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
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandSowilo
The s-rune representing the sun in Germanic writing systemsText 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenGlemminge stone
A Viking Age runestone in Sweden bearing a Younger Futhark inscription and a curse.Text 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyOmen (ancient Rome)omen
A sign in ancient Rome believed to reveal the future, good or bad.Belief 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 Iceland and 3 moreDeal with the Devil
A cultural trope of trading one's soul for worldly favours in exchange for demonic aidBelief 路 Power and authority 路 Cursing and harm Historical
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
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 4 moreWei脽e Frauen
Elven spirits of sunlight and water in Germanic folkloreBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainGua帽ame帽e
A Guanche prophet and the highest priestly rank in pre-conquest TenerifeFigure 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreAlpha et Omega
An occult order formed from the Golden Dawn schism, active in London and Paris before World War IITradition 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomSaducismus Triumphatus
A 1681 English book defending witchcraft beliefs and attacking skepticsText 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBook of Magical Charms
A seventeenth-century English manuscript of spells and medical remedies held in Chicago.Text 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomNine sorceressesnaw chwaer
A group of nine magical women in Welsh and Arthurian legendFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreCruentation
A medieval judicial test where a suspect touched a victim's body to see if it bled.Rite 路 Cursing and harm Historical
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
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 2 moreOsirian Egyptian OrderOrdine Osirideo Egizio
An Italian esoteric society tracing its roots to 18th-century Naples and ancient Hermetic traditions.Tradition 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyAlgiz
A runic letter representing a terminal sound and later symbols of life and deathText Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainLiber Ignium
A medieval Latin manuscript containing recipes for incendiary weapons and chemicals.Text 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 2 moreDione螖喂蠋谓畏
An ancient Greek oracular goddess and Titaness, mother of Aphrodite.Being 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 1 moreStalloSt谩llu
A large, clumsy creature from S谩mi folklore that eats people and is often outwitted by humans.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚘馃嚭 Australia and 1 moreVoldemort effect
A social pattern where naming a fear or problem makes it seem more powerfulBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreGiants (esotericism)
Spiritual beings linked to lost continents and root races in occult literatureBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment 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
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreGold of Tolosa
A legendary treasure hoard seized by Rome and lost to historyBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceDaimon未伪委渭蠅谓
A Greek spirit or divine force that mediates between gods and humansBeing 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
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
馃嚝馃嚪 FranceLoudun possessionsaffaire des poss茅d茅es de Loudun
A 17th-century witchcraft trial in France involving alleged demonic possession by Ursuline nuns.Belief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyAlchemical DoorPorta Alchemica
A Roman gate covered in alchemical symbols and legends of transmutationCharm 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyShe-wolf (Roman mythology)lupa
The mythical wolf that nursed Rome's founders and became the city's enduring symbolFigure 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyGli ExperimentiGli Experimenti de la Ex.ma S.r Caterina da Furlj Matre de lo inllux.mo S.r Giouanni de Medici
A 16th-century manuscript of alchemical, medicinal, and cosmetic recipes by Caterina SforzaText 路 Healing 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandTailteann Games脕enach Tailteann
Ancient Irish funeral games and assemblies held in County Meath to honor the dead.Rite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceMoirai螠慰委蟻蔚蟼
Greek personifications of destiny who spin, measure, and cut the thread of life.Being 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 1 moreAirship of Clonmacnoise
A medieval Irish legend of a ship in the sky and its anchorBelief 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
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
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomThe Book of Thoth
A guide to a tarot deck designed by an occultist and his collaboratorText 路 Power and authority 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 1 moreTelekinesis
A purported psychic ability to move objects with the mind aloneBelief 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 4 moreEctoplasm
A substance said to be excreted by mediums during s茅ances, later exposed as common household materials.Substance 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreBooks of secrets
Early modern European compilations of recipes and formulae framed as hidden knowledgeText 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 1 moreMaternal impression
A discredited theory that a mother's shock or thoughts can mark her unborn childBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptEnochian chess
A four-player chess variant used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn for divination and playTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreGargoylegargouille
A carved stone waterspout shaped like a creature, used on Gothic buildings to shed rainwaterCharm 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandSelkolla
A seal-headed woman from Icelandic folklore who clashed with a medieval bishop.Being 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenSaleby Runestone
A Swedish memorial stone raised by a husband for his wife, featuring an ancient curse.Text 路 Protection Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenGlemminge stone
A Viking Age runestone in Sweden bearing a Younger Futhark inscription and a curse.Text 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyOmen (ancient Rome)omen
A sign in ancient Rome believed to reveal the future, good or bad.Belief 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 Iceland and 3 moreDeal with the Devil
A cultural trope of trading one's soul for worldly favours in exchange for demonic aidBelief 路 Power and authority 路 Cursing and harm Historical
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
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 4 moreWei脽e Frauen
Elven spirits of sunlight and water in Germanic folkloreBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainGua帽ame帽e
A Guanche prophet and the highest priestly rank in pre-conquest TenerifeFigure 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreAlpha et Omega
