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
🇨🇳 ChinaFish in Chinese mythology鱼 (yú)
A cultural symbol of wealth and abundance in Chinese traditionBelief · Luck and prosperity · Love and attraction Living
🇬🇧 United KingdomBauchan
A Scottish domestic spirit known for its contradictory helpfulness and mischief.Being · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇸🇪 SwedenGlemminge stone
A Viking Age runestone in Sweden bearing a Younger Futhark inscription and a curse.Text · Cursing and harm Historical
🇲🇿 Mozambique and 1 moreNdau witchcraft and sorcery
A system of spirit belief and traditional healing among the Ndau people of Mozambique and ZimbabweTradition · Healing · Protection Living
🇮🇳 IndiaSuperstitions in Sikh societies
Folk beliefs and rituals observed by some Sikhs despite theological prohibitions.Belief · Luck and prosperity Living
🇨🇳 ChinaMien shiang面相
A Chinese practice of reading character and fate through facial featuresBelief · Seeing and foretelling · Healing Historical
🇨🇳 ChinaReligion of the Shang dynasty
The spiritual system of ancient China's second dynasty, centred on ancestor worship and oracle bone divination.Tradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇷🇴 RomaniaMuma Pădurii
A forest spirit in Romania who protects nature and punishes those who harm itBeing · Protection · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇲🇽 MexicoMercado de Sonora
A Mexico City market known for herbal medicine and occult goodsTradition · Protection · Love and attraction Living
🇬🇧 United KingdomQueen of Elphame
The elfin queen of Faerie from Lowland Scotland and Northern England folkloreFigure · Cursing and harm · Healing Historical
🇮🇱 IsraelBabalon
A Thelemic goddess of fertility, ecstasy, and spiritual transformation.Being · Change and initiation · Power and authority Living
🇯🇵 JapanFutomani太占
A Shinto divination method using heated deer shoulder blades to read future patternsOracle · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇸🇪 SwedenStentoften Runestone
A seventh-century Swedish stone inscribed with a curse and harvest blessings in Proto-NorseText · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇮🇪 IrelandFand
An otherworldly woman in Irish mythology who becomes the lover of the hero CúchulainnFigure · Love and attraction Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreManba al-Ansabمنبع الانساب
A Persian manuscript tracing Sayyid lineage and Sufi practice in early modern IndiaText · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Historical
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreSuperman curse
An urban legend linking misfortunes to actors and creators in Superman adaptationsBelief · Cursing and harm Living
🇬🇧 United KingdomTam Lin
A Scottish ballad about a fairy knight rescued by his mortal lover on Hallowe'enFigure · Love and attraction · Cursing and harm Historical
🇦🇱 AlbaniaLjubi
A multi-headed water demon from Albanian folklore linked to storms and sacrificeBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇺🇸 United StatesDreaming the Dark
A 1982 book by Starhawk linking magic, sex, and politicsText · Power and authority Historical
🇨🇦 CanadaChasse-galerieLa Chasse-galerie
A French-Canadian folktale about lumberjacks who fly a canoe to visit lovers on New Year's EveFigure · Love and attraction · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇮🇩 IndonesiaNini Pelet
A West Javanese sorceress legend linked to Mount Ciremai and the origin of the word for love charmsFigure · Love and attraction · Power and authority Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaFakirفقير
An Islamic ascetic who seeks spiritual neediness and devotion to God.Tradition · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇩 IndonesiaKeong Emas
A Javanese legend about a princess turned into a golden snailFigure · Love and attraction Legendary
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 5 moreWitchcraft accusations against children in Africa
Violent persecution of children blamed for misfortune across Sub-Saharan Africa and beyondBelief · Cursing and harm Living
🇮🇳 IndiaEpic cycles of incarnations in MoirangMoirang Shayon
A Meitei mythic cycle tracing the repeated lives and deaths of divine lovers across generations.Figure · Love and attraction Historical
🇩🇴 Dominican RepublicAnaisa Pye
A Dominican loa of love and wealth, linked to Saint Anne.Being · Love and attraction · Luck and prosperity Living
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreLegend of the White Snake白蛇傳
A Chinese folktale about a snake spirit who becomes human to love a mortal manFigure · Love and attraction · Cursing and harm Historical
🇺🇸 United StatesThe Michael Teachings
A channeled New Age system for self-understanding and personality analysisTradition · Love and attraction · Change and initiation Living
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreSwan maiden
A folk motif where a man steals a bird-woman's feather cloak to force marriage.Figure · Love and attraction · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇪🇷 Eritrea and 1 moreBeher
