Legendary practices
Known from myth, story and legend rather than from recorded practice.
- 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
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelWitch of Endor讗值芝砖侄讈转 讘址旨纸注植诇址转志讗止謻讜讘 讘职旨注值芝讬谉 讚止旨纸讜专
A biblical spirit-diviner summoned by King Saul to consult the prophet Samuel.Figure 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreBehemoth讘职旨讛值诪讜止转
A primeval land-monster from the Book of Job and later Jewish legendBeing 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚚馃嚳 Czech Republic and 4 moreGolem讙旨讜止诇侄诐
An animated clay figure from Jewish folklore created to serve or protectBeing 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreSolomon's shamir砖指讈诪执讬专
A legendary worm or stone used to carve stone without iron toolsBeing 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreRahab专址讛址讘
A Hebrew mythic sea monster and symbol of chaos, later used as a poetic name for Egypt.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelAdne Sadeh讗址讚职谞值讬 讛址砖指旨讉讚侄讛
A wild humanoid from Jewish folklore tethered to the earth by its navelBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreBalak讘指旨诇指拽
A biblical king who sought a sorcerer's curse against the IsraelitesFigure 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚡馃嚨 Japan and 5 moreMythic humanoids
Creatures that blend human and animal traits across global folkloreBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreFiery flying serpent砖指讉专指祝 诪职注讜止驻值祝 (s膩r膩f m蓹鈥樑峟膿f)
A biblical creature described as a venomous winged snake in the Book of IsaiahFigure 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚲馃嚜 Yemen and 2 moreQueen of Sheba诪址诇职讻址旨转 砖职讈讘指讗 (Hebrew), 賲賱賰丞 爻亘兀 (Arabic), 釆曖實釄メ壈 釄翅墸 (Ge式ez)
A legendary queen from ancient Arabia or Ethiopia who visited King Solomon.Figure Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Golem: user Thander, Public domain, source
- Behemoth: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source
- Witch of Endor: Adam Elsheimer / John Kay, CC BY 4.0, source
- Solomon's shamir: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eberhard_Werner_Happel, Public domain, source
- Balak: Philip De Vere, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fiery flying serpent: 讚讜讚 讚讜讚.. Original uploader was Androctonus at he.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Queen of Sheba: Jacopo Tintoretto, Public domain, source