The Russian Witch

[icymist]

Witches in Russian Tradition


The idea of witches and witchcraft is common to all European cultures. However, most familiar is the version from the western fringes, personified in popular imagination by three crones around a cauldron in Shakespeare's quasi-historical piece, 'Macbeth'. What of the Slavic witch?

In Russian as in English, there is more than one name for a woman who practices magic. Witch translates as ведьма (ved’ma), while колдунья (koldun’ya) is usually translated as sorceress. чародейка (charodeika) comes from the verb ‘to charm’ and thus means enchantress, sorceress, or female magician, similarly to волшебница (volshebnitsa). All of these words have their male equivalent. Perhaps even more interesting in determining the position of magic in the culture is another term for the practitioner of practical magic and lore, человек который знает, person who knows. For me this phrase implies an accepted place and function for such people in a community.

More

[winyanstaz]

1. Thanks for the post..that is very interesting :)

Dosvadonyah (sp?) icymist...:)