A pre-Christian Aksumite deity of the sea and agricultural fertilityBeing · Luck and prosperity · Healing Historical
🇧🇷 BrazilCarranca
A carved figurehead for river boats, believed to ward off evil spiritsCharm · Protection Historical
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan and 3 moreCurse of TimurПроклятие Тамерлана
A rumor that disturbing the conqueror's tomb brings invasion and calamity.Belief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreCromniomancy
Divination by onions to reveal health, love, weather and distant newsOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Love and attraction Historical
🇰🇷 South KoreaBangsatap방사탑
A stone cairn on Jeju Island believed to shield communities from harm and disease.Tradition · Protection · Cursing and harm Revived
🇮🇳 IndiaTormaགཏོར་མ
Sculpted offerings of flour and butter used in Tibetan Buddhist ritualsTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreBuilders of the Adytum
A Western mystery school teaching tarot and Qabalah through correspondenceTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreSebile
A medieval enchantress who evolved from a classical prophetess into an Arthurian fairy queenFigure · Love and attraction · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreBay'ahبيعة
An oath of loyalty and obedience given to a political or spiritual leader in Islamic traditionRite · Binding and oaths · Power and authority Living
🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreCrucifix
A cross bearing the figure of Jesus, central to Christian worship and artText · Power and authority Living
🇺🇸 United StatesGhost shirt
A sacred garment of the Ghost Dance believed to protect the wearer from bulletsCharm · Protection Historical
🇦🇹 AustriaHaymon
A legendary giant of Tyrol who founded a monastery and defeated local spiritsFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇹🇼 TaiwanLui-kong-tsiau雷公鳥
A Taiwanese thunder-creature said to summon storms from treetopsBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreYellow badgeJudenstern
A marked garment worn by Jews under laws of distinction and humiliation across centuries.Charm · Cursing and harm Historical
🇫🇮 FinlandFirefoxtulikettu
A mythical Finnish fox whose tail sparks the northern lightsBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreNutcracker doll
A carved wooden figurine of a soldier used to crack nuts and now a popular Christmas decorationCharm · Luck and prosperity Living
🇬🇧 United KingdomTwo of Coins
A tarot card representing balance, juggling duties, and the struggle to maintain equilibrium.Belief · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇸🇪 Sweden and 1 moreTroll crosstrollkors
A carved or bent iron sigil used in Sweden and Norway to ward off harmful magic and creatures.Charm · Protection Revived
🇮🇸 Iceland and 1 moreUr (rune)
A runic character representing the aurochs or cold rain in Germanic alphabetsText · Wonder and entertainment Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Glemminge stone: Jorchr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bed of nails: Herbert Ponting, Public domain, source
- Sebile: tony_57, CC BY 3.0, source
- Superstitions in Sikh societies: jjron, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Religion of the Shang dynasty: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Futomani: Miura Hiroyuki, Public domain, source
- Stentoften Runestone: Sendelbach ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Haymon: Hafelekar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ghost shirt: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Two of Coins: Augusto Rius in 1889 [1] for Heraclio Fournier, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Troll cross: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Ur (rune): RexCrudelissimus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fish in Chinese mythology: Daderot, Public domain, source
- Ndau witchcraft and sorcery: Mycelium101, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mercado de Sonora: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Babalon: William Blake, Public domain, source
- Tam Lin: Richard Webb, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Chasse-galerie: Henri Julien, Public domain, source
- Keong Emas: Post of Indonesia, Public domain, source
- Epic cycles of incarnations in Moirang: Bhudro Singh (AKA. Ningthoujam Bhadra), Public domain, source
- Legend of the White Snake: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Swan maiden: Walter Crane, Public domain, source
- Yellow badge: Edited version of original photo by Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Carranca: Glauco Umbelino, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bangsatap: Grapesurgeon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Torma: John Hill, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Crucifix: Turismo Bahia, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Nutcracker doll: Raul654, CC BY-SA 3.0, source