Magic in North America
Hoodoo and conjure, Appalachian folk magic, Indigenous ceremony (some of it closed to outsiders), modern Paganism and the stage magic of Houdini to Las Vegas. 187 entries on EveryJaadu so far.
Places of magic
New Orleans 6Salem 4Boston 2Chicago 2Harlem 2Liverpool 2Los Angeles 2San Francisco 2Adams 1Alaska 1Alberta 1Albuquerque 1Alexian Brothers Hospital 1Atlanta 1Balzac 1Beaman 1Bell Witch Cave 1Berks County 1Big Horn County 1Blythe 1Boulder Valley 1Braddock Heights 1Brisbane 1Bristol 1Broadway 1Brownsville 1Buffalo 1Central Park 1Chattanooga 1Chesapeake Bay 1
Rites of the region
Pennsylvania German powwowAppalachian charm for stopping bloodHoodoo mojo bagHoodoo floor washingCasting a Wiccan circleSpiritualist seanceThe Ouija boardSmudging, and who may do itNavajo sandpainting
Countries
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
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreFountain of Youth
A legendary spring said to reverse aging and cure illness, appearing in myths across the world.Belief 路 Healing 路 Change and initiation Legendary
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesSalem Witch Trials
A colonial legal crisis where over two hundred people faced accusations of sorcery in Massachusetts.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 4 moreRainmaking
Efforts to induce rain through technology, ritual, or prayer.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreMedicine wheel
Circular stone formations built by Indigenous peoples of North America for ceremony and astronomy.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreSatanism
A modern set of beliefs using the figure of Satan as a symbol or deity.Tradition 路 Power and authority 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚜馃嚜 Estonia and 1 moreEstonian mythologyeesti m眉toloogia
The pre-Christian beliefs and legends of the Estonian peopleTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 1 moreFinnish mythology
The pre-Christian folklore and cosmology of the Finns and KareliansTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Revived
馃嚚馃嚘 Canada and 1 moreTotemdoodem
A spirit or symbol linking a group to nature, from Ojibwe clan systems to Australian kinshipBelief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 7 moreSatanic panic
A moral panic over unsubstantiated claims of Satanic cults abusing children in the late twentieth centuryBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 4 moreFortune-telling
A practice of predicting future events or personal details through various methods and tools.Rite 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreGroundhog DayGrund'sau d氓k
A North American custom using a burrowing rodent to forecast the end of winterTradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesGhost DanceNanissaanah
A circular movement seeking spiritual renewal and reunion with ancestorsRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 morePunxsutawney Phil
A groundhog who serves as the central figure in an annual American weather prediction festival.Belief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreFriday the 13th
A Western superstition marking a specific calendar date as unlucky.Belief 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesBloody Mary
A mirror ritual to summon a spirit that reveals the future or brings harmBelief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesCurse of Tippecanoe
An urban legend linking US presidential deaths to election years ending in zero.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Fading
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesKennedy curse
A pattern of tragedies linked to the American Kennedy familyBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚚馃嚘 CanadaSpoon bending
A magic trick and paranormal claim involving the deformation of metal cutleryBelief 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesCurse of the Bambino
A sports superstition linking a long championship drought to a player saleBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreJinx
A curse or attribute believed to attract bad luckBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreFriday the 13th
A Western superstition marking a specific calendar date as unluckyBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreFinancial astrology
A practice linking planetary positions to stock market trendsBelief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Fading
馃嚘馃嚭 Australia and 2 moreTheatrical superstitions
Beliefs and rituals among actors to avoid bad luck and ward off spiritsBelief 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreCurse of 1940
A superstition explaining a long championship drought for the New York RangersBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreFriday the 13th
A Western superstition that a specific calendar alignment brings misfortuneBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 4 moreTooth fairy
A childhood figure who exchanges lost baby teeth for gifts or coins.Figure 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 1 moreHiisi
A Finnic spirit of sacred places that evolved into a demonic giant in folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesAshtar
A channeled extraterrestrial figure central to mid-century American ufology and New Age spiritualityBeing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesGreenbrier Ghost
