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
馃嚥馃嚲 Malaysia and 1 moreOrang Minyak
A slippery ghost from Malay folklore that abducts women and is covered in black grease.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚲 Malaysia and 5 morePenanggalan
A floating head with trailing organs from Malay folklore, said to hunt pregnant women and newborns.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚲 MalaysiaPelesit
A familiar spirit in Malay folklore, usually appearing as a cricket or grasshopperBeing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesEkek
A winged creature from Philippine myth that hunts pregnant women at nightBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 3 moreOrang bunian
Invisible supernatural beings in Malay and Indonesian folklore who live alongside humans.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 2 moreKuntilanak
A vengeful female spirit of Indonesian and Malaysian folklore, known for luring victims with beauty before revealing a mBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Love and attraction Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesManananggal
A Philippine creature that splits its body to hunt at nightBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesKapre
A tree giant of Philippine folklore that smokes cigars and plays pranks on travelersBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaRangda岈瑮岘勧
A Balinese demon queen who leads witches in an eternal battle against good.Figure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesAswang
A shape-shifting monster from Philippine folklore that preys on humans.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 1 moreVengeful ghost
A restless spirit said to return from death to punish those who caused harmBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaSundel bolong
A vengeful ghost of Java, a woman whose long black hair hides the hole in her back.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesSiyokoy
A hostile aquatic humanoid from Philippine mythology that drags victims underwaterBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚲 MalaysiaSang Sapurba
A legendary ancestor figure in Malay and Minangkabau royal genealogiesFigure 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaNini Pelet
A West Javanese sorceress legend linked to Mount Ciremai and the origin of the word for love charmsFigure 路 Love and attraction 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaBabi ngepet
A Javanese myth about a person who turns into a boar to steal wealthBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesMarukos
A crossroads demon in Ilocano folklore that drowns wayward travelers.Figure 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesBatibat
A tree-dwelling demon that causes sleep paralysis and nightmares in Philippine folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaKeong Emas
A Javanese legend about a princess turned into a golden snailFigure 路 Love and attraction Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesMandurugo
A shapeshifting spirit from Philippine folklore that feeds on human bloodBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚲 Malaysia and 5 morePenanggalan
A floating head with trailing organs from Malay folklore, said to hunt pregnant women and newborns.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚲 MalaysiaPelesit
A familiar spirit in Malay folklore, usually appearing as a cricket or grasshopperBeing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesEkek
A winged creature from Philippine myth that hunts pregnant women at nightBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 3 moreOrang bunian
Invisible supernatural beings in Malay and Indonesian folklore who live alongside humans.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 2 moreKuntilanak
A vengeful female spirit of Indonesian and Malaysian folklore, known for luring victims with beauty before revealing a mBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Love and attraction Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesManananggal
A Philippine creature that splits its body to hunt at nightBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesKapre
A tree giant of Philippine folklore that smokes cigars and plays pranks on travelersBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaRangda岈瑮岘勧
A Balinese demon queen who leads witches in an eternal battle against good.Figure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesAswang
A shape-shifting monster from Philippine folklore that preys on humans.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 1 moreVengeful ghost
A restless spirit said to return from death to punish those who caused harmBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaSundel bolong
A vengeful ghost of Java, a woman whose long black hair hides the hole in her back.Being 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesSiyokoy
A hostile aquatic humanoid from Philippine mythology that drags victims underwaterBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚥馃嚲 MalaysiaSang Sapurba
A legendary ancestor figure in Malay and Minangkabau royal genealogiesFigure 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaNini Pelet
A West Javanese sorceress legend linked to Mount Ciremai and the origin of the word for love charmsFigure 路 Love and attraction 路 Power and authority Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaBabi ngepet
A Javanese myth about a person who turns into a boar to steal wealthBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesMarukos
A crossroads demon in Ilocano folklore that drowns wayward travelers.Figure 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesBatibat
A tree-dwelling demon that causes sleep paralysis and nightmares in Philippine folkloreBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaKeong Emas
A Javanese legend about a princess turned into a golden snailFigure 路 Love and attraction Legendary
馃嚨馃嚟 PhilippinesMandurugo
A shapeshifting spirit from Philippine folklore that feeds on human bloodBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Tagalog religion: The original uploader was Rodsan18 at English Wikipedia . ( Original t, CC BY 2.5, source
- Penanggalan: Hi I really try my best here, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Manananggal: Gian Bernal, CC0, source
- Rangda: Boy Lawson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vengeful ghost: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi; Tsukioka Yoshitoshi died 1892; Negishi Chokuzan;, Public domain, source
- Babi ngepet: Tropenmuseum, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Keong Emas: Post of Indonesia, Public domain, source