: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Fionn mac Cumhaill: Ary Scheffer / Formerly attributed to Anne-Louis Girodet, Public domain, source
- Brahma Kumaris: Tamasin Ramsey, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tatzelwurm: Abrasax, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, source
- Yeren: Rolf Müller, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Palladium: Marie-Lan Nguyen ( Jastrow ), Public domain, source
- Mara: Under the Bo, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Golden Fleece: Underworld Painter, Public domain, source
- Hippogriff: LadyofHats, CC0, source
- Aegis: Unknown creator, Public domain, source
- Vegetable Lamb of Tartary: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Cosmic egg: James Basire, 1730–1802 (engraver), Public domain, source
- Makara: Subbhashinee S, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hippocampus: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Golden apple: Guido Reni, Public domain, source
- Ghost of Kyiv: Андрій Данкович / Andriy Dankovych, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kinnara: ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ - เ, Public domain, source
- New Thought: Nyttend, Public domain, source
- Ceryneian Hind: Unknown artist, Public domain, source