All entries
2,216 entries so far, best known first. 3,111 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
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandGaldergaldr
A Germanic incantation and the written charms derived from itText 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚦馃嚧 NorwaySteilneset Memorial
A 2011 monument in Norway marking the 1621 Vard酶 witch trials and their victims.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 Spain and 1 moreAlonso de Salazar Fr铆as
An inquisitor who used evidence to stop witch executions in SpainBelief Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenTemple at Uppsala
A Norse religious centre described in medieval texts and debated by modern scholarsTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandN谩br贸k
A pair of pants made from human skin, said to generate endless wealth in Icelandic folklore.Charm 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 2 moreMagic in the Greco-Roman world
Private supernatural practices in ancient Greece and Rome, distinct from public state religion.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 1 moreSoul flight
A trance practice where the spirit leaves the body to visit other realmsRite 路 Healing 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreKrampus
A horned Alpine figure who punishes misbehaving children on KrampusnachtFigure 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 5 moreHalloween
A Christian vigil on 31 October for the dead, now marked by costumes and carved vegetablesRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚙馃嚜 BelgiumServais Le Roy
A Belgian magician who designed classic illusions and performed in a famous trio act.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 4 moreTelling the bees
A Western European custom of informing bees about major household eventsRite 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandThe Morr铆ganM贸rr铆gan
An Irish goddess of war, fate, and sovereignty who appears as a crow or shape-shifter.Figure 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomWilliam Lilly
A seventeenth-century English astrologer and author who shaped Western tradition.Text 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandIrish folkloreb茅aloideas
The oral traditions, myths and customs of IrelandTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 1 moreTurkish folkloreT眉rk halk k眉lt眉r眉
A rich body of oral tales, jokes, and rituals from Turkey and the Turkic worldTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 3 moreGreen Man
A carved face made of leaves, used as a decorative motif in architecture and art.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Revived
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 4 moreEmanuel Swedenborg
An 18th-century Swedish scientist who became a mystic and claimed to visit the afterlife.Text 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomGreen Children of Woolpit
A medieval English legend about two green-skinned siblings who appeared in a Suffolk village.Figure 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyMarsilio Ficino
A Renaissance priest and philosopher who revived Plato and blended astrology with Christian theology.Text 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 2 moreEaster FireOsterfeuer
Bonfires lit at Easter to mark the Resurrection and spring renewalRite 路 Cleansing and purification 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandBlarney StoneCloch na Blarnan
A limestone block in an Irish castle kissed for the gift of eloquenceCharm 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 3 moreJet
A black gemstone carved into amulets and mourning jewellery for centuriesCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 Spain and 5 moreAlfonso X of Castileel Sabio
A medieval king who sponsored astronomical tables and translated works on magic and astrology.Text 路 Power and authority 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 1 moreCeltic mythology
The mythic traditions of the Celtic peoples, preserved in Irish and Welsh textsTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 4 moreNeed-fireNotfeuer
A ritual fire lit by friction to protect livestock and people from disease and witchcraftRite 路 Protection 路 Cleansing and purification Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomHermetic Order of the Golden DawnOrdo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae
A late-19th-century British magical order that shaped modern Western occultismTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreMichael Scot
A medieval scholar and astrologer who became a legendary magician in folklore.Figure 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 2 moreDomovoy袛芯屑芯胁芯泄
A household spirit in Slavic folklore that guards the family and home.Being 路 Protection 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreMentalism
A stage art that mimics psychic powers using psychology and sleight of handIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 5 morePepper's ghost
A stage illusion using angled glass to project hidden actors as visible ghostsIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandGaldrab贸k
An Icelandic grimoire of spells and staves from around 1600Text 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreBullet catch
A stage illusion where a magician appears to catch a fired bullet in their mouth or handIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreAnthroposophy
A spiritual movement founded by Rudolf Steiner to explore the intellectual side of the unseen worldTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomEvil eye bead (sample)Nazar boncu臒u
A blue glass bead hung to turn aside envy.Charm 路 Protection Living
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceBaba Yaga (sample)袘邪斜邪-褟谐邪
A witch of Slavic tales who lives in a hut on legs.Figure 路 Change and initiation Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomTarot (sample)
A deck of cards read for guidance.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomGrimoire (sample)
A handbook of rites and names.Text 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomWitch bottle (sample)
A stoppered bottle set out against curses.Charm 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomRune casting (sample)
Carved signs drawn from a bag.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Revived
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreBiodynamic agriculture
An organic farming system with esoteric roots and spiritual practicesTradition 路 Healing 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreBlack SunSchwarze Sonne
A twelve-part sig rune design from a Nazi castle, now used by extremist groups.Power and authority Historical
馃嚚馃嚟 Switzerland and 4 moreEurythmy
An expressive movement art that translates music and speech into gestureTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 1 moreSampo
A magical mill or world pillar in Finnish and Estonian mythology that produces wealth.Figure 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 2 moreOccultism in Nazism
The study of alleged magical links to the Nazi regime and the myths that surround themBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 2 moreBulla
A round Roman amulet given to freeborn boys as a mark of status and protectionCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomPuck
A mischievous domestic sprite of English folklore known for practical jokes and household choresBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚦馃嚤 Netherlands and 3 morePig-faced women
A European legend of a woman with the face of a pig, and the charms used to break her curseFigure 路 Change and initiation Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaBlack magic
Magic used for evil or selfish purposes, and the beliefs surrounding itBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Eurythmy: Awslibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sampo: V盲in枚 Blomstedt, Public domain, source
- Alfonso X of Castile: Otto Posse (1847-1921), Public domain, source
- Occultism in Nazism: Peretz Kaminsky, Public domain, source
- Pig-faced women: DubhEire, CC0, source
- Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa: Jean-Louis Durant (1654-1718), Public domain, source
- Black magic: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eliogarcia/ (nick in flickr:creo que soy, CC BY 2.0, source
- Anthroposophy: Wladyslaw, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Biodynamic agriculture: Martist, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Krampus: Naturpuur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pepper's ghost: The original uploader was Wapcaplet at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bulla: Anonymous ( Category:Etruscans ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Halloween: Toby Ord, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- William Lilly: Simon Harriyott, CC BY 2.0, source
- Emanuel Swedenborg: Carl Frederik von Breda, Public domain, source
- Blarney Stone: Srleffler, Public domain, source
- Marsilio Ficino: Marsilio Ficino, Public domain, source
- Need-fire: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Michael Scot: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Steilneset Memorial: Stylegar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alonso de Salazar Fr铆as: Oscar Monta帽茅s, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Galder: Bengt A. Lundberg, CC BY 2.5, source
- N谩br贸k: Bernard McManus, CC BY 2.0, source
- Temple at Uppsala: Olaus Magnus, Public domain, source
- Bullet catch: Dave Fayram, CC BY 2.0, source
- Black Sun: Dirk Vorderstra脽e, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Irish folklore: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Green Man: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Easter Fire: J眉rgen Eissink, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jet: Thmsfrst, Public domain, source
- Turkish folklore: Biser Todorov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Puck: Joseph Noel Paton, Public domain, source
- Mentalism: The U.S. Printing Co., Russell-Morgan Print, Cincinnati & New York., Public domain, source
- Soul flight: Published by James Wasserman; facsimile made by E. A. Wallis Budge; or, Public domain, source
- Domovoy: Ivan Bilibin, Public domain, source
- Celtic mythology: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Magic in the Greco-Roman world: ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0, source