History Main / SpeakOfTheDevil

** The Wendigo of Algonquin folklore follows this principle as well. And for good reason, as anyone familiar with a cannibalistic revenant born from greed and starvation can attest to. Some believe that even ''thinking'' about the creature is enough to put a person at risk for becoming one.
** The Navajo don't openly speak of Skinwalkers, considering even acknowledging them as inviting them in. This is among the many reasons why Skinwalker depictions in media generally don't amuse Navajo audiences.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

OlderThanFeudalism, the core trope is that [[BeCarefulWhatYouSay saying the name of the person]] summons him. Rarely is he [[InconvenientSummons summoned surprised and vulnerable]]; be assured that saying the name of this guy is a bad thing. Though probably just for you; he'll usually disappear afterward. [[note]] The question of [[FridgeLogic why everyone in the world often knows this name, despite the taboo against it]], is rarely addressed.[[/note]]

This makes talking about the villain problematic, as he has to be referred to as "The Enemy" or [[TheScottishTrope "He Who Must Not Be Named" or "You Know Who"]], or just by a nickname, as with {{Satan}}, who may be called "Old Nick" or "Mister Scratch" (or LouisCypher). Sometimes these nicknames are conspicuously positive, just in case they're listening anyway, as with TheFairFolk, because you do ''not'' want to face down a pissed-off faerie. If referring to him by any name summons him, then you're screwed.

If attempting to talk to someone not in the know, this can easily lead to PoorCommunicationKills. There also remains the possibility of someone slipping up (especially when surprised or caught off-guard), or someone not in the know saying it. If you have another enemy you want to deal with, perhaps you can trick him into saying the name.

Another variation is that the villain's name must be said multiple times to summon him. In these cases, saying the name once is safe, so you probably don't need to worry about summoning him accidentally, or being tricked into doing so (unless you have no idea what's going on and just come across a piece of paper saying "[[SchmuckBait Say Hastur 3 times]].") ([[ExactWords Okay. "Hastur three times."]]) Instead, the villain is essentially SealedEvilInACan, and he'll be summoned either by someone who has no idea what's going on, or by someone who got his [[DeathByGenreSavviness tropes mixed up]] and thinks he'll be able to control the villain this way (perhaps through IKnowYourTrueName), or [[DealWithTheDevil bargain with him]]. [[EvilIsNotAToy Expect this guy to die horribly.]] Also expect this villain not to disappear.

Note that the phrase "Speak of the devil and he shall appear" is often used for a more mundane situation: people are talking about some guy, and that guy suddenly shows up, usually having heard the things said about him. That trope is AndHereHeComesNow. Compare and contrast TemptingFate, which refers to more general invited misfortune and can just as easily be a ContrivedCoincidence in-universe.

If saying the villain's name doesn't necessarily summon him, but may simply cause something bad, that's TheScottishTrope.

If knowing someone's true name instead gives ''you'' power over ''him'', that's IKnowYourTrueName. If summoning him is a good thing, see CallOnMe. See also InadvertentEntranceCue. When this is done for humor rather than being a supernatural ability, it's RightBehindMe. Related to the SneezeCut. When this is invoked for a murder, a TroubleMagnetGambit is very likely the method used. Works using this trope will often discuss ThePowerOfLanguage.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', the series main villain, Muzan Kibutsuji, is the progenitor of all demons in the series, he rules his creations with absolute terror to such an effect that he actually curses them with a spell that renders any demon utterly incapable of ever uttering his name, or trying to merely hint at his location; being absolutely terrified of Muzan prevents a regular demon from even trying to challenge this curse, but one demon is tricked via demonic spell to do so, and accordingly the demon is immediately killed on the spot by Muzan's will. Muzan's strongest and loyal demons never call him by name, always referring him as "that person", "sir" or "my lord"; [[spoiler:being able to voice disgust at Muzan is the first thing that Tamayo did once his spell on her was broken, after the legendary fight against Yoriichi]]. However, there’s one specific exception where [[spoiler:Muzan allows for demons, at least those part of the Upper Ranks in the Twelve Kizuki, to say his name: when being in the same room as him, without a single human in sight, while showing utmost reverence; Akaza, Daki and Kokushibo had one stance each where they could call Muzan by name]].
* ''Anime/GodzillaThePlanetEater'': The Exif believe that their god [[spoiler:[[Characters/GodzillaTheGhidorahs Ghidorah]]]] is invoked whenever his name is spoken, and as such they rarely ever speak it except in a whisper. Chanting [[spoiler:Ghidorah]]'s name is part of the ritual to summon him to Earth.

** There is one instance of summoning the title character by saying his preferred name (Morpheus). The character Rose Walker is given a piece of paper by her protector, Gilbert, and told that she must read the word aloud if she finds herself in grave danger. She reads it when another character attempts to rape and murder her, causing Dream to appear in the room and come to her rescue. It's not made clear why this works, however; it may be [[spoiler:because Gilbert is actually a resident of Dream's kingdom, who has wandered off to do his own thing in the waking world, and is utilizing his own connection to Dream on her behalf. It is equally possible that it worked because Rose herself is the granddaughter of Dream's younger sibling Desire, and thus a blood relative of the Endless, although it's not clear how Gilbert would know that (it isn't revealed until later in the series).]]

