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
🇹🇭 ThailandTakrutตะกรุด
A Thai tubular amulet inscribed with sacred texts for protection and powerCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇺🇸 United StatesKrotona
A historic Theosophical center and intentional community in CaliforniaTradition · Power and authority Living
🇫🇮 FinlandAjatar
An evil female spirit of Finnish folklore associated with serpents and diseaseFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇶 Iraq and 3 moreUmayyad tradition of cursing Ali
A state policy to denounce Ali during communal prayers under the Umayyad CaliphateRite · Cursing and harm · Binding and oaths Historical
🇸🇩 SudanWitchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande
A foundational anthropological study of Azande witchcraft, oracles, and magic in southern Sudan.Text · Cursing and harm · Seeing and foretelling Historical
🇬🇧 United KingdomLazy Laurence
A mischievous English pixie who makes orchard workers lazy and gives them indigestionBeing · Protection · Cursing and harm Historical
🇧🇿 Belize and 3 moreSisimito
A bipedal cryptid of Central American folklore, said to live in the mountains and caves.Figure · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇰🇷 South KoreaDurin-gut두린굿
A Jeju Island ritual to cure mental illness by exorcising a possessing spirit through danceRite · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Fading
🇨🇦 CanadaOak Island mystery
A centuries-old legend of buried treasure and unexplained engineering on a Canadian island.Belief · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇮🇳 IndiaKuttichathanകുട്ടിചാത്തൻ
A guardian spirit of Malabar folklore known for illusions and household pranksBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇳🇵 NepalLakheyलाखे (Lākhe)
A masked demon figure from Newar folklore, performed in festivals across Nepal.Figure · Protection · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇲🇳 MongoliaAlmaz
A feral forest spirit from the North Caucasus with magical hair and a split nature.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇺🇸 United StatesBaseball superstition
Rituals and beliefs held by players and fans to influence game outcomesBelief · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBloody Bones
A bogeyman figure used to frighten children in English and North American folkloreFigure · Cursing and harm Historical
🇦🇲 Armenia and 3 moreNardoqanНартуған
A Turkic winter solstice celebration marking the birth of the sunTradition · Wonder and entertainment Revived
🇦🇲 Armenia and 5 moreSpilling water for luck
A folk custom of pouring water to wish a traveler or worker a smooth journeyBelief · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇨🇳 ChinaJiugongdao九宫道
A Chinese folk sect centered on Mount Wutai and esoteric cosmologyTradition · Power and authority Revived
🇨🇦 CanadaSt. Louis Light
A bright beam of light seen moving along an abandoned railway in Saskatchewan.Belief Fading
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreAxis mundi
A concept describing a central point connecting the earthly and heavenly realms.Belief · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Historical
🇩🇪 GermanyThule SocietyThule-Gesellschaft
A German occult group that sponsored the early Nazi party and promoted racial mysticism.Tradition · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇸🇴 Somalia and 2 moreSalihiyyaالصالحية
A Somali Sufi order founded by Sayyid Muhammad Salih, known for its strict stance against saint intercession and anti-coTradition · Power and authority Historical
🇬🇭 Ghana and 4 moreSpirit children
A Ghanaian belief that disabled children are harmful spirits requiring ritual treatment or deathBelief · Cursing and harm Fading
🇮🇳 IndiaKroniகுறோணி
A primordial evil spirit in Ayyavazhi mythology, split into fragments across ages.Being · Cursing and harm Living
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreFiery flying serpentשָׂרָף מְעוֹפֵף (sārāf mə‘ōfēf)
A biblical creature described as a venomous winged snake in the Book of IsaiahFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇬🇧 United KingdomNanny Rutt
A cautionary figure from Lincolnshire folklore who lures girls into the woodsFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreDivine retribution
Supernatural punishment by a deity in response to anger or wrongdoingBelief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇯🇲 Jamaica and 4 moreJumbee
A shadowy spirit of the dead in Caribbean folklore, often linked to evil deeds.Belief · Cursing and harm Living
🇨🇳 ChinaInterconnected-arm gibbon通臂猿
A mythical primate with linked arms that can extend one limb by pulling in the other.Figure · Power and authority Legendary
🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreNariphonนารีผล
A mythical tree in Buddhist lore that bears fruit shaped like young womenBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇪🇬 EgyptEn-Naddahaالنداهة
A water spirit of the Nile who lures men to their doom with a hypnotic callBeing · Cursing and harm Fading
🇺🇸 United StatesSecond-term curse
A belief that U.S. presidents face greater trouble in their second term than their first.Belief Historical
🇹🇷 TurkeyHittite sun disk
An ancient Anatolian bronze symbol used in Hattian and Hittite religious ceremoniesCharm · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇶 Iraq and 1 moreAramaic Uruk incantation
A Seleucid-era magical tablet written in Aramaic using cuneiform signsText · Cursing and harm · Protection Historical
🇪🇸 SpainGatipedro
A horned cat from Galicia that makes children wet their bedsFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇱 IsraelQlippothקְלִיפּוֹת
Impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism, opposites of the holy sefirotBeing · Cursing and harm Historical
🇨🇳 ChinaChang伥
A Chinese ghost enslaved by a tiger to lure new victimsBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanOmamori御守/お守り
Japanese amulets from shrines and temples for luck and protectionCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇸 IcelandSowilo
The s-rune representing the sun in Germanic writing systemsText · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇳 IndiaUchchhishtaउच्छिष्ट
A Hindu concept of ritual impurity linked to saliva and food remnantsBelief · Cleansing and purification Living
🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreWeiße Frauen
Elven spirits of sunlight and water in Germanic folkloreBeing · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇹🇷 Turkey and 3 moreSufi whirlingSemazen
A spinning meditation practiced by Sufi dervishes to reach spiritual connection with Allah.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Love and attraction Living
🇮🇳 IndiaBaakবাক
A shapeshifting water spirit from Assamese folklore that mimics humans and fears torn nets.Being · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇬🇷 GreeceMinoan sealstones
Carved gemstones and amulets from Bronze Age Crete used for identification and ritualCharm · Protection · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇹 ItalyCacus
A fire-breathing giant of Roman myth who stole cattle and was slain by HerculesBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇩🇪 GermanyAlgiz
A runic letter representing a terminal sound and later symbols of life and deathText Historical
🇦🇹 AustriaThyrsus
A Tyrolean giant from legend, associated with healing shale oil and a fatal duel.Figure Legendary
🇲🇱 MaliBinouba-binu
A secret Dogon order honoring ancestors through totemic animals and ritual sacrifice in Mali.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreAlchemy in the medieval Islamic world
The study of matter and spirit by scholars in the early Islamic CaliphateTradition · Change and initiation · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇶 Iraq and 3 moreUmayyad tradition of cursing Ali
A state policy to denounce Ali during communal prayers under the Umayyad CaliphateRite · Cursing and harm · Binding and oaths Historical
🇸🇩 SudanWitchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande
A foundational anthropological study of Azande witchcraft, oracles, and magic in southern Sudan.Text · Cursing and harm · Seeing and foretelling Historical
🇬🇧 United KingdomLazy Laurence
A mischievous English pixie who makes orchard workers lazy and gives them indigestionBeing · Protection · Cursing and harm Historical
🇧🇿 Belize and 3 moreSisimito
A bipedal cryptid of Central American folklore, said to live in the mountains and caves.Figure · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇰🇷 South KoreaDurin-gut두린굿
A Jeju Island ritual to cure mental illness by exorcising a possessing spirit through danceRite · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Fading
🇨🇦 CanadaOak Island mystery
A centuries-old legend of buried treasure and unexplained engineering on a Canadian island.Belief · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇮🇳 IndiaKuttichathanകുട്ടിചാത്തൻ
A guardian spirit of Malabar folklore known for illusions and household pranksBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇳🇵 NepalLakheyलाखे (Lākhe)
A masked demon figure from Newar folklore, performed in festivals across Nepal.Figure · Protection · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇲🇳 MongoliaAlmaz
A feral forest spirit from the North Caucasus with magical hair and a split nature.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇺🇸 United StatesBaseball superstition
Rituals and beliefs held by players and fans to influence game outcomesBelief · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBloody Bones
A bogeyman figure used to frighten children in English and North American folkloreFigure · Cursing and harm Historical
🇦🇲 Armenia and 3 moreNardoqanНартуған
A Turkic winter solstice celebration marking the birth of the sunTradition · Wonder and entertainment Revived
🇦🇲 Armenia and 5 moreSpilling water for luck
A folk custom of pouring water to wish a traveler or worker a smooth journeyBelief · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇨🇳 ChinaJiugongdao九宫道
A Chinese folk sect centered on Mount Wutai and esoteric cosmologyTradition · Power and authority Revived
🇨🇦 CanadaSt. Louis Light
A bright beam of light seen moving along an abandoned railway in Saskatchewan.Belief Fading
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreAxis mundi
A concept describing a central point connecting the earthly and heavenly realms.Belief · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Historical
🇩🇪 GermanyThule SocietyThule-Gesellschaft
A German occult group that sponsored the early Nazi party and promoted racial mysticism.Tradition · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇸🇴 Somalia and 2 moreSalihiyyaالصالحية
A Somali Sufi order founded by Sayyid Muhammad Salih, known for its strict stance against saint intercession and anti-coTradition · Power and authority Historical
🇬🇭 Ghana and 4 moreSpirit children
A Ghanaian belief that disabled children are harmful spirits requiring ritual treatment or deathBelief · Cursing and harm Fading
🇮🇳 IndiaKroniகுறோணி
A primordial evil spirit in Ayyavazhi mythology, split into fragments across ages.Being · Cursing and harm Living
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreFiery flying serpentשָׂרָף מְעוֹפֵף (sārāf mə‘ōfēf)