A West Virginia murder case where a mother claimed her daughter's spirit revealed the truth.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreWhite House Ghost
A spirit said to walk the White House and former Illinois homes of the sixteenth president.Belief Historical
馃嚚馃嚘 CanadaOak Island mystery
A centuries-old legend of buried treasure and unexplained engineering on a Canadian island.Belief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesCurse of the Boulder Valley
A legend attributed to Chief Niwot about the valley's beauty and its futureBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesPele's Curse
A belief that taking Hawaiian sand or rock brings bad luckBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreBaskerville effect
A theory that superstition about unlucky numbers causes heart attacks through stressBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 2 moreFlying Africans
A legend of enslaved people returning to Africa by magic flightFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesBaseball superstition
Rituals and beliefs held by players and fans to influence game outcomesBelief 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Protection Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesChristian views on magic
A spectrum of Christian beliefs about magical practices, ranging from strict condemnation to esoteric integration.Belief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreVanishing hitchhiker
An urban legend where a motorist picks up a passenger who vanishes, often leaving behind proof of their death.Belief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesPlastic shaman
A label for imposters who sell fake Indigenous spiritual practices for profitBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚝馃嚠 Finland and 1 moreKy枚pelinvuori
A Finnish mountain where dead women are said to gather after deathBelief Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesBelled buzzard
A folklore omen of disaster, depicted as a vulture wearing a bellBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesMartian Monkey
A 1953 Atlanta hoax involving a tailless monkey dressed as an alienBelief 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesMoll Dyer
A Maryland folktale about a woman accused of witchcraft and her cursed stoneFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Legendary
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesLaw of attraction
A New Thought belief that focused thoughts draw matching experiences into lifeBelief 路 Healing 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreHaunted doll
A doll claimed to be haunted or possessed, often linked to film and urban legend.Belief 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesCurse of Rocky Colavito
A baseball superstition linking a 1960 player trade to decades of team failureBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚡馃嚨 Japan and 1 moreChain letterFukou no Tegami
A message that demands copying and forwarding to avoid bad luck or gain fortuneBelief 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreRemote viewing
A claimed psychic ability to perceive distant targets without using the sensesBelief 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kennedy curse: Walt Cisco, Dallas Morning News, Public domain, source
- Spoon bending: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Flying Africans: Matthew T Rader, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Curse of the Bambino: National Photo Company, Public domain, source
- Curse of Tippecanoe: Albert Gallatin Hoit, Public domain, source
- Fountain of Youth: Lucas Cranach the Elder, Public domain, source
- Salem Witch Trials: unattributed, Public domain, source
- Rainmaking: George Catlin, Public domain, source
- Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
- Satanism: Alexandre Cabanel, Public domain, source
- Estonian mythology: Jeannette Berkowitz (illustrator), Public domain, source
- Baseball superstition: Johnmaxmena2, CC BY 4.0, source
- Finnish mythology: V盲in枚 Blomstedt, Public domain, source
- Totem: Jami430, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Curse of 1940: Trophy: Unknown Photo: Alexey Chernyadyev Derivative work: J . delanoy, CC BY 3.0, source
- Christian views on magic: Athanasius Kircher, Public domain, source
- Punxsutawney Phil: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
- Tooth fairy: Eden, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ashtar: Evedawn99, Public domain, source
- Belled buzzard: Saturday Evening Post Irvin Cobb Douglas Durr, Public domain, source
- Martian Monkey: Tim Farley, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Medicine wheel: U.S. Forest Service Photo, Public domain, source
- Moll Dyer: Dougtone, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Haunted doll: Cayobo, CC BY 1.0, source
- Chain letter: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Satanic panic: Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514), Public domain, source
- Fortune-telling: Taras Shevchenko, Public domain, source
- Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ghost Dance: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- White House Ghost: Alexander Gardner, Public domain, source
- Oak Island mystery: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source