* In ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'', Kang the Conqueror references this trope, and sort of uses it.
* In Brazilian comic ''ComicBook/MonicasGang'', two characters have it: [[GrimReaper Lady]] [[DontFearTheReaper McDeath]] appears whenever someone says "death" or something related to the verb "die"; and whenever something absurd occurs and someone asks "who would be nutty enough..." Nutty Ned appears.

* In an issue of ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'', it is revealed that perennial ComicBook/XMen villain Spiral is aware (or alerted) whenever anyone anywhere mentions her. She uses this to track Wolverine and Mystique, the latter of whom could not spit out the warning in time. Wolverine actually is dismissive of this at first, pointing out that it's a common word, spoken hundreds, if not thousands, of times per day, so how would Spiral know? Cue her showing up, telling him it's all about context and tone of voice to indicate to her whether someone is referring to her or not.
* AxCrazy Superman {{Expy}} [[ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}} The Plutonian]] achieves this with a combination of superhuman [[SuperSenses hearing]] and [[SuperSpeed speed]].
-->'''Plutonian:''' They can't call me a "monster" in earshot [[IResembleThatRemark and not expect retribution.]]
* This is one of the reasons the demons and devils of the Franchise/{{Marvel|Universe}} verse will not sit on Satan's throne. They all covet it but they fear the wrath of their peers and worse, the possibility that stealing Satan's chair might convince him to return.
* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': A rather extreme example is the Disir, an undead army that has menaced Thor. When an Asgardian named Hakon, thinking them to be a myth, mentions their name he is ''instantly'' torn to pieces by invisible blades.
* ''ComicBook/ScoobyDooTeamUp'': In "[[Recap/ScoobyDooTeamUpTruthJusticeAndScoobySnacks Truth, Justice, and Scooby Snacks]]", the story starts with Perry White apparently summoning Caesar's ghost due to his habit of yelling, "Great Caesar's Ghost!" ([[MythologyGag itself a reference to an old Superman storyline]]).
* ''ComicBook/EdgeOfSpiderVerse2023:'' Norma the Fairy Gob-Mother reveals simply saying "I wish" is enough to summon her, even through magical wards that would otherwise stop her from getting somewhere.

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* Lampooned in ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' in one cartoon, where Satan walks into a room in Hell where a bunch of guys are sitting, and one of them mutters to another, "Speak of the devil..."
[[/folder]]

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' fanfiction, Mariko, Tejada and a MookLieutenant are discussing Alan Jonah when they spot him enterting the chamber holding [[TwoBeingsOneBody San and Vivienne Graham]], prompting Mariko to quote the trope ad verbatim.
* In the Pokemon fanfic ''FanFic/NaturalLiberated'', the characters can't say N's name in any form save pronouns because they do not want to invoke this trope.
* In ''FanFic/ChildrenOfAnElderGod'', a fanfic that replaces the Angels of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' with Lovecraftian horrors, the [=EVAs=], and Children, acquire the properties of the Elder Gods they kill. Misato uses this to escape kidnappers by repeating Rei's name over and over; as Rei helped kill the Elder God mentioned below in Literature, this allows Rei to possess one of the kidnappers.
* The WWE story ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1568557/1/The-Legend-Of-Bloody-Molly The Legend Of Bloody Molly]]'' has Wrestling/TrishStratus and Wrestling/{{Lita}} forcing Wrestling/MollyHolly to do the Bloody Mary ritual and killed her. Molly then became "Bloody Molly", appearing when they tried to make Wrestling/GailKim do the same thing.
* In Chapter 25 of ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11689576/1/Raptor Raptor]]'', a crossover between ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' and ''Franchise/JurassicPark'', this is done to the name Voldemort, but downplayed because only [[{{Mooks}} Death Eaters]] show up. This is still exploited by Harry and Owen, who managed to [[spoiler: get rid of at least 50 Death Eaters]] by playing "Bloody Mary: Magical Moron Edition".
* Invoked by FanFic/OldManHenderson at the end of his ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' game, when he called Hastur into a hockey stadium [[StuffBlowingUp rigged with enough explosives to make Michael Bay blush]], thereby [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu permanently killing him.]]
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'':
** Variant in chapter 13, when Spike wonders if Discord is responsible for Twilight's old potions turning into the creature living in the refrigerator, behind the mayonnaise, next to the ketchup, and to the left of the coleslaw. A letter from him, not necessarily denying it, promptly pops into Spike's claws.
** In chapter 25, when Discord is being discussed, he again sends a letter to the group, this time one that reads itself aloud to them. The wolves are a little freaked out by this, especially given he bypassed their alarms in doing so.
** Used again in chapter 3 of the second sequel, ''Diplomacy Through Schooling'', when characters in both Ponyville and Canterlot are wary of mentioning Discord or the word "draconequus", lest he suddenly show up. In the Ponyville case, he does make a voice-only appearance but does not show up when Celestia and Velvet mention him in Canterlot.
** In chapter 4, they don't even have to say his or his species' ''name'' to get a reaction from him, a letter in which he politely declines Twilight's invite to be Head of Security for her school.

* ''Fanfic/TheGoodHunter'' features an [[AntiHero anti-heroic]] example. Hansel and Gretel want to seek out [[TheDreaded the Hunter]], but they eventually find themselves surrounded by a noble's son and his thugs. The noble's son mocks them for foolishly believing that someone so important like the Hunter would speak to the two [[StreetUrchin street urchins]]. The Hunter, hearing this and wondering what the hell this idiot child is talking about, steps in.

* ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'': Betelgeuse is summoned by saying his name [[RuleOfThree three times]]. He's also sent back whence he came by saying his name three times.

* In ''Film/FreddyVsJason'', the adults of Springwood have systematically suppressed all knowledge of Freddy to deny him the power he gains from his potential victims' fear, so he ''can't'' return. The sheriff states outright that they don't say his name; however, this defense mechanism breaks down when Jason's rampage is misinterpreted and stories of Freddy resume circulating.
* ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'': Daggett ends up the victim of this in his own penthouse as he rants to Stryver about Bane.

* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' pulls this as something of a BrickJoke. The word ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' is said three times in the show, and on the third utterance, he walks through the background.
* On ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'', calling Dr. Bombay required a simple rhyme: "Calling Dr. Bombay, emergency, come right away." He was sure to come (maybe not right that minute, but eventually), but was usually grouchy, having been called away from something else he was doing.
* All but invoked in one episode of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', when Leonard and Howard are at Raj's place to have dinner with him and his sister Priya. Sheldon is notably absent, as he prefers not to go to Raj's and has instead arranged a party of his own. The others find themselves missing him, much to their surprise, and tell Priya a few Sheldon stories. Suddenly, they're interrupted by Sheldon knocking on the door.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Seen with Glory, the BigBad of Season 5. In her introductory episode, Giles warns Buffy that anything that goes unnamed is either an object of deep worship or great fear. Or both. Glory turns out to be a physical God who's literally worshiped by her minions and is the most powerful foe Buffy has faced at the time. The SpeakOfTheDevil trope is also used [[TemptingFate tongue-in-cheek]] in a scene where they encounter Ben, unaware that the BigBad is actually SharingABody with him.
-->'''Tara:''' Let's just call She Who Cannot Be Named another name. Let's call her--\\
'''Buffy:''' ''[seeing a familiar face]'' Ben!
* ''Series/{{Community}}'' also used ''Beetlejuice'' for a [[http://youtu.be/19FMU3M7Jtk stealth gag]] that [[BrickJoke ran over the course of three years.]] Watch behind Annie at the end of the clip.

*** Said verbatim by Karen when Fisk appears on television while she, Matt, and Foggy are talking about him at Josie's in the aftermath of Mrs. Cardenas' death.

*** Lampshaded in the first episode of season 2 when Trish is trying to get her boss at the radio station to be more supportive of her efforts to expose IGH through ''Trish Talk''. She gets annoyed at his hesitancy to use IGH's name, saying "You can say 'IGH', Ian, they're not Voldemort."
* Invoked in "[[Recap/FriendsS1E1ThePilot The Pilot]]" of ''Series/{{Friends}}''. Since a woman in a wedding dress walked into the coffee shop right when Ross said "I just want to be married", Chandler adds "And I just want a million dollars!"
* ''Series/GoodEats''; not a villain but a RunningGag:
-->'''Alton:''' All right, which one of you at home said "Nutritional Anthropologist"?\\
'''Deb Duchon, Nutritional Anthropologist:''' That guy, there... naugahyde chair, green pants.\\
'''Alton:''' Yeah, well, (through megaphone) thanks a lot, Mr. Talks-to-his-television!

** In an early episode, the boys fight Bloody Mary. Needless to say, this trope comes into effect. [[spoiler: The boys finish her off by getting her to look into a mirror and letting her own reflection turn her powers on her and destroy her]].
** Angels can hear people praying to them, but they don't always listen. In Season 6, Sam and Dean have both tried praying to Castiel with no luck. Sam begins to rant about how their friend is ignoring him before he recognizes a look in Dean's eyes and realizes "He's right behind me, isn't he?"
* The ''Series/TalesFromTheDarkside'' episode "Seasons of Belief" has a couple on Christmas Eve telling their kids the story of a monster who's so full of himself, if he hears anyone say his name, his ears will transform into wings and he'll hunt them down and squeeze the life from them, (often while singing a song about himself). Supposedly, the only way to get rid of him is to finish telling the story about him. [[spoiler: The parents stop to assure their kids that it's just a story and that there's nothing to be afraid of. The monster takes this moment to reach inside the house and crush the skulls of the parents, (though curiously leaves the children alone, despite them all having said his name). In the short story the episode was based on, the monster was implied to have killed everyone.]]

* {{Satan}} is the TropeNamer. Depending on how strict their adherence to the 3rd Commandment (reformed enumeration) is, some people refrain from saying God's name as well, though that's less out of fear of summoning Him (seeing as He's already omnipresent) and more because to do otherwise is seen as blasphemous.

** This continues to this day. In Central America, [[{{Mayincatec}} Mayans]] will never refer to the [[PantheraAwesome jaguar]] by its name ("balam") for fear of invoking its presence. They refer to it as "chac mool", which means "red paw"

* [[EverybodyHatesHades Hades]] of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Mythology]] is a good example. The Greeks believed saying his name drew his attention, so they called him by all sorts of nicknames and titles, like "The Wealthy One" or "The Host of Many." His wife, Persephone, was equally feared for being his queen, and was called things like "The Dread Queen."
** Similarly, the Erinyes (or "Furies"), goddesses of vengeance and punishment, were usually referred to as "Eumenides", or "Kindly Ones", due to the belief that speaking their true name would attract their attention. [[ImplacableMan Given how they were feared for hounding wrongdoers to the ends of the earth for the rest of their lives]] and were even older than the Olympians, the taboo is understandable.

