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. 828 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 33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 136馃嚞馃嚪 Greece 135馃嚟馃嚭 Hungary 14馃嚠馃嚫 Iceland 47馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland 104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 44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 76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
馃嚪馃嚫 Serbia and 3 moreSerbian folklore小褉锌褋泻懈 褎芯谢泻谢芯褉
The folk traditions and epic poetry of the Serbs, blending pre-Christian customs with Orthodox faith.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 1 moreFinnic mythologies
The traditional beliefs and spiritual practices of the Finnic-speaking peoples of northern Eurasia.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚚馃嚟 SwitzerlandMagic circle
A ritual boundary drawn or visualised to create sacred space and protectionTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreWell dressing
A rural English custom of decorating water sources with natural designsTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 5 moreCrossroads (folklore)
A junction between worlds where spirits are met and deals are madeBelief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 5 moreVotive offering
Objects left in sacred places to honor a deity or fulfill a vow, never to be recovered.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 5 moreHoly well
A water source revered for healing and ritual across pagan and Christian traditionsTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 5 moreKabbalah拽址讘指旨诇指讛
An esoteric school of thought within Judaism focused on the hidden meanings of scripture and the divine.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 4 moreFolk Orthodoxy薪邪褉芯写薪芯械 锌褉邪胁芯褋谢邪胁懈械
A blend of Eastern Orthodox doctrine and pre-Christian pagan beliefs in Slavic communitiesTradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreWheel of the Year
An annual cycle of eight seasonal festivals observed by modern pagans.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 5 moreCairn
A human-made stack of stones used as a marker, memorial, or religious symbol across many cultures.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 5 moreMidsummerJ膩艈i; Jonin臈s; Jaanip盲ev; Enyovden; Litha; Juhannus
A summer solstice festival marked by bonfires, maypole dancing, and feasting across Europe.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 1 moreSamhain
A Gaelic festival marking the end of harvest and the start of winter, observed on November 1st.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
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 KingdomEnglish folklore
The myths, legends, and customs of England passed down through generations.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚤馃嚮 Latvia and 1 moreLatvian mythology
A collection of myths about gods, spirits, and the afterlife from the Baltic region.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 2 moreAstragalomancy
Divination by casting marked bones, carved rods, or numbered diceOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚪馃嚧 Romania and 1 moreFolklore of RomaniaFolclorul rom芒nesc
The traditional stories, music and customs of the Romanian peopleTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚭馃嚘 Ukraine and 1 moreUkrainian folklore
The folk traditions of Ukraine and its ethnic communitiesTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreSoul cake
A spiced cake given to soulers during Allhallowtide to remember the dead.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreGardnerian Wicca
An initiatory neopagan tradition tracing its lineage to Gerald Gardner and the New Forest covenTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 7 moreSlavic Native Faith袪芯写薪芯胁械褉懈械
A modern polytheistic movement drawing on Slavic folklore, romanticism, and global spiritual traditions.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚫 Iceland and 2 moreYulej贸l
A Germanic midwinter festival merged with Christmas and revived by modern pagansTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomWassail
A hot spiced drink and the twelfth-night customs of singing to trees or visiting homes for giftsTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Protection Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomEnochian magic
A Renaissance system of ceremonial magic based on angelic revelations recorded by John Dee and Edward Kelley.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 5 moreAlexandrian Wicca
A British Neopagan tradition founded in the 1960s by Alex and Maxine SandersTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 1 moreLughnasadhL煤nasa
A Gaelic harvest festival marking the beginning of the grain gathering seasonTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 5 moreDruidry
A modern nature religion inspired by ancient Celtic priests and Romantic idealsTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 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
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyArcheosofica
A school of esoteric Christianity founded in Rome that teaches ascetic disciplines and magical theory.Tradition 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 5 moreRinging Cedars' Anastasianism写胁懈卸械薪懈械 芦袗薪邪褋褌邪褋懈褟禄
A Russian new religious movement based on books about a Siberian mystic and nature worshipTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreWestern Sufism
Adaptations of Islamic mysticism in Europe and North AmericaTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandFellowship of Isis饟姩饟弿饟亹饟尀饟嫶饟叡饟偦饟惏饟彞
An international spiritual fellowship honouring the Divine Feminine and the goddess IsisTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 3 moreYehowists懈谢褜懈薪褑褘
A Russian Spiritual Christian group founded by Nikolai Ilyin in the 1840sTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomTyphonian Order
A British Thelemic esoteric body working with dark occultism, kalas, and cosmic mythTradition 路 Change and initiation 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
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
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceSacred mysteries渭蠀蟽蟿萎蟻喂慰谓
Secret ceremonies and divine doctrines held to exceed human reasonBelief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 3 moreAstral projection
An intentional out-of-body experience where consciousness travels through the astral planeTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Anthroposophy: Wladyslaw, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Astral projection: Hereward Carrington, Sylvan Muldoon., Public domain, source
- Occult: The .:X, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Midsummer: Kora27, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Archeosofica: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Samhain: Daniel Maclise, Public domain, source
- Emanuel Swedenborg: Carl Frederik von Breda, Public domain, source
- English folklore: J. R. Skelton, Public domain, source
- Latvian mythology: Dezidor, CC BY 3.0, source
- Astragalomancy: Roland zh, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Folklore of Romania: TwoWings, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ukrainian folklore: U.S. Army Europe Images, CC BY 2.0, source
- Soul cake: Samantha, CC BY 2.0, source
- Gardnerian Wicca: Midnightblueowl ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Slavic Native Faith: Union of Slavic Rodnover Communities (小芯褞蟹 小谢邪胁褟薪褋泻懈褏 袨斜褖懈薪 小谢邪胁褟薪褋泻芯泄, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yule: Robert Chambers, Public domain, source
- Wassail: Joss Smithson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lughnasadh: Mountainash333, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Druidry: TheJaySpearing, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gorsedd stones: Robin Drayton, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Sacred mysteries: Johannes Hopffe, Public domain, source
- Magic circle: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
- Ringing Cedars' Anastasianism: 袥芯斜邪褔械胁 袙谢邪写懈屑懈褉, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Well dressing: User:WhaleyTim, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Crossroads (folklore): MiddleOfAfrica, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Votive offering: Walter J. Pilsak, Waldsassen ( W.J.Pilsak at de.wikipedia ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holy well: The Speckled Bird, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kabbalah: Joseph ben Abraham Gikatilla, Paulus Riccius, Leonhard Beck, Public domain, source
- Folk Orthodoxy: 袥芯斜邪褔械胁 袙谢邪写懈屑懈褉, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wheel of the Year: Sunblade1500, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cairn: Andrew Bossi, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Serbian folklore: Uro拧 Predi膰, Public domain, source