Vedmak

In Slavic mythology, a vedmakСловник української мови в 4-х т. — К. : Вид-во Академії наук Української РСР, 1958, том 1, ст. 235 // Dictionary of the Ukrainian language / Ref. with addn. own of material by B. Grinchenko: in 4 volumes — K.: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, 1958. Volume 1, Art. 235. is a warlock or male witch, the female equivalent (witch) being vedma. This role greatly focuses on the Shamanic aspects of Slavic paganism.

For example, they treat people and animals.Ushakov's Dictionary 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.Yefimova's Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian language, 2000. The word was also used as an insult. A vedmak can turn into any animal or any object.

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). +LanguageNamesBelarusianвядзьмаквядзьмарведзьмакведзьмарBulgarianвещерCroatianvještacCzechvědmákMacedonianвештерPolishwiedźmakwiedźmarzRussianведьмакSerbianвештацUkrainianВідьма́квідьма́рвідьма́нвідьма́чвідьмун

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.Stworzyłem wiedźmina

See also Witch (etymology) European witchcraft Slavic mythology Krsnik (vampire hunter) Shamanism

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