Possessing and Afflicting Spirits
Alp
Germanic folklore
Alp is the nightmare spirit sitting on the sleeper, a presence preserved in Germanic folklore traditions of death, passage and the unseen world.
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Possessing and Afflicting Spirits
Entities associated with possession, obsession, nightmares, illness, sleep paralysis, madness or spiritual oppression.
20 documented entities
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Possessing and Afflicting Spirits
Batibat
Ilocano and Philippine folklore
Batibat is the tree spirit that smothers the sleeping, a presence preserved in Ilocano and Philippine folklore traditions of death, passage and the unseen world.
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Begu Ganjang
Batak traditions of Sumatra
Begu Ganjang is the long spirit that drains a household from afar, a presence preserved in Batak traditions of Sumatra traditions of death, passage and…
Read profileD
Possessing and Afflicting Spirits
Dybbuk
Jewish folklore and mystical tradition
Dybbuk is the clinging dead that speaks through another body, a presence preserved in Jewish folklore and mystical tradition traditions of death, passage and the…
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Dön
Tibetan Buddhist and Himalayan traditions
Dön is the afflicting force that enters through disturbed balance, a presence preserved in Tibetan Buddhist and Himalayan traditions traditions of death, passage and the…
Read profileM
Possessing and Afflicting Spirits
Mamo
Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist traditions
Mamo is a class of powerful female spirits in Tibetan religious traditions, feared as agents of illness and disorder yet also incorporated as oath-bound protectors…
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Mare
Norse, Germanic and Slavic folklore
Mare is the rider behind the nightmare, a presence preserved in Norse, Germanic and Slavic folklore traditions of death, passage and the unseen world.
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Masan
North Indian Hindu and regional folk traditions
Masan is a regional North Indian spirit or deity associated with cremation grounds, untimely death, fever and in some traditions the dangerous dead of children.
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Matrikas
Hindu and Buddhist traditions
Matrikas is a group of mother goddesses associated with protection, battle, fertility, disease and dangerous maternal force across Hindu, Buddhist and regional traditions.
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Mo
Chinese Buddhist and popular religious traditions
Mo is a broad Chinese religious term often translating demonic, obstructive or delusive forces rather than identifying one single folklore creature.
Read profileN
Possessing and Afflicting Spirits
Ngoma Spirits
Central, Eastern and Southern African traditions
Ngoma Spirits is a comparative label for spirits addressed in ngoma possession, healing and performance traditions across parts of Africa.
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Nightmare Spirits
Jewish and Christian traditions
Nightmare Spirits is a comparative category for spirits believed to press, suffocate, ride or sexually afflict sleepers in Jewish, Christian and European traditions.
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Nyen
Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist traditions
Nyen is a Tibetan class of powerful spirits connected with mountains, sky, atmosphere, illness and territorial sensitivity.
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Possessing and Afflicting Spirits
Pelesit
Malay folklore and magical tradition
Pelesit is the cricket familiar that enters before the polong, a presence preserved in Malay folklore and magical tradition traditions of death, passage and the…
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Phi Am
Thai folklore
Phi Am is the thai spirit that presses the breath away, a presence preserved in Thai folklore traditions of death, passage and the unseen world.
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Phi Kong Koi
Thai and Lao traditions
Phi Kong Koi is a Thai and Lao forest spirit known in popular tradition by a repeated cry often rendered kong koi and by an…
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Phi Pop / Phi Pob
Thai and Lao traditions
Phi Pop / Phi Pob is a Thai-Lao possessing spirit associated with internal consumption, illness, social accusation and the feared possibility that a human host…
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Polong
Malay folklore and magical tradition
Polong is the bottled familiar sent to afflict an enemy, a presence preserved in Malay folklore and magical tradition traditions of death, passage and the…
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Possessing Spirits
Jewish and Christian traditions
Possessing Spirits is a comparative category for spirits believed to enter, seize or speak through a human body in Jewish and Christian religious histories.
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Possessing and Afflicting Spirits
Zar
Northeast African and Middle Eastern traditions
Zar is the possessing wind that demands recognition, a presence preserved in Northeast African and Middle Eastern traditions traditions of death, passage and the unseen…
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