An occult order formed from the Golden Dawn schism, active in London and Paris before World War IITradition 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomSaducismus Triumphatus
A 1681 English book defending witchcraft beliefs and attacking skepticsText 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBook of Magical Charms
A seventeenth-century English manuscript of spells and medical remedies held in Chicago.Text 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomNine sorceressesnaw chwaer
A group of nine magical women in Welsh and Arthurian legendFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreCruentation
A medieval judicial test where a suspect touched a victim's body to see if it bled.Rite 路 Cursing and harm Historical
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
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 2 moreOsirian Egyptian OrderOrdine Osirideo Egizio
An Italian esoteric society tracing its roots to 18th-century Naples and ancient Hermetic traditions.Tradition 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyAlgiz
A runic letter representing a terminal sound and later symbols of life and deathText Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainLiber Ignium
A medieval Latin manuscript containing recipes for incendiary weapons and chemicals.Text 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 2 moreDione螖喂蠋谓畏
An ancient Greek oracular goddess and Titaness, mother of Aphrodite.Being 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 1 moreStalloSt谩llu
A large, clumsy creature from S谩mi folklore that eats people and is often outwitted by humans.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚘馃嚭 Australia and 1 moreVoldemort effect
A social pattern where naming a fear or problem makes it seem more powerfulBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreGiants (esotericism)
Spiritual beings linked to lost continents and root races in occult literatureBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment 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
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreGold of Tolosa
A legendary treasure hoard seized by Rome and lost to historyBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceDaimon未伪委渭蠅谓
A Greek spirit or divine force that mediates between gods and humansBeing 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
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
馃嚝馃嚪 FranceLoudun possessionsaffaire des poss茅d茅es de Loudun
A 17th-century witchcraft trial in France involving alleged demonic possession by Ursuline nuns.Belief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyAlchemical DoorPorta Alchemica
A Roman gate covered in alchemical symbols and legends of transmutationCharm 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyShe-wolf (Roman mythology)lupa
The mythical wolf that nursed Rome's founders and became the city's enduring symbolFigure 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyGli ExperimentiGli Experimenti de la Ex.ma S.r Caterina da Furlj Matre de lo inllux.mo S.r Giouanni de Medici
A 16th-century manuscript of alchemical, medicinal, and cosmetic recipes by Caterina SforzaText 路 Healing 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandTailteann Games脕enach Tailteann
Ancient Irish funeral games and assemblies held in County Meath to honor the dead.Rite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceMoirai螠慰委蟻蔚蟼
Greek personifications of destiny who spin, measure, and cut the thread of life.Being 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 1 moreAirship of Clonmacnoise
A medieval Irish legend of a ship in the sky and its anchorBelief 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
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
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomThe Book of Thoth
A guide to a tarot deck designed by an occultist and his collaboratorText 路 Power and authority 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 1 moreTelekinesis
A purported psychic ability to move objects with the mind aloneBelief 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 4 moreEctoplasm
A substance said to be excreted by mediums during s茅ances, later exposed as common household materials.Substance 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreBooks of secrets
Early modern European compilations of recipes and formulae framed as hidden knowledgeText 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 1 moreMaternal impression
A discredited theory that a mother's shock or thoughts can mark her unborn childBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptEnochian chess
A four-player chess variant used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn for divination and playTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreGargoylegargouille
A carved stone waterspout shaped like a creature, used on Gothic buildings to shed rainwaterCharm 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 IcelandSelkolla
A seal-headed woman from Icelandic folklore who clashed with a medieval bishop.Being 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 SwedenSaleby Runestone
A Swedish memorial stone raised by a husband for his wife, featuring an ancient curse.Text 路 Protection Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Glemminge stone: Jorchr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saducismus Triumphatus: unknown engraver of the 17th century, Public domain, source
- Book of Magical Charms: Robert Ashley, died 1641, Public domain, source
- Cruentation: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Stallo: John Bauer, Public domain, source
- Mediumship: Harvey Metcalfe, Public domain, source
- Wolves in folklore, religion and mythology: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Deal with the Devil: Christoph, Public domain, source
- Madgy Figgy's Chair: Jim Champion, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- UR Group: Gruppo di Ur, Public domain, source
- Giants (esotericism): Athanasius Kircher, Public domain, source
- Curse of Scotland: James Gillray (died 1815), Public domain, source
- Gold of Tolosa: AchilleT, Public domain, source
- Daimon: Fran莽ois-Andr茅 Vincent, Public domain, source
- Grim Reaper: Jaroslav A. Pol谩k, CC BY 4.0, source
- Loudun possessions: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Alchemical Door: Sailko, CC BY 2.5, source
- Gli Experimenti: Mattman723, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tailteann Games: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Moirai: John Melhuish Strudwick, Public domain, source
- Airship of Clonmacnoise: Joseph Mischyshyn, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Jack O'The Lantern: Bodrugan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Telekinesis: Strobridge Lithographing Co., Public domain, source
- Gargoyle: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Saleby Runestone: Berig, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Wei脽e Frauen: Wojciech Gerson, Public domain, source
- Algiz: Arolsen Archives, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Voldemort effect: Shayan Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dione: Phidias, CC BY 2.5, source