A biblical creature described as a venomous winged snake in the Book of IsaiahFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇬🇧 United KingdomNanny Rutt
A cautionary figure from Lincolnshire folklore who lures girls into the woodsFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreDivine retribution
Supernatural punishment by a deity in response to anger or wrongdoingBelief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇯🇲 Jamaica and 4 moreJumbee
A shadowy spirit of the dead in Caribbean folklore, often linked to evil deeds.Belief · Cursing and harm Living
🇨🇳 ChinaInterconnected-arm gibbon通臂猿
A mythical primate with linked arms that can extend one limb by pulling in the other.Figure · Power and authority Legendary
🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreNariphonนารีผล
A mythical tree in Buddhist lore that bears fruit shaped like young womenBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇪🇬 EgyptEn-Naddahaالنداهة
A water spirit of the Nile who lures men to their doom with a hypnotic callBeing · Cursing and harm Fading
🇺🇸 United StatesSecond-term curse
A belief that U.S. presidents face greater trouble in their second term than their first.Belief Historical
🇹🇷 TurkeyHittite sun disk
An ancient Anatolian bronze symbol used in Hattian and Hittite religious ceremoniesCharm · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇶 Iraq and 1 moreAramaic Uruk incantation
A Seleucid-era magical tablet written in Aramaic using cuneiform signsText · Cursing and harm · Protection Historical
🇪🇸 SpainGatipedro
A horned cat from Galicia that makes children wet their bedsFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇱 IsraelQlippothקְלִיפּוֹת
Impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism, opposites of the holy sefirotBeing · Cursing and harm Historical
🇨🇳 ChinaChang伥
A Chinese ghost enslaved by a tiger to lure new victimsBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanOmamori御守/お守り
Japanese amulets from shrines and temples for luck and protectionCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇸 IcelandSowilo
The s-rune representing the sun in Germanic writing systemsText · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇳 IndiaUchchhishtaउच्छिष्ट
A Hindu concept of ritual impurity linked to saliva and food remnantsBelief · Cleansing and purification Living
🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreWeiße Frauen
Elven spirits of sunlight and water in Germanic folkloreBeing · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇹🇷 Turkey and 3 moreSufi whirlingSemazen
A spinning meditation practiced by Sufi dervishes to reach spiritual connection with Allah.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Love and attraction Living
🇮🇳 IndiaBaakবাক
A shapeshifting water spirit from Assamese folklore that mimics humans and fears torn nets.Being · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇬🇷 GreeceMinoan sealstones
Carved gemstones and amulets from Bronze Age Crete used for identification and ritualCharm · Protection · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇹 ItalyCacus
A fire-breathing giant of Roman myth who stole cattle and was slain by HerculesBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇩🇪 GermanyAlgiz
A runic letter representing a terminal sound and later symbols of life and deathText Historical
🇦🇹 AustriaThyrsus
A Tyrolean giant from legend, associated with healing shale oil and a fatal duel.Figure Legendary
🇲🇱 MaliBinouba-binu
A secret Dogon order honoring ancestors through totemic animals and ritual sacrifice in Mali.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreAlchemy in the medieval Islamic world
The study of matter and spirit by scholars in the early Islamic CaliphateTradition · Change and initiation · 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.
- Baseball superstition: Johnmaxmena2, CC BY 4.0, source
- Omamori: Leongboy1, Public domain, source
- Shamanism in Ayyavazhi: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Umayyad tradition of cursing Ali: Anwar Rizvi, CC BY 2.0, source
- Nardoqan: Ollios, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Axis mundi: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Salihiyya: Douglas James Jardine (1888-1946), Public domain, source
- Fiery flying serpent: דוד דוד.. Original uploader was Androctonus at he.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Divine retribution: John Martin, Public domain, source
- Second-term curse: Achille Beltrame, Public domain, source
- Hittite sun disk: Noumenon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gatipedro: Dende, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Uchchhishta: Ebenezergangmei, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Weiße Frauen: Wojciech Gerson, Public domain, source
- Minoan sealstones: Andree Stephan, CC BY 3.0, source
- Cacus: William Blake, Public domain, source
- Algiz: Arolsen Archives, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Thyrsus: Mathias Bigge, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Alchemy in the medieval Islamic world: An Islamic artist 739H/1339, probably in Baghdad, Public domain, source
- Sama: myself, Public domain, source
- Oak Island mystery: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Durin-gut: Karaeng Matoaya, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lakhey: Less than 3, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bloody Bones: ArtemisiaGentileschiFan, CC0, source
- Nariphon: LigerCommon, Public domain, source
- Interconnected-arm gibbon: Xuande Emperor, Public domain, source