Magic in Europe
Cunning folk and grimoires, alchemy, runes and seidr, the fairy faith, the witch trials, and the folk calendar of fire and fertility. 830 entries on EveryJaadu so far.
Places of magic
London 18Paris 18Delphi 13Athens 12Cairo 5Dodona 5Edinburgh 4Krak贸w 4Olympia 4Praeneste 4Prague 4Amsterdam 3Bamberg 3Capitoline Hill 3Cumae 3Dartmoor 3Egyptian Hall 3Eleusis 3Logro帽o 3Lyon 3Milan 3New York 3Quebec 3Santiago de Compostela 3Trier 3Val Camonica 3Veii 3Vilnius 3W眉rzburg 3York 3
Rites of the region
Midsummer and St John's Eve herbs and firesWalpurgis Night and May Day firesSamhain and Halloween divination gamesFirst-footing at HogmanayWitch bottleKnocking on wood and horseshoe customsThe Sator squareIcelandic galdrastafirMalocchio removal with oil and waterMatiasma and ftou ftou
Countries
馃嚘馃嚤 Albania 30馃嚘馃嚛 Andorra 1馃嚘馃嚬 Austria 34馃嚙馃嚲 Belarus 21馃嚙馃嚜 Belgium 11馃嚙馃嚘 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4馃嚙馃嚞 Bulgaria 37馃嚟馃嚪 Croatia 16馃嚚馃嚳 Czech Republic 14馃嚜馃嚜 Estonia 28馃嚝馃嚠 Finland 38馃嚝馃嚪 France 157馃嚛馃嚜 Germany 137馃嚞馃嚪 Greece 135馃嚟馃嚭 Hungary 13馃嚠馃嚫 Iceland 47馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland 105馃嚠馃嚬 Italy 138馃嚱馃嚢 Kosovo 5馃嚤馃嚮 Latvia 10馃嚤馃嚬 Lithuania 20馃嚤馃嚭 Luxembourg 2馃嚥馃嚬 Malta 2馃嚥馃嚛 Moldova 4馃嚥馃嚜 Montenegro 4馃嚦馃嚤 Netherlands 32馃嚥馃嚢 North Macedonia 6馃嚦馃嚧 Norway 44馃嚨馃嚤 Poland 45馃嚨馃嚬 Portugal 17馃嚪馃嚧 Romania 42馃嚪馃嚭 Russia 117馃嚪馃嚫 Serbia 37馃嚫馃嚢 Slovakia 4馃嚫馃嚠 Slovenia 7馃嚜馃嚫 Spain 75馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden 85馃嚚馃嚟 Switzerland 30馃嚭馃嚘 Ukraine 25馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom 231馃嚮馃嚘 Vatican City 1
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
馃嚘馃嚤 AlbaniaXhindi
Invisible spirits in Albanian mythology that appear at night and may help or harm.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreKlabautermann
A North Sea ship kobold that aids sailors and signals a vessel's doom.Being 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyIn bocca al lupo
An Italian idiom wishing good luck by invoking danger, with a response asking for the wolf's death.Belief 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomShoes on a table
A superstition that placing footwear on a table invites bad luck or disrespectBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBarddas
A 19th-century book presenting Welsh bardic and druidic theology as ancient traditionText 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandGr媒la
A monstrous Icelandic troll associated with Christmas and the Yule LadsBeing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomLantern man
A ghost light of the English fens said to lure victims into the marshesBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚨馃嚤 Poland and 1 moreKarze艂ek小泻邪褉斜薪懈泻, 袣谢邪写械薪械褑
A Slavic mine spirit that guards treasures and guides miners.Being 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreCromniomancy
Divination by onions to reveal health, love, weather and distant newsOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Love and attraction Historical
馃嚝馃嚠 FinlandEti盲inen
A Finnish belief in a premonitory apparition that precedes a person's arrivalBelief 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainXana
A water spirit of Asturian myth who offers treasures or madness to those who hear her song.Being 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenYs盲tters-Kajsa
A wind-troll from Swedish folklore who danced with the gales of N盲rkeFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 2 moreTiet盲j盲
A traditional Finnic healer and sage whose power came from memorised spells and deep knowledge.Figure 路 Healing 路 Protection Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreDrude
A Germanic nightmare spirit and the pentagram charm used to keep it outBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCain bairns
A Scottish folk belief that witches took children as a tax to the DevilBelief Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreDried cat
A dried feline body hidden in walls to protect a home from harmCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainGuajona
A blood-sucking hag from Cantabrian and Asturian legendBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomMadgy Figgy's Chair
A granite rock in Cornwall linked to a legendary witch and her storm conjuringFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanySuhl card reader case
A 1956 East German trial of a psychic for favorable forecasts about leaving the countryBelief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenSj枚r氓
A Swedish lake spirit that rewards kindness and drowns the disrespectfulBeing 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚪馃嚫 SerbiaBauk袘邪褍泻
A bear-like creature from Serbian folklore that lurks in the dark.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyUR Group
An Italian esoteric circle studying magic and traditional philosophy in the late 1920s.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Historical
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 1 moreFrog coffin
A Finnish folk magic burial of a frog in a tiny coffin to steal luck or reflect harmRite 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚪馃嚧 RomaniaUria葯
Giants in Romanian folklore, known by regional names and linked to landscape features.Being Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 1 moreKuma Lisa袣褍屑邪 袥懈褋邪
A trickster fox from Slavic folklore who outwits other animalsFigure 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreAufhocker
A German folklore spirit that leaps on travelers and weighs them down.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreDames Blanches
Spectral women in French folklore who demand dances or warn of dangerBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCeffyl D诺r
A Welsh water spirit that takes the form of a horse to test or harm travellers.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaVolkhovnik袙芯谢褏芯胁薪懈泻
A lost Old Russian divination book of omens and signsText 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Historical
