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
🇮🇳 IndiaParashuramaपरशुराम (Paraśurāma)
The warrior sage of Hinduism who wields a divine axe to restore cosmic balance.Being · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaIndian rope trick
A legendary stage illusion involving a levitating rope and a disappearing boy assistantIllusion · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 1 morePishachaपिशाच (piśāca)
A flesh-eating demon from Indian religions, feared for possession and madness.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 6 moreChurel
A female revenant of South Asian folklore, feared for luring men awayBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreApsaraअप्सरस् (Sanskrit), អប្សរា (Khmer)
Celestial water spirits and dancers from Hindu and Buddhist traditions across South and Southeast AsiaBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 1 morePichal periਪਿੱਛਲ ਪੈਰੀ
A backward-footed female spirit of northwestern South Asia and Central AsiaBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreRavanaरावण (Rāvaṇa)
A ten-headed demon king of Lanka and a devoted follower of Shiva in Hindu tradition.Figure · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaMahishasuraमहिषासुर
A bovine asura slain by the goddess Durga in Hindu myth and legendBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreKinnaraकिन्नर (Sanskrit)
A half-human, half-bird creature from Hindu and Buddhist myth, known for music and devotion.Being · Love and attraction · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇧🇹 BhutanDrukའབྲུག
A mythical thunder dragon from Tibetan and Bhutanese traditionBeing · Power and authority Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaBonnaconβόνασος
A legendary bull that defends itself with burning excrementBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreWorld Turtle
A mythic giant turtle said to support the earth or contain the world in various cultures.Being · Power and authority Legendary
🇵🇾 Paraguay and 2 moreKurupiCurupí
A Guaraní forest spirit known for his elongated phallus and role as a protector or abductor.Being · Protection · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreCrocotta
A mythical dog-wolf of India and Ethiopia that mimics human voicesBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaDawon
The lion mount of the goddess Durga in Hindu traditionBeing · Power and authority Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaKeibu Keioiba
A tiger-headed man from Manipur folklore who was once a priestFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreTarand
A legendary reindeer-like creature said to change its hair colour like a chameleon.Being · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇧🇴 Bolivia and 1 moreAnchanchu
A shapeshifting vampire of the Andes that drains blood and demands offerings from miners.Being · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary
🇮🇩 IndonesiaAbada
A two-horned mythical beast from Central African and Southeast Asian loreBeing · Healing · Luck and prosperity Legendary
🇵🇾 ParaguayJasy Jatere
A Guaraní spirit of the moon who guards yerba mate and enforces the siestaBeing · Protection · Luck and prosperity Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaPinglak
A lion from the Panchatantra whose friendship with a bull is destroyed by cunning advisorsFigure · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaEcheneis
A legendary fish said to hold back ships and influence legal proceedingsBeing · Cursing and harm · Love and attraction Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaBuru
A fierce swamp creature from Apatani founding narrativesBeing Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaDaityaदैत्याः
A race of asuras in Hindu mythology descended from Kashyapa and DitiBeing Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreAiravataऐरावत
A pristine white mythic elephant that carries the king of gods and controls the rains.Being · Power and authority · Protection Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaHingchabiꯍꯤꯡꯆꯥꯕꯤ
A giantess figure from Meitei folklore who feeds on raw fleshBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaChedipeचेदिप
A witch-vampire spirit of the Godavari region that drains men and feeds on sorrowBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaPandi
A legendary race of giant-eared people from ancient geographic textsBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaChromandi
A legendary race of hairy people with dog teeth from medieval bestiariesFigure Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaIndus worm
A giant carnivorous river creature from ancient Greek accounts of the IndusBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreWerecat
A feline shapeshifter found in global folklore and occult beliefBeing · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaBramrachokh
A demon in Kashmiri myth that mimics a light to lead travellers astrayBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇮🇳 IndiaHenjunaha and LairoulembiHensunaha Lailoulempi
A Meitei epic of lovers who die and return from the underworld through devotion.Figure · Love and attraction Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Bonnacon: unknown (medieval) author, Public domain, source
- Keibu Keioiba: Haoreima, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Crocotta: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Kurupi: FrankOWeaver, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Churel: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Parashurama: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Pishacha: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Apsara: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Mahishasura: Prakashsubbarao at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Ravana: Gita Press Gorakhpur, CC0, source
- World Turtle: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Tarand: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Anchanchu: Arizz4k, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Daitya: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Airavata: Unknown, India, Rajasthan, Amber, South Asia, Public domain, source
- Hingchabi: Bemni, N, CC0, source
- Indian rope trick: Anonymous Unknown author, CC0, source
- Jasy Jatere: Patty P, Public domain, source
- Dawon: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Kinnara: ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ - เ, Public domain, source