The Return of Kaschei, the Abolition of Rusalkas, Navie from Polotsk, Kopsha and Vegelmof. What the First Belarusian Guide for Fantasy Translators Offers
The translation of fantasy literature and computer games into Belarusian has long remained a chaotic field. Since 1999, when the first Belarusian-language game "Mensk" appeared, localizers have most often worked in isolation, ignoring the experience of their predecessors. As a result, fantasy in Belarusian turned out to be cluttered with calques from Russian gamer jargon and artificial neologisms.
To break this cycle, a group of enthusiasts created the "Guide for Fantasy Translators". The authors set themselves the task of developing a unified terminological system, relying not on Russian or Polish translations, but on authentic sources — the vocabulary of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Historical Dictionary of the Belarusian Language), national folklore, dialect dictionaries, and works of classics.
In August 2026, the project received a fundamental update (version 0.4). The developers completed a large section "Bestiary", dedicated to the classification of mythological creatures, and also radically rewrote explanations about the risen dead and added a huge analytical appendix on the problem of translating dwarves and gnomes.
Companies of Adventurers
Any role-playing game (RPG) starts with a base. In the English-speaking tradition, including Dungeons & Dragons, player characters are adventurers who unite into a party.
In the Belarusian role-playing environment, the Russian word приключенец (adventurer) has been widely known since the early 2000s. In addition to the natural **шукальніка прыгод** (seeker of adventures), the authors of the guide found a precise, organic, and already existing equivalent — прыгоднік (adventurer). This word is found in the language of Belarusian post-war emigrants — Yanka Yukhnavets, Zora Kipel, Larysa Hienijush, Kastus Akula, as well as in literary magazines, and has already entered the grammatical database of the Institute of Linguistics.
In turn, for the English word party in the context of a medieval or fantasy world, the best equivalents are recognized as **дружына** (druzhyna/retinue) or **звяз** (zvyaz/union). The historical term "дружына" in the Explanatory Dictionary of the Belarusian Language means not only a prince's retinue, but also a voluntary association of people created for a specific purpose, which perfectly fits the logic of role-playing games.
The translation of the main tool for players — dice — also had to be revised. In modern speech, the words "кубікі" (cubes) and even the exotic "цыркі" (tsyrki) have taken root. The latter came from the "Belarusian-Russian Dictionary" of 1925, where it referred to a horse's pastern bone (babka), used in a folk game. However, D&D uses not only classic cubes (d6), but also polyhedra: tetrahedra, icosahedra, and dodecahedra. Calling a twenty-sided die a "cube" is not entirely correct, therefore the only precise term that covers all forms is **ігральныя косці** (playing dice).
Furthermore, many abstract character characteristics required clarification. For instance, the common D&D term proficiency (in Russian translation "мастерство" (mastery) or "владение" (possession/skill)) Belarusian authors propose to translate as **спрактыкаванасць** (practiced skill/proficiency) — ability and experience in a specific field, which eliminates confusion with property ownership.
And the psychological term bonds, which indicates a character's emotional connection to certain ideas or people, is localized as **прывязанасці** (attachments). At the same time, the researchers consciously rejected the direct dictionary equivalent "вузы" (fetters/bonds). Despite the fact that this word accurately conveys the dual meaning of the concept (that which simultaneously binds and limits), in the Belarusian language it is practically never used independently.
Why Magic in Belarusian is Not So Simple
Unlike weapons or armor, which have real historical prototypes, magical terminology in fantasy games lacks consistency and tradition. This allows for the creation of a terminological system from scratch, guided solely by the logic of Belarusian word formation. The main problem when translating magical systems is finding a precise equivalent for the basic English noun spell.
The English word spell comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)pel- ('to tell' — гаварыць). Based on this, dictionaries often suggest the translation "замова" (charm/incantation) (from the word "мовіць" — to speak). In the traditional sense, "замова" is magical words endowed with enchanting power. However, the use of this term in role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons or video games is absolutely incorrect.
In game mechanics, spell most often denotes not a verbal incantation, but any magical effect. Many spells (for example, Hypnotism — hypnotic gaze, Wraithform — semi-materiality, Invisibility to Animals — invisibility to animals) do not require the pronunciation of a magic formula at all. Accordingly, the term "замова" is suitable exclusively for denoting the verbal component of sorcery (verbal component), but not the magical act itself.
Another popular block of terms is formed from the root -кля- (закляцце (enchantment/curse), заклён (charm/spell), заклінанне (incantation/conjuration)). However, these words are etymologically linked to "клятвай" (oath), which is always pronounced aloud, which again brings us back to the problem of the mandatory verbal component. Moreover, "закляцці" (enchantments/curses) in Belarusian mythology are more often associated with harmful power or a permanent (long-lasting) magical effect.