* Mentioning Wrestling/{{Boogeyman}} in Ohio Valley Wrestling likely resulted in him showing up and {{squash| match}}ing you, especially if you mentioned him while in the ring.
* WWF/E wrestler Wrestling/TheUndertaker does a very JustForFun/CandleJack-ish variation of this. Basically, if his name is brought up in an offensive way while he's around (or even if he isn't), a gong will sound, and the lights will go off. Then he will appear behind the offender and usually chokeslam or Tombstone Piledrive them to the mat. Sometimes, Taker's name doesn't even need to be spoken -- as heel manager Paul Heyman learned at the end of a Smackdown match, just telling someone that "[[TemptingFate there's not a man alive who's going to stand in my way]]" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KfOIr1HGtc can be enough to bring the Deadman's wrath down on you]].

** In one episode the [[ButtMonkey Newcaster]] reports that the temple of an ancient Egyptian crocodile god named Rezal-evad-gib (the name of which he actually says twice for emphasis) has been discovered, and that said god would "wreak a terrible vengeance" upon anyone entering the tomb or even saying his name aloud. Well, [[DeadlineNews you can probably guess what happens.]] He gets an excuse ''that'' time, but in the ''very next scene'', where Beauregard tries to warn [[SpecialGuest Lynda Carter]] that they've discovered a dangerous word, but can't remember the hard-to-pronounce name, the Newscaster runs in [[TooDumbToLive and says it]] ''[[TooDumbToLive again]]''.

* The ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' game and its various manifestations are where this trope really got going in geek culture - see the entry under '''Literature''' above for Hastur.
** In the ''Call of Cthulhu''-themed podcast "The Good Friends of Jackson Elias", the name Hastur is inevitably bleeped out when it occurs. (Swearing, on the other hand, is not.)
** In the supplement ''Terror Australis'', adventure "Old Fella That Bunyip". The investigators are forced to say the phrase "Eleanba Wunda" to drive Bunyip upstream. Unfortunately for them, it's the name of a spirit ''worse'' than Bunyip, which will appear if its name is chanted too often. The second time the investigators do so they feel a cold wind, and the third (and final) time Eleanba Wunda ''almost'' appears.

** 3.5 has Truenaming, which at level 20 gives a feat that allows a character to do this with a use-name of their choice. Speaking the use-name, afterward, allows the character to know where you are, what the general situation is, and lets them decide whether or not to be teleported into the area. Depending on the character in question, this can either be an example of this trope, or CallOnMe. Or, in some cases, both at once.

** Also in the 3.X Deities and Demigods Handbook it states that Deities are generally aware if anyone says their name, anywhere or any of their common titles. This generally won't summon the deity to you but that does make it hard to mount an assault on the gods... This is why a few of TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms novels got "Psst! No names!" scenes from avatars and other canny characters.
** ''The Book of Vile Darkness'' relates the story of a particularly huge prick of a merchant who would take advantage of this rule by selling a parrot to rich-looking individuals. When they got out of town and onto a deserted stretch of road, their new pet would fly away and start shrieking the name of Orcus -- a freaking [[EvilOverlord demon lord]] -- who would appear and murder the poor saps. After Orcus had teleported back to the Abyss, the merchant would then gather up his dead victims' gear. That he would pull this trick repeatedly says something horrible about the merchant and a little pathetic about Orcus, who apparently has a lot of free time on his hands.

** Another example of this that was legitimate is the DemonLord Fraz-Urb'luu, who is notorious for using a unique talent to use the names of other Demon Lords to trick them into thinking they have been summoned. His usual strategy is to do this, and then teleport away right before the victim appears, assuring that the angry demon will take out his anger on whoever Fraz-Urb'luu had been fighting. (This strategy naturally has made Fraz-Urb'luu universally hated among other Demon Lords.)
** Although it's been referenced in several other tropes, the legend of the Serpent's Coil still (sort of) counts. A 2nd edition myth that made it into 3.0 before being retconned out at the end of 3.5, the myth went that Asmodeus, the king of Hell, was actually a very advanced illusion or perhaps an avatar of some sort; his ''true'' shape was a [[EldritchAbomination miles-long monstrosity of utter, incomprehensible evil]]. When he was hurled from the celestial planes into Hell, this form crashed through the dimension's reality - creating the nine levels of Hell -- and came to rest in a deep, spiraling crater at the very bottom of The Pit. In an aversion of this trope, however, telling someone this story didn't summon Asmodeus: it simply caused the storyteller to die within 24 hours (by unspecified means). Which is about on par for drawing the attention of overwhelmingly powerful evil uberdeities.

*** There's a slightly odd variation where on some evil planes, divination spells alert the target and they soon come to find you. Now, bear in mind you usually need to know some name or other means to identify the target of a divination spell.
*** Also, revering the Lady of Pain will result in you either being Mazed or Flayed, depending on her whim. Because of this, even though nobody knows her actual name, they don't even like to use her ''title'', instead using respectful nicknames like "Her Dread Serenity".
** The 1980 ''Deities and Demigods Cyclopedia'' stated that naming Hastur aloud could result in his sending some Byakhee to kill you. If they failed, he might appear himself to finish the job. Tricking a player into doing so has long been a favorite means of [[RocksFallEveryoneDies ending a game that has gone sour]].
** ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'': The fan-made PrestigeClass called the Folkloric Warlock gains the ability to do this at a high level.