馃嚪馃嚫 Serbia and 3 moreBo啪i膰袘芯卸懈褯
A Slavic figure linked to the new year and spring, whose name now marks ChristmasFigure 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚨馃嚤 Poland and 4 moreMorana袦芯褉械薪邪
A Slavic goddess of winter and death, whose effigy is drowned to welcome springFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCurse of Scotland
A nickname for a playing card linked to bad luck and Scottish historyBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandSleih beggey
Manx fairies and little people of the Isle of ManBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaMeduza袦械写褍蟹邪
A Russian mythic figure with a woman's head and a serpent body, linked to trickery.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomTom Thumb
A tiny English folk hero who outwits giants and serves King ArthurFigure 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreGrim Reaper
A hooded skeleton with a scythe, representing death in Western art and story.Figure 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚘馃嚬 Austria and 3 moreSalige Frau
A blissful Alpine spirit who guides farmers and guards mountain gameFigure 路 Protection 路 Healing Legendary
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandDeath coachc贸iste bodhar
A spectral carriage that signals an unavoidable death in European folkloreBelief 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBiast Bhealach Odail
A shapeshifting spirit of a Scottish mountain passBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomGorsedd stonesCerrig yr Orsedd
Stone circles built for the National Eisteddfod of Wales to host druidic ceremonies.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚦馃嚤 Netherlands and 3 moreZwarte Piet
A companion of Saint Nicholas in Low Countries folklore, now the subject of major cultural debate.Figure 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomChained Oak
A Staffordshire oak bound in chains by a local legend of a curse and an earl.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandYule catJ贸lak枚tturinn
A giant feline from Icelandic folklore that threatens those without new Christmas clothesFigure 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚪馃嚧 Romania and 2 moreCaloian
A Romanian clay effigy ritual for rain and fertility, featuring a mock funeralRite 路 Luck and prosperity Fading
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandJack O'The Lantern
An Irish folktale about a deceitful man condemned to wander with a carved lanternFigure 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreSailors' superstitions
A global collection of omens, charms and taboos used by mariners to manage the risks of life at seaBelief 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚦馃嚧 NorwayTycho Brahe daysTycho Brahes-dage
Scandinavian folklore dates believed to be unlucky for magic and businessBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandDj谩kninn 谩 Myrk谩
An Icelandic ghost story about a dead deacon who returns for his bride on Christmas EveFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreKlabautermann
A North Sea ship kobold that aids sailors and signals a vessel's doom.Being 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyIn bocca al lupo
An Italian idiom wishing good luck by invoking danger, with a response asking for the wolf's death.Belief 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomShoes on a table
A superstition that placing footwear on a table invites bad luck or disrespectBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBarddas
A 19th-century book presenting Welsh bardic and druidic theology as ancient traditionText 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandGr媒la
A monstrous Icelandic troll associated with Christmas and the Yule LadsBeing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomLantern man
A ghost light of the English fens said to lure victims into the marshesBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚨馃嚤 Poland and 1 moreKarze艂ek小泻邪褉斜薪懈泻, 袣谢邪写械薪械褑
A Slavic mine spirit that guards treasures and guides miners.Being 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreCromniomancy
Divination by onions to reveal health, love, weather and distant newsOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Love and attraction Historical
馃嚝馃嚠 FinlandEti盲inen
A Finnish belief in a premonitory apparition that precedes a person's arrivalBelief 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainXana
A water spirit of Asturian myth who offers treasures or madness to those who hear her song.Being 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenYs盲tters-Kajsa
A wind-troll from Swedish folklore who danced with the gales of N盲rkeFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 2 moreTiet盲j盲
A traditional Finnic healer and sage whose power came from memorised spells and deep knowledge.Figure 路 Healing 路 Protection Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreDrude
A Germanic nightmare spirit and the pentagram charm used to keep it outBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCain bairns
A Scottish folk belief that witches took children as a tax to the DevilBelief Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreDried cat
A dried feline body hidden in walls to protect a home from harmCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainGuajona
A blood-sucking hag from Cantabrian and Asturian legendBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomMadgy Figgy's Chair
A granite rock in Cornwall linked to a legendary witch and her storm conjuringFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanySuhl card reader case
A 1956 East German trial of a psychic for favorable forecasts about leaving the countryBelief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenSj枚r氓
A Swedish lake spirit that rewards kindness and drowns the disrespectfulBeing 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚪馃嚫 SerbiaBauk袘邪褍泻
A bear-like creature from Serbian folklore that lurks in the dark.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyUR Group
