All entries
2,266 entries so far, best known first. 3,044 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
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan and 3 moreCurse of TimurПроклятие Тамерлана
A rumor that disturbing the conqueror's tomb brings invasion and calamity.Belief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇨🇴 Colombia and 1 moreLa Bolefuego
A fiery apparition from the Llanos that hunts travelers and avoids prayer.Figure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇪 IrelandSleih beggey
Manx fairies and little people of the Isle of ManBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreHaunted doll
A doll claimed to be haunted or possessed, often linked to film and urban legend.Belief · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇵🇭 PhilippinesMandurugo
A shapeshifting spirit from Philippine folklore that feeds on human bloodBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇷🇸 Serbia and 3 moreBožićБожић
A Slavic figure linked to the new year and spring, whose name now marks ChristmasFigure · Luck and prosperity · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 2 moreMama D'Leau
A river spirit of the Caribbean islands who protects aquatic life and heals people.Being · Healing · Protection Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandKumi Lizard
A legendary reptile from New Zealand folklore, said to be a giant monitor lizard.Figure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanKomainu狛犬
Stone lion-dog pairs that guard Japanese shrines and ward off evil spirits.Charm · Protection Living
🇦🇹 AustriaHaymon
A legendary giant of Tyrol who founded a monastery and defeated local spiritsFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaHenjunaha and LairoulembiHensunaha Lailoulempi
A Meitei epic of lovers who die and return from the underworld through devotion.Figure · Love and attraction Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanSankai産怪
A yōkai born from a woman during childbirth if proper care is neglectedBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇫🇮 FinlandFirefoxtulikettu
A mythical Finnish fox whose tail sparks the northern lightsBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇬🇧 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
🇺🇸 United StatesKrotona
A historic Theosophical center and intentional community in CaliforniaTradition · Power and authority Living
🇮🇶 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
🇫🇮 FinlandAjatar
An evil female spirit of Finnish folklore associated with serpents and diseaseFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇸🇩 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
🇬🇷 GreeceSoterΣωτήρ
A Greek daimon of safety and deliverance from harmBeing · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreDames Blanches
Spectral women in French folklore who demand dances or warn of dangerBeing · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreAufhocker
A German folklore spirit that leaps on travelers and weighs them down.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreKuma LisaКума Лиса
A trickster fox from Slavic folklore who outwits other animalsFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇲🇳 MongoliaAlmaz
A feral forest spirit from the North Caucasus with magical hair and a split nature.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 1 moreLa Diablesse
A shape-shifting spirit of Caribbean folklore who trades beauty for a devil's bargainFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇦🇲 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
🇨🇦 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
🇬🇭 Ghana and 4 moreSpirit children
A Ghanaian belief that disabled children are harmful spirits requiring ritual treatment or deathBelief · Cursing and harm Fading
🇸🇴 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
🇷🇴 RomaniaUriaș
Giants in Romanian folklore, known by regional names and linked to landscape features.Being Historical
🇬🇷 GreeceNymphνύμφη
A nature spirit from Greek myth, tied to specific places like springs or trees, often seen as a maiden.Being · Healing · Seeing and foretelling Historical
🇱🇷 LiberiaMaryland ritual killings
A 1970s Liberian case of ritual murders and the public executions that followedBelief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreDivine retribution
Supernatural punishment by a deity in response to anger or wrongdoingBelief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇩🇿 AlgeriaHezzabحزّاب
A Quran reciter who leads daily collective chanting in Algerian mosques.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreOrder of Nine Angles
A British Satanic network linked to neo-Nazism and violent extremismTradition · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Living
🇸🇪 Sweden and 4 moreStarkadStarkaðr
A Norse warrior cursed to commit crimes across three lifetimesFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇹 ItalyUR Group
An Italian esoteric circle studying magic and traditional philosophy in the late 1920s.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Historical
🇷🇸 SerbiaBaukБаук
A bear-like creature from Serbian folklore that lurks in the dark.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanAyakashi妖
Water spirits and ghost lights in Japanese folkloreBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇮🇩 IndonesiaKediri curse
An Indonesian urban legend: presidents who visit Kediri are said to lose their jobsBelief · Cursing and harm Living
🇺🇸 United StatesTsul 'KaluᏧᏓᎦᎳ
A Cherokee hunting deity and legendary giant of the Appalachian mountainsFigure · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreTanninתַּנִּין
A sea monster of chaos in Canaanite and Hebrew myth, later a symbol for Egypt and Babylon.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇩🇪 GermanySuhl card reader case
A 1956 East German trial of a psychic for favorable forecasts about leaving the countryBelief · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity 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
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreVarahiवाराही (Vārāhī)
A Hindu mother goddess with a sow face, worshipped in Tantric rites for protection and powerBeing · Protection · Power and authority Living
🇧🇹 BhutanVajravarahiརྡོ་རྗེ་ཕག་མོ། (Dorje Pakmo)
A wrathful female buddha in Tibetan Buddhism, depicted with a sow head and dancing posture.Being · Power and authority · Change and initiation Living
🇪🇸 SpainGatipedro
A horned cat from Galicia that makes children wet their bedsFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreHaunted doll
A doll claimed to be haunted or possessed, often linked to film and urban legend.Belief · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇵🇭 PhilippinesMandurugo
A shapeshifting spirit from Philippine folklore that feeds on human bloodBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇷🇸 Serbia and 3 moreBožićБожић