** In a meta example, because ''Dungeons & Dragons'' is very much trademarked, third-party settings and games inspired by it (such as ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'') never refer to it as such. Instead, they refer to it obliquely as "the world's greatest/most famous roleplaying game" or, in the case of competitors, "the roleplaying game invented by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson".
* Creator/{{Kibo}}, mentioned below in the RealLife section, was used by ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension''. In the digital web, he set up magic tracers so whenever anyone said his name, he would instantly be able to appear, as a real person, in front of them.
* The Antediluvians in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' are like this, or at least their vampiric descendants are afraid that they might be. At various points, it comes up that the names we have for them aren't their real names, just pseudonyms that are used to refer to them without the possibility of drawing their attention via this trope. It also shows up in ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen''. Using a demon's Celestial Name automatically opens a remote channel of communication with them; use it unaware of that connection, and they'll be listening to everything you say...
* The [[SpaceElves Eldar]] of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' are being hunted down by the evil [[EldritchAbomination Chaos God]] Slaanesh, and naturally, [[TheDreaded they are so shit scared of the menacing god that they won't even use that name]] to refer to [[AmbiguousGender hir]]. The Craftworld Eldar refer to Slaanesh as "The Great Enemy" and the Dark Eldar refer to Slaanesh as "She Who Thirsts". Only a few especially badass Eldar have the balls to refer to Slaanesh by hir actual name, such as [[VideoGame/DawnOfWar Ronahn]]. Solitaires, the most badass of the Eldar Harlequins, take it even further. When re-enacting the Fall of the Eldar, the Solitaires are the ones who play the role of Slaanesh. And while speaking hir name ''might'' draw the dark god's attention, anyone who isn't a Solitaire pretending to be Slaanesh ''will'' go insane. The Solitaires pay a high price for their dedication though: their souls are forfeit to Slaanesh and there is nothing they can do about it.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' 3rd Edition supplement ''Magic in the Shadows''. If a free spirit's [[IKnowYourTrueName true name]] is spoken [[RuleOfThree three times in succession]], the spirit has to appear before the speaker.

* In the former ''Theatre/GhostbustersSpooktacular'' show at [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Studios Florida]], Louis Tully specifically tells Walter Peck not to say Gozer's name, which he ignores and does multiple times, causing the villain to eventually appear.

* During a perfect PacifistRun in ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'', [[GeneralRipper Elite Krotera]] will mention [[PunchClockVillain Vateilika]] and how he'll deal with her after you're dead. He really should have spent the time saying goodbye to Mr. [[{{BFG}} MPFB Devastator]], as his flight off this mortal coil just arrived.
* In ''VideoGame/UltimaV'', the Shadowlords could be summoned to your location by yelling their name (Eg, Yell Astaroth).
* A possible inversion of this trope (overlapping in aspects with IKnowYourTrueName) occurs in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV''. Along with straight treatment of IKnowYourTrueName, General Yohm hunts down [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Fou-lu]]--even at one point explicitly commenting that ''the mere act of uttering Fou-lu's '''name''' is sufficient to send ripples in the world that can lead someone sensitive to those ripples to find him''. A straighter version also exists. In a part of the game, Fou-lu refrains from revealing his name to [[SacrificialLamb Mami]] explicitly to keep this from happening, and merely goes by his nickname "Ryong"--this eventually gets blown to hell when he tells her his story via a historical legend (and has to use his [[IKnowYourTrueName real name]] in it).
* In ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'', saying [[spoiler: Zaros]]'s name gives him power. He's weakened that much - in fact, most [=NPCs=] (and other Gods) refer to him as "The Nameless God".
* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' inverts this initially, when an AffablyEvil devil willingly tells you [[IKnowYourTrueName his true name]] so you can banish him back to Hell. Later played straight when knowing his true name from your previous meeting with him lets you summon him for a DealWithTheDevil.
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', when questioned about the Sith [[EvilMentor Kreia]] states this is the case with the HumanoidAbomination Darth Nihilus, stating that so much as "a stray thought" is enough to draw his attention. Over the entire course of the game Nihilus' name is never spoken, only ever being displayed above his LifeMeter during the BossFight.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Discworld}}'' adventure game, saying the word "monkey" will cause the Librarian to appear and punch you, because he is an ''ape'' and does ''not'' like the M-word. This is occasionally mentioned in the books, but the game turns it into a RunningGag instead.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** In the series' lore, the [[CatFolk Khajiit]] religion is heavily based around Nirn's [[WeirdMoon two moons]], Masser and Secunda. The moons even dictate which of 17 different sub-species a Khajiit cub will grow up to be, depending on which phases of the moons it was born under. However, the Khajiit recognize "dark spirits" known as "dro-m'Athra," who are represented by the ''inverse'' phases of the moons. The Khajiit refuse to speak of them.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', it's revealed that providing one knows the [[IKnowYourTrueName true name]] of a Dragon, if you invoke it via [[LanguageOfMagic the Thu'um]] it will hear you and may cause the Dragon to immediately fly to your location out of curiosity as it can be considered a challenge. It is not however guaranteed, as invoking the dragon's name gives you no power over it. The Greybeards summon the Dragonborn to High Hrothgar for training in a similar manner, calling forth the Dovahkiin so loudly the whole of Skyrim trembles. Notably, [[ButThouMust it works on you]] the same way it does on dragons, [[ImmuneToFate except when]] [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer it doesn't]].
* ''[[VideoGame/DynastyWarriors Dynasty Warriors 8]]'' has a fair bit of fun with the Chinese equivalent of this trope (the "Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao will come" idiom mentioned in "Real Life"); [=NPCs=] in the Wei faction Story Mode even explicitly invoke the trope noting that Cao Cao comes whenever he's spoken of--and promptly lampshade this by commenting "Cao Cao must have a ''really'' good information network!"
* The Lady of Pain from ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''. Simply saying her name once doesn't attract her attention, but repeated mentions or worship (which she forbids) will. Many people simply call her "The Lady" to avoid summoning her by mistake. This is inherited from her tabletop game incarnation above.
* In ''VideoGame/BarrowHill: The Dark Path'', other characters who say Baibin's name aloud tend to be attacked by her soon afterward. The ones in-the-know about the local legends believe this trope applies, and are usually frightened and horror-struck when they realize they've said her name.
* In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'', one of these happens when The Bros. meet Dr. Toadley for the first time. He diagnoses them with a deadly disease called 'Bowseritis'. Right as he does this, guess who shows up?
-->'''Bowser''': Did someone page the King of Awesome?
* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'': When Issun says [[EldritchAbomination Orochi]]'s name out loud, the wind eerily begins to pick up. Waka warns him not to throw around the monster's name casually, as apparently just that is enough to curse someone with a weak will.
* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'': While patrolling the city, it is possible to overhear some particular EnemyChatter. One thug will deliberately say "Batman" and then mockingly ask his buddy if he really thinks that will cause Batman to appear and beat them both up. Naturally, you can choose to then swoop down on them and beat them both up.

