List of occultists

This is a list of notable people, whether contemporary, historical or legendary, who are or were involved in any of the following practices and traditions:

• paranormal or supernatural magic
• witchcraft
• sorcery
• wizardry
• alchemy
• practical mysticism
• voodoo

The subject is one that has attracted hoaxes, folklore, and tall tales; the inclusion of a person on this list means only that they have been associated with the practice of paranormal magic, but not necessarily that they did practice it.

For a list of sleight of hand artists and practitioners of stage magic, see: List of magicians.

Famous magicians:

Some historical or legendary magicians, wizards, witches, or people who have been claimed to be so, are:

Classical mythology:

• Circe, legendary sorceress
• Medea, legendary sorceress
• Semiramis, semi-legendary queen and sorceress
• Hecate, goddess of witchcraft
• Cassandra, oracle

Ancient world:

• The Witch of Endor, Biblical witch
• Iannes and Mambres, magicians at Pharaoh's court mentioned in the New Testament
• Solomon, Biblical king associated with legendary magic
• Gyges of Lydia, king said to possess magical artifacts
• Heraclitus, philosopher important in occultism
• Pythagoras, philosopher important in occultism
• Plato, philosopher important in occultism
• Jesus Christ, miracle worker
• Vergil, subjected to magical legends
• Simon Magus, magician mentioned in New Testament
• Apuleius, author of a magical novel
• Apollonius of Tyana, wizard
• Plotinus, philosopher important in occultism
• Iamblichus, philosopher of gnosticism
• Julian, practiced occult theurgy

Mediæval Europe:

• Merlin, Arthurian wizard
• Gilles de Rais, sorcerer and serial killer
• Roger Bacon, philosopher accused of magic
• Albertus Magnus, had many magical texts attributed to him
• Joan of Arc, accused of witchcraft and heresy
• Nicholas Flamel, alchemist
• Pope Silvester II, alleged magician
• Pope Honorius III, had magical texts attributed to him
• Ramon Llull, syncretic mystic
• Abraham Abulafia[?], kabalist "messiah"

Renaissance:

• Paracelsus, medical pioneer and occult philosopher
• Nostradamus, soothsayer
• Giordano Bruno, occult philosopher
• Faust, made a pact with the Devil
• Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, occult philosopher
• Athanasius Kircher, Jesuit priest, wrote on magical subjects
• Benevenuto Cellini, sculptor whose diary relates experience summoning spirits
• Robert Fludd, occult philosopher
• Dr John Dee, seer and occult philosopher
• Edward Kelley, medium who assisted John Dee
• Elizabeth Bathory, serial killer for magical rites
• Elias Ashmole[?], alchemist
• Johannes Reuchlin[?], German cabalist magician, summoned angels.
• Sir Walter Raleigh, practiced alchemy
• Henry Percy, "Wizard Earl"
• Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor, employed alchemists
• Sir Thomas Browne, hermetic author
• Arthur Dee, hermetic author
• Christina of Sweden, abdicated Queen who dabbled in alchemy
• Francesco Giuseppe Borri[?], alchemist

Enlightenment and early modern period:

• Sir Isaac Newton, physicist and alchemist
• Matthew Hopkins, commissioned English witch-finder
• Isobel Gowdie, self-confessed witch
• Giuseppe Balsamo, "Count Alessandro di Cagliostro," occult charlatan
• Françoise d'Aubigné[?], Marquise de Maintenon, mistress of Louis XIV, practiced magic for youth and beauty
• Françoise Athenaïs Rochechouart[?], Marquise de Montespan, another royal mistress
• Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Illuminati
• Margaret Matson, New Sweden (colony) witch
• Etteila[?], fortune-teller
• Antoine Court de Gebelin[?], connected tarot and esotericism

Nineteenth century:

• Evangeline Adams[?], astrologer to the famous
• Francis Barrett[?], wrote a book on magic
• William Blake, poet of the occult
• John George Hohman, American wizard
• Eliphas Lévi, occult author
• Papus[?], occult author
• Marie Laveau, American voodoo practitioner
• Stanislas de Guaita[?], occult author
• Allan Kardec, founder of spiritualism
• Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, founder of theosophy
• Arthur Edward Waite, occult author and Golden Dawn member
• Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers[?], Golden Dawn founder
• Edgar Cayce

• Aleister Crowley, occult author, poet, magician
• William Butler Yeats, poet and Golden Dawn member
• Rudolf Steiner, founder of anthroposophy
• Austin Osman Spare, occult artist
• Pamela Colman Smith, Golden Dawn member, artist, did tarot deck
• Dion Fortune, occult author
• Robert Graves, poet and mythographer
• Gerald Gardner, founder of Wicca
• Maya Deren, filmmaker
• Sybil Leek[?], witch and occult author
• Valentin Tomberg, Christian mystic and mage
• Robert Johnson, allegedly sold soul to Devil for musical talent
• Margot Adler[?], witch and NPR reporter
• Zsuzsanna Budapest, feminist witch
• Starhawk, witch and occult author
• Isaac Bonewits, occult author
• Rene Guenon[?]
• Julius Evola[?]
• Ior Bock, Finnish cult leader
• Kenneth Anger[?], disciple of Crowley
• Jack Parsons, occultist

Magical movements, societies, and organisations:

• The Magi
• hermeticism
• Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
• Ordo Templi Orientis
• Wicca
• New Age
• Theosophy
• Theosophical Society
• Anthroposophy
• Rosicrucianism
• Illuminati

Fictional wizards, magicians, and witches:

• Väinämöinen (Kalevala)
• Baba Yaga[?] (Slavic mythology[?])
• The Wizard of Oz (The Wizard of Oz)
• The Wicked Witch of the West[?]
• Elminster[?] (Forgotten Realms)
• Elric of Melniboné
• Gandalf the Grey (The Lord of the Rings)
• Dr. Strange (Marvel comics)
• Sparrowhawk[?]
• Belgarath[?]
• Polgara[?]
• Fizban[?]
• Raistlin[?] Majere
• Harry Potter
• Rincewind[?] the magically-challenged wizard from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books.
• Prospero, (The Tempest by Shakespeare)