All entries
2,161 entries so far, best known first. 3,219 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
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 4 moreMummers' play
A folk drama featuring a fight and a resurrection, performed by amateur troupes in the British Isles.Rite 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Revived
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreAradia
A figure of Italian folklore and modern pagan witchcraft, seen as a teacher of magic and liberation.Figure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Revived
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomMari LwydY Fari Lwyd
A Welsh winter custom featuring a horse skull carried through villages for song and hospitality.Rite 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Revived
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 1 moreBeltaneBealtaine
A Gaelic festival marking the start of summer with protective bonfires and livestock ritualsTradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Revived
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
馃嚘馃嚬 Austria and 3 morePerchtaPercht
A Alpine goddess of winter who rewards diligence and punishes laziness during the twelve days after Christmas.Being 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Revived
馃嚠馃嚫 Iceland and 2 moreSei冒r
A Norse magic of fate and spirit, practiced by seers and sorcerers in the Viking Age.Tradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Revived
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomJack in the Green
A foliate figure worn in English May Day processions to celebrate summerIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Revived
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCeridwenCerridwen
A Welsh enchantress and modern goddess of poetic inspiration and transformation.Being 路 Change and initiation Revived
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 5 moreSlavic religion
The pre-Christian beliefs of the Slavic peoples before their conversion to Christianity.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Revived
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 4 moreCorn dolly
A woven straw figure made from the last sheaf of a European harvest to house the crop spirit.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Revived
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 2 moreGermanic seeressv谦lva
Diviners and sorceresses of early Germanic and Norse societyTradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Revived
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomRune casting (sample)
Carved signs drawn from a bag.Oracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Revived
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreChapeaugraphy
A novelty act using a single ring of felt to form different hatsIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Revived
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 1 moreTroll crosstrollkors
A carved or bent iron sigil used in Sweden and Norway to ward off harmful magic and creatures.Charm 路 Protection Revived
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Corn dolly: Renata ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Mari Lwyd: Thomas Christopher Evans (Cadrawd), Public domain, source
- Freyja: John Bauer, Public domain, source
- Beltane: Stefan Sch盲fer, Lich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Green Man: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Perchta: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jack in the Green: SiGarb, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chapeaugraphy: Penny Pictorial Magazine, Public domain, source
- Germanic seeress: Emil Doepler, Public domain, source
- Ceridwen: Chris Denny, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Troll cross: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Slavic religion: Alphonse Mucha, Public domain, source
- Mummers' play: Aladjov, CC BY 3.0, source