* Fooby, the Kamikaze Watermelon, appears in ''WebAnimation/TheDementedCartoonMovie'' every time someone says "kamikaze watermelon."

* [[http://www.wanderingchaos.com/uc/110707.html This creature]] (well, the creature this demon is shapeshifted into) in ''WebComic/{{UC}}: Deviating from Normality''.
* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'':
** [[http://xkcd.com/555/ This]] strip features an abuse of Bloody Mary. [[DrosteImage Explaining it]] would [[DontExplainTheJoke ruin the joke]].
** [[https://xkcd.com/2364/ And another,]] but for the more serious purpose of co-authoring a paper with Bloody Mary.
** [[https://xkcd.com/2381/ This strip]] references the old superstition that this was true of {{bears|AreBadNews}}, which is why the original English word for it was abandoned in favor of the present one. When [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretchen_McCulloch Gretchen McCulloch]] is asked about this, she hazards a guess as to what the original word was... and is promptly proven right. Cue OhCrap moment...
* Don't say Ironman in Austin, TX as shown why in Creator/{{roosterteeth}}'s webcomics, Michael "Burnie" Burns will be groundpounded.
* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', saying "mind flayer" or "illithid" will bring down copyright lawyers upon the speaker. Actually, pointing out ''any'' copyrighted material can do this, as Vaarsuvius realizes to their advantage when confronting [[OverusedCopyCatcharacter a (supposedly good-aligned) drow wizard armed with two swords.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', the "Guide within the Well of Darkness" appears whenever someone says his name and answers a yes/no question. The catch? At the fourth summoning, he kills everyone. Incidentally, his name is Noe. Pronounced as "no". K'seliss invokes this trope and rips Noe's throat out right as he appears. It's just as cool as it sounds.

* In ''Webcomic/UserFriendly'', Sid deals with an annoying intern by tricking him into saying "Hastur" three times. And Stef manages to avoid being shredded by an angry Indian god by calling upon Hastur and letting the two duke it out. In another strip, the name is only spoken twice, but he still heard it since he happened to be in the next room.
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' drops a variant of the trope name[[note]]though the situation itself is an example of a [[AndHereHeComesNow different trope]][[/note]], ending with "...and you find her in your hat."
* The [[http://toonhole.com/comic/urban-legend/ comic]] in ''Toon Hole'' where there is a literal [[StealthPun Bloody Mary]].

* ''Website/SCPFoundation'':
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2056 SCP-2056 ("Tsiatko")]]. SCP-2056 is a humanoid creature. According to Native American elders speaking their name is dangerous, as it knows when someone is talking about it and hunts them down.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2521 SCP-2521]] is some sort of HumanoidAbomination the Foundation cannot quite contain properly. It can go through walls, and practically teleport, but the ''real'' danger about it is that it apparently covets any sort of word-based information about itself, and will steal it away the moment it's made. It might be a document. It might be a recording. It might be ''the person who spoke it'', if they said it out loud. [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou And it might just take this page at some point]]. As a result [[PaintingTheMedium the entire article on it must be done in pictograms]], and even the database must label it "●●|●●●●●|●●|●" instead of "2521" to avoid having it be summoned at the location of the database computer.
** A variation with [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-4885 SCP-4885 ("Find Him")]], a horror version of Literature/WheresWally. You can physically describe him and remain untouched, but the moment you say or even know Waldo's location, he forcibly crawls out of your mouth and kills you. The Foundation believes they have contained Waldo by placing a D-class in one random moving containment cell then exposing that D-class (as well as all the empty containment cells) to Waldo's current GPS coordinates.
** [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/taboo The anomaly that isn't 4000 despite coming after 3999 and before 4001]]. It's '''[[green: a forest where nothing has a name]]''', and for the sake of humanity as a whole, it needs to stay that way. When referring to anything within (including oneself, if one is visiting the forest), using anything that could be considered a name or title (including descriptive phrases, if used multiple times for the same object) results in various Bad Things, including summoning elements of '''[[green: the place outside the named world]]''' onto Earth, BodyHorror, and [[spoiler: '''[[red: those who call the wood their home]]''' stealing your identity and trapping you in their place.]]