Based on this, the authors of the guide propose the following distinction, which historically coincides with the terminology of the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering (1993):
- Ча́ры (Charms/Spells) (*spell*) and чарава́ць / зачарава́ць (to charm/enchant) (*cast a spell*) — are used for magical effects that are instantaneous or time-limited (disappear on their own).
- Заклён / закля́цце (Enchantment/Spell) (*enchantment*) and заклясці / закліна́ць (to enchant/charm) (*enchant*) — are used for permanent, long-lasting magical effects that imbue an object with new properties or illusions for an indefinite period.
- Праклён / пракля́цце (Curse) (*curse*) — an exclusively malevolent magical effect.
The process of sorcery (*to cast a spell*) requires precise use of verbs. Acceptable and natural forms for the Belarusian language include **начараваць** (to cast a spell, e.g., a fireball), **наслаць / насылаць чары** (to send/inflict charms/spells), **напусціць / напускаць на кагосьці** (to unleash/cast something upon someone).
However, the popular expression "накласці чары" (to impose spells) is a later (post-1990s) calque from Russian (*наложить проклятие / заклятие* - to impose a curse / spell) and is not recommended for use.
For the action opposite to spellcasting (*dispel magic* — dispelling magic), an ideal morphological equivalent has been found. Since the English word is formed by the model di- + spell, the Belarusian analogue is formed by the identical scheme — **адчараваць** (ad- + charavats' - to un-spell/dispel).
In English-language role-playing systems, magic users have a clear gradation, which is often lost in translations. The Belarusian guide proposes the following division:
- Маг (Magician/Wizard) (*wizard, mage, magician*) — a scholar who gains power exclusively through the study of arcane knowledge, practice, and reading magical books (grimoires).
- Чараўні́к (Sorcerer/Enchanter) (*sorcerer*) — a bearer of magic, granted to them from birth through exotic lineage or the influence of unknown forces. This magic cannot be learned; it chooses its wielder itself.
- Вядзьма́р / вядзьма́рка (Warlock / Witch) (*warlock / witch*) — one who gains power through concluding a pact (contract) with a powerful otherworldly entity (patron).
- Свята́р (Cleric/Priest) (*cleric*) — one to whom power is granted by a deity. The word, by the way, was coined by Vaclau Lastouski. For denoting priests of the Dark Forces (*dark cleric, evil priest*), researchers propose using the rare but apt émigré word цямна́р (temnar/darkener) — in 1950, Anton Adamovich, under the pseudonym S. Khizma, published a brochure "About 'Priests' and 'Darkeners'".
- Закліка́льнік (Evoker/Conjurer) (*evoker, invoker*) — a representative of the School of Evocation, who can manipulate energies and create something out of nothing, for example, magic arrows or lightning.
The material carrier of spells in games is most often a spell scroll. In Belarusian translations, this word is often mistakenly rendered as "сувой" (roll/scroll). However, explanatory dictionaries of the Belarusian language do not record the meaning of "сувой" as 'an object rolled into a tube, or a manuscript in the form of a ribbon'. The only correct options are **скрутак з чарамі** (scroll of spells) or the archaism **звітак з чарамі** (scroll of spells).
Unification also affected the names of magic schools. For example, the school of Abjuration (protective spells, creation of magical barriers, banishment of entities) cannot be translated by the Latinism "аб'юрацыя" (abjuration) or the calque "адкляцце" (un-spell). Based on the essence of this school's actions, it received the name **Засцераганне** (Abjuration/Warding), and its adherents — **засцерагальнікі** (warders/abjurers).
The School of Divination, whose adepts uncover secrets, read minds, and predict the future, cannot be called "Варажба" (Fortune-telling). In Belarusian historical and literary tradition, "варажыць" (to fortune-tell) means exclusively predicting the future or the past. Therefore, for this school, the term **Вяшчунства** (Divination/Prophecy) has been approved, which encompasses obtaining any secret knowledge by various means, and its adepts are called **вешчунамі** (diviners/seers).
Arsenals of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for Belarusian-language Fantasy
One of the most common problems in localizing role-playing games is adapting the names of bladed weapons. While early editions of Dungeons & Dragons still relied on real European history, modern versions of the system have opted for maximum simplification, reducing a rich arsenal to conventional "long swords" and "battle axes".
To avoid the use of artificial fantasy neologisms, the authors of the Belarusian guide turned to the real material culture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the XIV—XVII centuries. The scientific works of national historian-medievalists Yury Bokhan and Mikalai Plavinski became the basis for the terminological system.
Many types of weapons, which modern players consider exclusively fantasy, had precise historical analogues and their own names in our lands.