A Slavic figure linked to the new year and spring, whose name now marks ChristmasFigure · Luck and prosperity · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 2 moreMama D'Leau
A river spirit of the Caribbean islands who protects aquatic life and heals people.Being · Healing · Protection Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandKumi Lizard
A legendary reptile from New Zealand folklore, said to be a giant monitor lizard.Figure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanKomainu狛犬
Stone lion-dog pairs that guard Japanese shrines and ward off evil spirits.Charm · Protection Living
🇦🇹 AustriaHaymon
A legendary giant of Tyrol who founded a monastery and defeated local spiritsFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaHenjunaha and LairoulembiHensunaha Lailoulempi
A Meitei epic of lovers who die and return from the underworld through devotion.Figure · Love and attraction Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanSankai産怪
A yōkai born from a woman during childbirth if proper care is neglectedBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇫🇮 FinlandFirefoxtulikettu
A mythical Finnish fox whose tail sparks the northern lightsBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇬🇧 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
🇺🇸 United StatesKrotona
A historic Theosophical center and intentional community in CaliforniaTradition · Power and authority Living
🇮🇶 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
🇫🇮 FinlandAjatar
An evil female spirit of Finnish folklore associated with serpents and diseaseFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇸🇩 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
🇬🇷 GreeceSoterΣωτήρ
A Greek daimon of safety and deliverance from harmBeing · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreDames Blanches
Spectral women in French folklore who demand dances or warn of dangerBeing · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreAufhocker
A German folklore spirit that leaps on travelers and weighs them down.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreKuma LisaКума Лиса
A trickster fox from Slavic folklore who outwits other animalsFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇲🇳 MongoliaAlmaz
A feral forest spirit from the North Caucasus with magical hair and a split nature.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 1 moreLa Diablesse
A shape-shifting spirit of Caribbean folklore who trades beauty for a devil's bargainFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇦🇲 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
🇨🇦 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
🇬🇭 Ghana and 4 moreSpirit children
A Ghanaian belief that disabled children are harmful spirits requiring ritual treatment or deathBelief · Cursing and harm Fading
🇸🇴 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
🇷🇴 RomaniaUriaș
Giants in Romanian folklore, known by regional names and linked to landscape features.Being Historical
🇬🇷 GreeceNymphνύμφη
A nature spirit from Greek myth, tied to specific places like springs or trees, often seen as a maiden.Being · Healing · Seeing and foretelling Historical
🇱🇷 LiberiaMaryland ritual killings
A 1970s Liberian case of ritual murders and the public executions that followedBelief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreDivine retribution
Supernatural punishment by a deity in response to anger or wrongdoingBelief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇩🇿 AlgeriaHezzabحزّاب
A Quran reciter who leads daily collective chanting in Algerian mosques.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreOrder of Nine Angles
A British Satanic network linked to neo-Nazism and violent extremismTradition · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Living
🇸🇪 Sweden and 4 moreStarkadStarkaðr
A Norse warrior cursed to commit crimes across three lifetimesFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇹 ItalyUR Group
An Italian esoteric circle studying magic and traditional philosophy in the late 1920s.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Historical
🇷🇸 SerbiaBaukБаук
A bear-like creature from Serbian folklore that lurks in the dark.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanAyakashi妖
Water spirits and ghost lights in Japanese folkloreBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇮🇩 IndonesiaKediri curse
An Indonesian urban legend: presidents who visit Kediri are said to lose their jobsBelief · Cursing and harm Living
🇺🇸 United StatesTsul 'KaluᏧᏓᎦᎳ
A Cherokee hunting deity and legendary giant of the Appalachian mountainsFigure · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreTanninתַּנִּין
A sea monster of chaos in Canaanite and Hebrew myth, later a symbol for Egypt and Babylon.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇩🇪 GermanySuhl card reader case
A 1956 East German trial of a psychic for favorable forecasts about leaving the countryBelief · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity 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
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreVarahiवाराही (Vārāhī)
A Hindu mother goddess with a sow face, worshipped in Tantric rites for protection and powerBeing · Protection · Power and authority Living
🇧🇹 BhutanVajravarahiརྡོ་རྗེ་ཕག་མོ། (Dorje Pakmo)
A wrathful female buddha in Tibetan Buddhism, depicted with a sow head and dancing posture.Being · Power and authority · Change and initiation Living
🇪🇸 SpainGatipedro
A horned cat from Galicia that makes children wet their bedsFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Vajravarahi: Foto: Andreas Praefcke, Public domain, source
- Varahi: Unknown Nepali, Public domain, source
- Tannin: Zakariya al-Qazwini, Public domain, source
- UR Group: Gruppo di Ur, Public domain, source
- Starkad: User:Skadinaujo, Public domain, source
- Order of Nine Angles: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Hezzab: Elph, Public domain, source
- Maryland ritual killings: Fred van der Kraaij, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nymph: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- La Diablesse: SunCat, CC BY 2.0, source
- Aufhocker: Longbow4u, Public domain, source
- Komainu: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Haunted doll: Cayobo, CC BY 1.0, source
- Haymon: Hafelekar, 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
- Umayyad tradition of cursing Ali: Anwar Rizvi, CC BY 2.0, source
- Axis mundi: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Salihiyya: Douglas James Jardine (1888-1946), Public domain, source
- Divine retribution: John Martin, Public domain, source
- Hittite sun disk: Noumenon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gatipedro: Dende, CC BY-SA 4.0, source