* The Makeover Fairy from WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick can do this, appearing in a puff of sparkleswhenever somebody says her name. Either it's a new ability or the others didn't know about it yet, since at one point Chick comments that she wasn't sure if it would work. Earlier in the show's run, WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic appeared to bitch her out for reviewing ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' when she said the word "manchild".
* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic appeared when the Maven of the Eventide said Nostalgia three times like he was Film/{{Beetlejuice}} during ''WebVideo/VampireReviews''. The two ask loudly how she even did that.
* The TV Tropes podcast ''On the Tropes'' Episode #61 has a discussion on this trope, that ultimately becomes an example of the trope itself.
* According to [[http://www.cracked.com/video_18545_the-horrifying-true-story-st.-patricks-day.html this]] Cracked video, if you say Saint Patrick three times on his feast day he will appear and offer spiritual guidance. If you let slip that you're celebrating it as a secular holiday you only vaguely understand, he will just yell at you.

* Used as a RunningGag by WebVideo/CallMeKevin, during his ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' Chaos Mod streams, when he'll sometimes cut himself off in the middle of saying "Jesus!" or "Jesus Christ!" for fear that saying it will summon [[ArchEnemy Griefer Jesus]] (or worse, ''Extreme'' Griefer Jesus).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'' has the villain JustForFun/CandleJack who would appear randomly and kidnap whoever said his name. JustForFun/CandleJack himself says, "[[SchmuckBait Not a very bright group, are you?]]"
** The series also spoofed this in a CreditsGag: "Interesting Fact: If you spin around while saying '[[InherentlyFunnyWords Huggbees]]' three times real quick, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Salinger Pierre Salinger]] will appear. Only he'll have... a beard!"
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' parodies this with Lord Moldybutt, a clear spoof of [[Literature/HarryPotter Lord Voldemort]]. Just saying his name causes nearby objects to break. [[TheDitz Billy]] is usually the one to say it, though Nigel (the Harry for Moldybutt) is also prone to saying it. Even [[spoiler:Moldybutt himself]] isn't immune.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In "Weirdmageddon", Bill Cipher refers to Xanthar as "The Being Whose Name Must Never Be Said", but then realizes that TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt is a special enough occasion to warrant saying the name.

* In a ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode, saying Biggie Smalls' name three times while looking into a mirror will summon his ghost, which really pisses him off when he's got places to be.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' had a parody of Bloody Mary but more kid-friendly and a little [[DefangedHorrors scary]] called Scary Teri. Cyborg has a childhood fear of the dark due to being forced to play a game called "Scary Teri". When he says it three times, he screams in fear. When he says "Scary Teri is not scary" three times and she will disappear.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarveyStreetKids'' takes the Bloody Mary parody to a lesser extent called "Muddy Barry" in "Harveyween".
* A few ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' sketches use this as their central gag:
** A Christmas special has a kid say "Ho, ho, ho" into the mirror and recurring character Composite Santa Claus appears behind him.
** One takes it to its logical extreme and has a girl summon Bloody Mary, who is amazed that it actually worked and summons [[Film/{{Candyman}} Candyman]], who gets in on it as well by summoning [[Film/{{Beetlejuice}} Beetlejuice]].

* The Warlord Cao Cao serves as the equivalent of the saying, "Speak of Cao Cao and he appears", owing to his villainous portrayal throughout Chinese history.

* The Rail Tracer in ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'' is something of a [[spoiler:''triple'']] subversion. At first, it's pretty obvious that it's a relatively harmless UrbanLegend delivered by two {{Cloudcuckoolander}}s and a chirpy train conductor that had the misfortune of coinciding with a train hijack. Then episode 6 rolls along and shows the aforementioned hijackers getting picked off by this... ''thing'', proving that it just might be RealAfterAll. And then comes the WhamEpisode (let's just say that [[spoiler:it's a ''really'' bad idea to give the aforementioned chirpy train conductor/part-time PsychoForHire a reason for a RoaringRampageOfRevenge]])...

* The Rail Tracer in ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' is something of a [[spoiler:''triple'']] subversion. At first, it's pretty obvious that it's a relatively harmless UrbanLegend delivered by two {{Cloudcuckoolander}}s and a chirpy train conductor that had the misfortune of coinciding with a train hijack. Then episode 6 rolls along and shows the aforementioned hijackers getting picked off by this... ''thing'', proving that it just might be RealAfterAll. And then comes the WhamEpisode (let's just say that [[spoiler:it's a ''really'' bad idea to give the aforementioned chirpy train conductor/part-time PsychoForHire a reason for a RoaringRampageOfRevenge]])...

