Vedmak
Slavic warlock or male witch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Slavic mythology, a vedmak[a][3] is a warlock or male witch, the female equivalent (witch) being vedma.[4] This role greatly focuses on the Shamanic aspects of Slavic paganism.[5]
| Creature information | |
|---|---|
| Other name | Vidmak |
| Folklore | Slavic paganism |
| Origin | |
| Country | Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Russia |
For example, they treat people and animals.[6] On the other hand, they are thought to be people connected to the devil, and are capable of bringing harm by sending illnesses, killing cattle, spoiling a harvest, etc.[7] The word was also used as an insult.[7] A vedmak can turn into any animal or any object.[7]
Etymology
Vedmak stems from Proto-Slavic *vědět ("to know") and Old East Slavic вѣдь ("knowledge; witchcraft", compare the use of the term "cunning" in English folklore).[8]
| Language | Names | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belarusian | вядзьмак | вядзьмар | ведзьмак | ведзьмар | |
| Bulgarian | вещер | ||||
| Croatian | vještac | ||||
| Czech | vědmák | ||||
| Macedonian | вештер | ||||
| Polish | wiedźmak | wiedźmarz | |||
| Russian | ведьмак | ||||
| Serbian | вештац | ||||
| Ukrainian | Відьма́к | відьма́р | відьма́н | відьма́ч | відьмун |
The Witcher
Under the influence of The Witcher fantasy saga by Andrzej Sapkowski, the term vedmak is sometimes also rendered as "witcher" in English in certain contexts. The word used for "witcher" in the original Polish version of the novels, "wiedźmin", was coined by Sapkowski himself as a neologism, and the word "wiedźmak" (cognate of "vedmak") is used in the books only as a derogatory term for witchers. "Ведьмак" is also the word used to translate "wiedźmin" in the Russian translation of the books.[9]
See also
Notes
- Belarusian: вядзьмак, вядзьмар;[1] Bulgarian: вещер [ˈvɛʃtɛr] ⓘ: Croatian: vještac; Czech: vědmák; Macedonian: вештер [ˈvɛʃtɛr]; Polish: wiedźmak; Russian: ведьмак [vʲɪdʲˈmak] ⓘ; Serbian: вештац;[2] Ukrainian: відьмак [widʲˈmɑk] ⓘ.
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