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
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenTors氓ker witch trials
The largest mass execution of witches in Swedish history, carried out in a single day.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 2 moreKey of SolomonClavicula Salomonis
A Renaissance grimoire attributed to King Solomon, detailing ritual preparations and invocations.Text 路 Cursing and harm 路 Love and attraction Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainBasque witch trials
A seventeenth-century Inquisition campaign against alleged witches in the Basque Country.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainSorginak
Mythical beings and historical figures associated with Basque witchcraft and the goddess Mari.Figure 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomWitch trials in early modern Scotland
A period of judicial persecution where thousands were executed for alleged sorcery and diabolic pactsBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyWitch trials in Italy
Historic legal proceedings against alleged witches across Italian states from the 14th to 18th centuries.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreDruiddruides
A learned priestly class of the ancient Celts in Gaul and BritainTradition 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 4 moreLady MiddayPoludnitsa
A Slavic noon spirit who watches over fields and punishes those who work during the hottest hours.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyMalleus Maleficarum
A 15th-century manual on witchcraft written by Heinrich KramerText 路 Cursing and harm 路 Binding and oaths Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 2 moreMj枚lnirMj谦llnir
The hammer of the Norse thunder god Thor, used as a weapon and for blessingsBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚦馃嚤 NetherlandsWitch trials in the Netherlands
A historical record of prosecutions and executions for sorcery in the Dutch Republic.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreSixth and Seventh Books of Moses
A grimoire claiming to reveal the hidden spells of Moses for controlling spirits and natureText 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreWitch trials in the Holy Roman Empire
A wave of executions across Central Europe between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 4 moreWitch trials in the early modern period
A wave of prosecutions across Europe and British America from the 1400s to the late 1700s.Tradition 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomSpectral evidence
Court testimony based on visions of spirits during historical witch trialsBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 3 moreChristian Kabbalah
A Renaissance effort to read Christian theology into Jewish mysticismTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreWild Hunt
A spectral chase across Europe led by a mythic figure and ghostly riders.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreMedieval European magic
A broad category of ritual and natural practices in the Middle Ages, blending healing, divination, and religious belief.Tradition 路 Healing 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreThe Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
A 1982 book proposing Jesus had a bloodline protected by a secret societyText 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚜馃嚜 Estonia and 1 moreWitch trials in Latvia and Estonia
Early modern persecutions of sorcery and paganism by Baltic German authoritiesBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Cleansing and purification Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreBamberg witch trials
A mass execution campaign in a German prince-bishopric that killed around one thousand people between 1623 and 1632.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚦馃嚧 NorwayWitch trials in Norway
A wave of executions and legal persecution for sorcery in early modern Norway.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaBlack magic
Magic traditionally defined by malevolent intent and selfish purposesBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyPhilipp Adolf von Ehrenberg
A German prince-bishop who directed a massive witch-hunt in the 1620sFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomPendle witches
A 1612 series of English witch trials that resulted in ten executions near Pendle Hill.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyAlp
A Germanic spirit that presses on sleepers and drinks milkBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenMora witch trial
A 1669 Swedish mass execution driven by child testimony and European hysteriaBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
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 NorwayVard酶 witch trials
A major Scandinavian persecution of women accused of sorcery in 17th-century NorwayBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 1 moreWitch trials in Finland
A historical record of legal persecution for magic in a region where men were common targets.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenWitch trials in Denmark
A history of legal executions and local panics against sorcery in early modern Denmark.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚦馃嚤 NetherlandsCornelius Loos
A Catholic priest who publicly opposed the European witch trials of the late 1500s.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBlack Shuck
A ghostly black dog from East Anglia folklore, often seen as a death omen or a terrifying apparition.Belief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚟馃嚭 Hungary and 1 moreWitch trials in Hungary
A centuries-long series of persecutions for sorcery that ended with imperial decree.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomPricking
A method used during European witch trials to locate a supposed insensitive mark on an accused person.Rite 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 2 moreUpi贸r褍锌褨芯褉
A demonic spirit from Slavic and Turkic folklore that is believed to return from the dead to feed on the living.Being 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainDirectorium Inquisitorum
A 14th-century manual for inquisitors on heresy, magic, and trial procedureText 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 2 moreTrial by ordeal
An ancient judicial test where a dangerous physical trial determined guilt or innocenceRite 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚨馃嚤 PolandWitch trials in Poland
A historical record of sorcery prosecutions and executions in Poland from the 15th to the 19th century.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomSt Mark's Eve
An English folk custom to witness omens of death and future marriage on the eve of a saint's feast dayRite 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomGwyllion
Welsh spirits that lead travellers astray and are feared in mountain folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 Iceland and 1 moreNornsnornir
Fate-weaving figures from Norse myth who shape human destiny and tend the world tree.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBoggart
A malevolent household spirit from northern English folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandBodach
A Gaelic trickster figure used to frighten children and warn of deathFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreWitch's mark
A bodily mark believed to prove a pact with the Devil during early modern witch trialsBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 3 moreWitches' Sabbath
A legendary gathering of witches described in early modern trial records and folkloreBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomPaisley witches
A 1697 Scottish witch trial ending in mass execution after a child's illness sparked local panic.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyW眉rzburg witch trials
A mass execution of hundreds in a German Catholic principality during the Thirty Years WarBelief 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.
- Black magic: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eliogarcia/ (nick in flickr:creo que soy, CC BY 2.0, source
- Trial by ordeal: James Sibree, Public domain, source
- Witch-cult hypothesis: Francisco Goya, Public domain, source
- Alp: Henry Fuseli, Public domain, source
- North Berwick witch trials: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Mora witch trial: Unknown author Unknown author contemporary artist, Public domain, source
- Witch trials in Denmark: Rigsarkivet - Danish National Archives, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pricking: Heinrichkramer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Upi贸r: 袙褨褖褍薪, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Directorium Inquisitorum: Nicol谩s Eymerich, Public domain, source
- Norns: file: James Steakley ; artwork: Gustav Heidenreich, Public domain, source
- Boggart: Katolophyromai, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Witch's mark: T. H. Matteson, Public domain, source
- W眉rzburg witch trials: Sweet Chily, Public domain, source
- Medieval European magic: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Wild Hunt: Peter Nicolai Arbo, Public domain, source
- Pendle witches: Dr Greg, CC BY 3.0, source
- Witch trials in the early modern period: Johann Jakob Wick, Public domain, source
- Galder: Bengt A. Lundberg, CC BY 2.5, source
- Bamberg witch trials: Berthold Werner, Public domain, source
- Mj枚lnir: M氓rten Eskil Winge, Public domain, source
- Malleus Maleficarum: Johann Jakob Wick, Public domain, source
- Sorginak: Errazking, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Witch trials in the Netherlands: Mathje1963, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Druid: Bernard de Montfaucon, Public domain, source
- Lady Midday: 袙褨褖褍薪, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Basque witch trials: Alberto-g-rovi, CC BY 3.0, source
- Witch trials in the Holy Roman Empire: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Tors氓ker witch trials: Y-n盲smannen, CC0, source
- Key of Solomon: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source