| Folklore | Slavic paganism |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Vidmak |
| Country | Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Russia |
InSlavic mythology, avedmak(Belarusian:вядзьмак, вядзьмар;[1]Bulgarian:вещер[ˈvɛʃtɛr]ⓘ;Croatian:vještac;Czech:vědmák;Macedonian:вештер[ˈvɛʃtɛr];Polish:wiedźmak;Russian:ведьмак[vʲɪdʲˈmak]ⓘ;Serbian:вештац;[2]Ukrainian:відьмак[ʋʲidʲˈmak]ⓘ[3])is awarlock or malewitch, the female equivalent (witch) beingvedma,[4] but unlike the latter, the vedmak may also possess positive qualities. This role greatly focuses on theShamanic aspects of Slavic Paganism.[5]
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]
Vedmak stems fromProto-Slavic *vědět ("to know") andOld East Slavic вѣдь ("knowledge; witchcraft", compare the use of the term "cunning" in English folklore).[8]
| Language | Name | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| polish | wiedźmak | wiedźmarz | |||
| belarusian | вядзьмак | вядзьмар | ведзьмак | ведзьмар | |
| bulgarian | вещер | ||||
| croatian | vještac | ||||
| czech | vědmák | ||||
| macedonian | вештер | ||||
| russian | ведьмак | ||||
| serbian | вештац | ||||
| ukrainian | Відьма́к | відьма́р | відьма́н | відьма́ч | відьмун |
Under the influence ofThe Witcher fantasy saga byAndrzej Sapkowski, the termvedmak 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 aneologism, while 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]