*** [[https://xkcd.com/2381/ the original English word for bears was too abandoned in favor of the present one.]]

*** Lampshaded in the first episode of season 2 when Trish is trying to get her boss at the radio station to be more supportive of her efforts to expose IGH through ''Trish Talk'', she gets annoyed at his hesitancy to use IGH's name, saying "You can say 'IGH', Ian, they're not Voldemort."

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Seen with Glory, the BigBad of Season 5. In her introductory episode, Giles warns Buffy that anything that goes unnamed is either an object of deep worship or great fear. Or both. Glory turns out to be a physical God who's literally worshiped by her minions and is the most powerful foe Buffy has faced at the time. The SpeakOfTheDevil trope is also used [[TemptingFate tongue-in-cheek]] in a scene where they encounter Ben, unaware that the BigBad is actually possessing him.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'':

* Used as a RunningGag by LetsPlay/CallMeKevin, during his ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' Chaos Mod streams, when he'll sometimes cut himself off in the middle of saying "Jesus!" or "Jesus Christ!" for fear that saying it will summon [[ArchEnemy Griefer Jesus]] (or worse, ''Extreme'' Griefer Jesus).

*** Kilgrave has commanded Hope Schlottman into shooting her parents in an elevator in Jessica's building. Trish tries to use her radio show to raise sympathy for Hope, but when Jeri is doubtful, Trish, who knows very well Kilgrave is real as well as what he did to Hope and Jessica, starts a tirade which devolves into bashing Kilgrave. Jessica immediately enters the booth to cut Trish's mike, realizing Kilgrave is likely listening in. Guess who calls into the show at that very moment?

*** Lampshaded in the first episode of season 2 when Trish is trying to get her boss at the radio station to be more supportive of her efforts to expose IGH through ''Trish Walk'', she gets annoyed at his hesitancy to use IGH's name, saying "You can say 'IGH', Ian, they're not Voldemort."

* ''Series/TheDefenders2017'':
** ''Series/Daredevil2015''

** ''Series/JessicaJones2015'':
*** Kilgrave has commanded Hope Schlottman into shooting her parents in an elevator in Jessica's building. Trish tries to use her radio show to raise sympathy for Hope, but when Jeri is doubtful, Trish, who knows very well Kilgrave is real as well as what he did to Hope and Jessica, starts a tirade which devolves into bashing Kilgrave. Jessica immediately enters the booth to cut Trish's mike, realizing Kilgrave is likely listening in. Guess who calls in to the show that very second?
--->'''Kilgrave:''' First time caller, long time listener. Trish, I want to applaud your courage. You've always been a hero to the downtrodden. Self-preservation be damned. It's admirable. [[ShameIfSomethingHappened But my question is, if there really is a man with the abilities you've described, someone who could make anyone, anywhere, do whatever he wanted them to do, seems to me that insulting him would be wildly dangerous. Or, let's just say it, stupid in the extreme. Everyone has feelings, even, um, how did you put it? Sadistic, corrosive men?]] [[ImpliedDeathThreat Are you worried he might, I don't know, make you kill yourself? Or worse?]] I'll take my answer off the air.
*** Lampshaded in the first episode of season 2 when Trish is trying to get her boss at the radio station to be more supportive of her efforts to expose IGH, she gets annoyed at his hesitancy to use IGH's name, saying "You can say 'IGH', Ian, they're not Voldemort."

* The Rail Tracer in ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' is something of a [[spoiler:''triple'']] subversion. At first, it's pretty obvious that it's a relatively harmless UrbanLegend delivered by two {{Cloudcuckoolander}}s and a chirpy train conductor that had the misfortune of coinciding with a train hijack. Then episode 6 rolls along and shows the aforementioned hijackers getting picked off by this... ''[[UltimateEvil thing]]'', proving that it just might be RealAfterAll. And then comes the WhamEpisode (let's just say that [[spoiler:it's a ''really'' bad idea to give the aforementioned chirpy train conductor/part-time PsychoForHire a reason for a RoaringRampageOfRevenge]])...

** The series also spoofed this in a CreditsGag: "Interesting Fact: If you spin around while saying '[[GagWords Huggbees]]' three times real quick, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Salinger Pierre Salinger]] will appear. Only he'll have... a beard!"

* In the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series, the ruler of the underworld and BigBad of the first game is named "Mundus". Oddly, he is almost never referred to by name in other products, either being referred to as "the Devil King" or "the Devil Emperor".

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' drops a variant of the trope name[[note]]though the situation itself is an example of a [[AndHereHeComesNow different trope]][[/note]], ending with "...and you find her in your [[NiceHat hat]]."

** Taken UpToEleven with [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/taboo the anomaly that isn't 4000 despite coming after 3999 and before 4001]]. It's '''[[green: a forest where nothing has a name]]''', and for the sake of humanity as a whole, it needs to stay that way. When referring to anything within (including oneself, if one is visiting the forest), using anything that could be considered a name or title (including descriptive phrases, if used multiple times for the same object) results in various Bad Things, including summoning elements of '''[[green: the place outside the named world]]''' onto Earth, BodyHorror, and [[spoiler: '''[[red: those who call the wood their home]]''' stealing your identity and trapping you in their place.]]