An Italian esoteric circle studying magic and traditional philosophy in the late 1920s.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Historical
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 1 moreFrog coffin
A Finnish folk magic burial of a frog in a tiny coffin to steal luck or reflect harmRite 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚪馃嚧 RomaniaUria葯
Giants in Romanian folklore, known by regional names and linked to landscape features.Being Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 1 moreKuma Lisa袣褍屑邪 袥懈褋邪
A trickster fox from Slavic folklore who outwits other animalsFigure 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreAufhocker
A German folklore spirit that leaps on travelers and weighs them down.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreDames Blanches
Spectral women in French folklore who demand dances or warn of dangerBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCeffyl D诺r
A Welsh water spirit that takes the form of a horse to test or harm travellers.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Legendary
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaVolkhovnik袙芯谢褏芯胁薪懈泻
A lost Old Russian divination book of omens and signsText 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Historical
馃嚪馃嚫 Serbia and 3 moreBo啪i膰袘芯卸懈褯
A Slavic figure linked to the new year and spring, whose name now marks ChristmasFigure 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚨馃嚤 Poland and 4 moreMorana袦芯褉械薪邪
A Slavic goddess of winter and death, whose effigy is drowned to welcome springFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCurse of Scotland
A nickname for a playing card linked to bad luck and Scottish historyBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandSleih beggey
Manx fairies and little people of the Isle of ManBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaMeduza袦械写褍蟹邪
A Russian mythic figure with a woman's head and a serpent body, linked to trickery.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomTom Thumb
A tiny English folk hero who outwits giants and serves King ArthurFigure 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreGrim Reaper
A hooded skeleton with a scythe, representing death in Western art and story.Figure 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚘馃嚬 Austria and 3 moreSalige Frau
A blissful Alpine spirit who guides farmers and guards mountain gameFigure 路 Protection 路 Healing Legendary
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandDeath coachc贸iste bodhar
A spectral carriage that signals an unavoidable death in European folkloreBelief 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBiast Bhealach Odail
A shapeshifting spirit of a Scottish mountain passBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomGorsedd stonesCerrig yr Orsedd
Stone circles built for the National Eisteddfod of Wales to host druidic ceremonies.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚦馃嚤 Netherlands and 3 moreZwarte Piet
A companion of Saint Nicholas in Low Countries folklore, now the subject of major cultural debate.Figure 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomChained Oak
A Staffordshire oak bound in chains by a local legend of a curse and an earl.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandYule catJ贸lak枚tturinn
A giant feline from Icelandic folklore that threatens those without new Christmas clothesFigure 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚪馃嚧 Romania and 2 moreCaloian
A Romanian clay effigy ritual for rain and fertility, featuring a mock funeralRite 路 Luck and prosperity Fading
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandJack O'The Lantern
An Irish folktale about a deceitful man condemned to wander with a carved lanternFigure 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreSailors' superstitions
A global collection of omens, charms and taboos used by mariners to manage the risks of life at seaBelief 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚦馃嚧 NorwayTycho Brahe daysTycho Brahes-dage
Scandinavian folklore dates believed to be unlucky for magic and businessBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandDj谩kninn 谩 Myrk谩
An Icelandic ghost story about a dead deacon who returns for his bride on Christmas EveFigure 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.
- Gr媒la: Andrii Gladii, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Huldra: Bernard Evans Ward, Public domain, source
- Xana: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
- Klabautermann: Anton von Werner, Public domain, source
- Karze艂ek: Krystian Hasterok, CC BY 2.5, source
- Tiet盲j盲: Robert Wilhelm Ekman, Public domain, source
- Drude: Ramessos, Public domain, source
- Guajona: Francisco Goya / Francisco Goya, Public domain, source
- Madgy Figgy's Chair: Jim Champion, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- UR Group: Gruppo di Ur, Public domain, source
- Aufhocker: Longbow4u, Public domain, source
- Morana: Marta Malina Moraczewska, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Curse of Scotland: James Gillray (died 1815), Public domain, source
- Tom Thumb: Leutemann or Offterdinger , photo by Harke, Public domain, source
- Grim Reaper: Jaroslav A. Pol谩k, CC BY 4.0, source
- Salige Frau: various, Public domain, source
- Gorsedd stones: Robin Drayton, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Zwarte Piet: The illustrator is Daan Hoeksma, who died in 1935. The author is liste, Public domain, source
- Chained Oak: Gary Rogers, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Yule cat: Christine Rondeau, CC BY 2.0, source
- Caloian: Costic膬 Acsinte Archive, No restrictions, source
- Jack O'The Lantern: Bodrugan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sailors' superstitions: Siren Painter (eponymous vase), Public domain, source
- Dj谩kninn 谩 Myrk谩: Th茅odore Meyer-Heine / Jules Worms, Public domain, source
- Dried cat: The Voice of Hassocks, CC0, source