Warlock or male witch
Vedmak Folklore Slavic paganism Other name(s) Vidmak Country Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Russia
In Slavic mythology , a vedmak
(Belarusian : вядзьмак, вядзьмар ;[ 1]
Bulgarian : вещер ;
Croatian : vještac ;
Czech : vědmák ;
Macedonian : вештер ;
Polish : wiedźmak ;
‹See Tfd› Russian : ведьмак ;
Serbian : вештац ;[ 2]
Ukrainian : відьмак [ 3] )
is a warlock or male witch , the female equivalent (witch) being vedma ,[ 4] but unlike the latter, the vedmak may also possess positive qualities. This role greatly focuses on the Shamanic 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]
^ Слоўнік беларускай мовы. Менск: Беларуская навука, 2012. ISBN 978-985-08-1365-7
^ Bilbija, Zarko G. (1955). Aspects of contemporary Ukraine . Human Relations Area Files. ISBN 9780598542106 .
^ Словник 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.
^ Wood Besant, Annie (January 1903). "Theosophical Review Magazine". Kessinger Publishing. p. 401.
^ Dworski, Lamus (5 March 2017). "3 'specializations' of spiritual leaders in Slavic Native Faith" . Wordpress . Lamus Dworski. Retrieved 2023-02-18 .
^ Ushakov's Dictionary
^ a b c Yefimova's Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian language, 2000.