Revived practices
Lost or suppressed, then taken up again, often in a new form.
- 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
🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreFinnish mythology
The pre-Christian folklore and cosmology of the Finns and KareliansTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Revived
🇯🇵 JapanOnmyōdō陰陽道
A Japanese system of divination and calendar science rooted in yin-yang philosophyTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Protection Revived
🇮🇸 Iceland and 2 moreSeiðr
A Norse magic of fate and spirit, practiced by seers and sorcerers in the Viking Age.Tradition · Seeing and foretelling · Cursing and harm Revived
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreCorn dolly
A woven straw figure made from the last sheaf of a European harvest to house the crop spirit.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Revived
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreGreen Man
A carved face made of leaves, used as a decorative motif in architecture and art.Illusion · Wonder and entertainment Revived
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreAradia
A figure of Italian folklore and modern pagan witchcraft, seen as a teacher of magic and liberation.Figure · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Revived
🇬🇧 United KingdomCeridwenCerridwen
A Welsh enchantress and modern goddess of poetic inspiration and transformation.Being · Change and initiation Revived
🇬🇧 United KingdomMari LwydY Fari Lwyd
A Welsh winter custom featuring a horse skull carried through villages for song and hospitality.Rite · Luck and prosperity · Wonder and entertainment Revived
🇬🇧 United KingdomJack in the Green
A foliate figure worn in English May Day processions to celebrate summerIllusion · Wonder and entertainment Revived
🇨🇳 China and 4 moreQimen Dunjia奇門遁甲
An ancient Chinese divination system mapping time and space for strategic decision-makingOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Revived
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreSlavic religion
The pre-Christian beliefs of the Slavic peoples before their conversion to Christianity.Tradition · Protection · Healing Revived
🇸🇪 Sweden and 2 moreGermanic seeressvǫlva
Diviners and sorceresses of early Germanic and Norse societyTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Revived
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreMummers' play
A folk drama featuring a fight and a resurrection, performed by amateur troupes in the British Isles.Rite · Luck and prosperity · Speaking with spirits and the dead Revived
🇦🇹 Austria and 3 morePerchtaPercht
A Alpine goddess of winter who rewards diligence and punishes laziness during the twelve days after Christmas.Being · Luck and prosperity · Cursing and harm Revived
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreBeltaneBealtaine
A Gaelic festival marking the start of summer with protective bonfires and livestock ritualsTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Revived
🇬🇧 United KingdomRune casting (sample)
Carved signs drawn from a bag.Oracle · Seeing and foretelling Revived
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Green Man: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Onmyōdō: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Seiðr: John Bauer, Public domain, source
- Corn dolly: Renata ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Ceridwen: Chris Denny, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mari Lwyd: Thomas Christopher Evans (Cadrawd), Public domain, source
- Jack in the Green: SiGarb, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Slavic religion: Alphonse Mucha, Public domain, source
- Germanic seeress: Emil Doepler, Public domain, source
- Mummers' play: Aladjov, CC BY 3.0, source
- Perchta: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Beltane: Stefan Schäfer, Lich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Finnish mythology: Väinö Blomstedt, Public domain, source