The English term war pick is often mistakenly translated as a type of battle hammer. In fact, it is a **клявец** (war pick/bec de corbin) — a striking weapon, the main element of which was not the blunt end, but a sharpened beak bent downwards. It was this beak that allowed it to pierce plate armor and made the *klyavets* an extremely effective means of combating heavy cavalry in the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
The polearm glaive, which was a large single-edged knife on a long haft, is accurately localized by the historical term **глевія** (glaive). In turn, fauchard — a weapon derived from a common agricultural tool — receives the natural Belarusian name **баявая каса** (war scythe), and a warrior who wields it — **касінер** (scythe-bearer).
The situation with the translation of the word falchion is also indicative. In Soviet and modern Belarusian lexicography, the explanation of the word цясак (cleaver/falchion) was thoughtlessly copied from Russian dictionaries by Ushakov and Ozhegov, where it is described as a weapon with a "wide double-edged blade". However, historian Yury Bokhan, in his research on Grand Duchy of Lithuania weapons, precisely defines *tsesaki* as single-edged weapons, which fully corresponds to the construction of the European falchion.
A separate critical analysis in the guide is dedicated to the term scimitar (a generalized name for various types of Eastern sabers — shamshir, kilij, talwar), which in fantasy is best known as the favorite weapon of the dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden.
Into the Belarusian role-playing environment, this name entered in the form "скімітар" (skimitr) again as a calque from the Russian language. In the Russian information space, it is recorded from the late 1990s — early 2000s in texts of gaming magazines (such as "Навигатор игрового мира"), where illiterate translators simply transliterated the English word letter by letter. Meanwhile, this name, which originates from the Italian *scimitarra*, is pronounced in all European languages without the [k] sound — **сімітар** (simitar). As an equivalent alternative, it is proposed to use the historical term **крывая шабля** (curved saber) (by analogy with the German *Krummsäbel*), especially since such a phrase is widely used in both Belarusian artistic and scientific literature.
Significant confusion exists in the translation of piercing polearms (*spear, lance, javelin, pike*). In modern Belarusian mass culture, the word spear is often translated as "дзіда" (dzida). The compilers of the guide prove the erroneousness of such an approach.
The word "дзіда" (dzida) in Belarusian dialects has too broad and vague a range of meanings: from "a stick with a sharpened end" and "a thorn on a bush" to "a crooked pine tree". The inaccuracy of the term is also confirmed by the history of dictionaries: in 1928, Nekrashevich and Baykov even presented "дзіда" as a synonym for the word "рапіра" (rapier). In the modern literary norm, "дзіда" is rather an equivalent to a Uhlan pike (*pike*).
Based on this, for the basic English spear, the single precise term **кап'ё** (kopiyo/spear) has been approved (and the warrior, accordingly — **капійнік** (kopiyinik/spearman)). This word and its derivatives were actively used in Old Belarusian monuments.
For other types of polearms, the following historical terms are proposed:
- Lance (heavy weapon of knightly cavalry) — **тараннае кап'ё** (ramming spear).
- Javelin (light throwing weapon of infantry) — **суліца** (sulitsa/javelin) or **вошчап** (voshchap/javelin). The latter term is widely recorded in documents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 16th century, and *sulitsy* were typical weapons even during the Battle of Grunwald in 1410.
Racial Questions
The modern Western role-playing game industry is undergoing a global review of basic terminology due to the so-called "new ethics". The authors of the Belarusian guide analyzed these trends and proposed their own solutions, based on the laws of the Belarusian language, rather than mechanically copying Western political correctness.
In 2024, Dungeons & Dragons publishers officially abandoned the use of the word race in favor of the biological term species. Similar processes occurred in the *Pathfinder* (transition to *heritage*) and *Forbidden Lands* (*kin*) systems. This is due to the negative connotations of the word "race" in American and Western European societies.
Belarusian researchers note that in the national linguistic tradition, the word "раса" (race) (like the word "негр" (negro)) is neutral and does not have chauvinistic or derogatory connotations, which is confirmed by the Explanatory Dictionary of the Belarusian Literary Language (2022).
At the same time, the application of the biological term "від" (species) or "парода" (breed) to intelligent beings (elves, orcs) that have their own culture, states, and social organization is ethically incorrect. To generalize all such beings (humanoids), the guide introduces the term **чалавекападобнікі** (humanoids/human-like beings), rejecting the scientific-sounding Latinism.
A separate problem is the formation of names for female representatives of fantasy peoples. In modern texts translated via Russian as an intermediary language, forms ending in -іха (e.g., *tralіkha* - female troll) are often encountered.
In the Belarusian language, such a suffix traditionally denotes either a female animal (*vaŭčykha* - she-wolf, *zayčykha* - female hare), or a wife (*kavalova žonka* — blacksmith's wife, *kavalikha* - blacksmith's wife). Calling a female troll "траліхай" (tralikha) is incorrect. According to the rules for forming names of nationalities (*Belarus* — *Belaruska* (female Belarusian), *palyak* — *polka* (female Pole)), the correct form is **тролька** (trolka/female troll).
