Historical practices
Documented in the past; no continuous living tradition today.
- Living
- Revived
- Fading
- Historical
- Legendary
- Performed
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
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
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreSupay
An Andean spirit of the underworld who balances life and death forcesBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 3 moreVoodoo doll
A pin-stuffed figure linked to magic in popular culture, not Haitian VodouCharm 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreObsidian
Volcanic glass used for sharp tools, mirrors, and ritual divinationSubstance 路 Cursing and harm 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreChild sacrifice
The ritual killing of children to appease deities or restore cosmic order in ancient culturesRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiBois Ca茂man
The sacred site where enslaved Africans planned the Haitian Revolution through a Vodou ceremony.Rite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilThe Hairy LegPerna cabeluda
A Brazilian urban legend of a detached leg that attacks people at nightFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚘馃嚪 ArgentinaLegendary creatures of the Argentine Northwest region
Myths and spirits from the Andean highlands of ArgentinaBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 3 moreGualichu
An evil spirit feared in Mapuche and Tehuelche traditions, and a word for bad luckBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 3 moreVoodoo doll
A pin-stuffed figure linked to magic in popular culture, not Haitian VodouCharm 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreObsidian
Volcanic glass used for sharp tools, mirrors, and ritual divinationSubstance 路 Cursing and harm 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreChild sacrifice
The ritual killing of children to appease deities or restore cosmic order in ancient culturesRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiBois Ca茂man
The sacred site where enslaved Africans planned the Haitian Revolution through a Vodou ceremony.Rite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilThe Hairy LegPerna cabeluda
A Brazilian urban legend of a detached leg that attacks people at nightFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚘馃嚪 ArgentinaLegendary creatures of the Argentine Northwest region
Myths and spirits from the Andean highlands of ArgentinaBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 3 moreGualichu
An evil spirit feared in Mapuche and Tehuelche traditions, and a word for bad luckBeing 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
- Obsidian: Krassotkin, CC0, source
- Child sacrifice: Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Public domain, source
- The Hairy Leg: Di贸genes Montenegro, Public domain, source