Similar logic applies to orcs. The politically neutral literary form is recognized as **арчанка** (archanka/orc-woman) (by analogy with *turak* — *turčanka* (male Turk — female Turk)), while **арчыха** (archykha/female orc) remains a crude, offensive, colloquial form.
Interestingly, even the words "эльфійскі" (elfish) and its derivative "эльфійка" (female elf), which at first glance raise no questions, had to be reconsidered. However, these are further Russisms that violate the laws of Belarusian word formation. The suffix -ійск- is formed exclusively from proper geographical names ending in -ія (*Rasiya* — *rasіyskі* (Russia — Russian), *Boliviya* — *bolivіyskі* (Bolivia — Bolivian)). Since the locality "Эльфія" (Elfia) does not exist, the appearance of the adjective "эльфійскі" (elfish) and the feminitive "эльфійка" (female elf) based on the same root is impossible. According to the authors of the guide, the only correct forms for a female elf are **эльфіца** (elfitsa/elf-woman) or **эльфка** (elfka/female elf), and for the adjective — **эльфаўскі** (elfaŭski/elvish) or **эльфскі** (elfski/elvish).
But a much bigger problem for all Slavic localizers is the distinction between dwarves and gnomes. Historically, in mythology, gnomes are spirits of the earth, as defined by the alchemist Paracelsus. Their image as stocky bearded masters and smiths was popularized by J.R.R. Tolkien. However, the problem is that in role-playing systems like D&D, these two names denote different races.
The use of direct Anglicisms (*dvarf / dvorf*) is deemed unacceptable, as there are practically no words ending in -рф in Belarusian (верф (shipyard), торф (peat), шурф (borehole) — and none of them are Anglicisms). Transliteration from other languages (*tsverg, dverg*) also did not catch on.
Researchers rejected variants such as *khohlik*, because historically this is a general name for household imps and demons (*damaviki* (house spirits), *lazniki* (bathhouse spirits)); *kladnik* or *kladavik*, which are associated with evil spirits and whose etymology is unclear; *krasnalyudak*, because it is an obvious Polonism, although recorded in some dialects; and *vokh* (okh) — due to low recognizability.
As a result, the authors came to a compromise solution. The English word gnome was decided to be translated exclusively as **гном** (gnome) (with the diminutive form **гно́мік** (gnomik/little gnome)). For designating dwarf in the context of classic fantasy, the word **ка́рла** (karla/dwarf) and **ка́рліца** (karlitsa/female dwarf) have been approved (with the diminutive form **ка́рлік** (karlik/little dwarf)).
As an alternative for technofantasy and science fiction, the guide revives a forgotten word from the literature of the 1920s — **кару́злік** (karuzlik). This term ideally describes a short, stocky, and quarrelsome little man; for example, it is proposed for translating *squats* from the Warhammer 40k universe, bringing another authentic Belarusian word back into circulation.
Rehabilitation of Kaschei
The most extensive revision concerned the translation of the classic bestiary, and in particular — terminology related to creatures risen from the dead (*undead*). The mechanical transfer of the Russian equivalent "нежить" (nezhit) creates a gross linguistic error in Belarusian text.
In Belarusian (as in Ukrainian), the words "нежыць" (nezhyts) and "нежыт" (nezhyty) historically refer exclusively to illness, most often — a common cold.
Attempts to use phrases like "жывыя мерцвякі" (living dead) inevitably lead to a dead end when the translator also encounters the English concept living dead.
The authors of the guide propose to turn to the East Slavic tradition and use the collective noun of neuter gender **наўе** (navie/the departed) (and the adjective **наўскі** (navski/of the departed)).
This lexeme has direct roots in local burial rites — for example, the traditional day of remembrance for those who died an unnatural death is still called Navski Vyalikdzen (Navie Easter). The mystical threat associated with this word is officially recorded in the "Tale of Bygone Years": describing an epidemic in Polotsk in 1092, when invisible demons killed townspeople, the chronicler notes that it was "navie bіyuts' Polachany" (Navie strike the people of Polotsk).
A good find was the localization of the classic monster lich. In fantasy, this is a powerful necromancer-mage who, after death, turns into a skeleton and hides his soul in a magical item (phylactery). In most European languages, this name is simply transliterated, but Belarusian researchers noticed a complete coincidence of this archetype with the folkloric Kasch (Kaschei the Immortal). In Slavic mythology, Kasch is precisely an immortal evil sorcerer in the form of a skeleton, whose death is hidden in a secret place.
Also, the word **кашч** (kasch/lich) preserves an etymological connection with the word "косць" (kosts/bone) and allows for natural derivatives: archlich transforms into **архікашч** (arkhikashch/archlich), and the risen-from-the-dead dragon dracolich — **кашчацмок** (kaschacsmok/lich-dragon) instead of the artificial "дракаліч" (drakalich).
No less profound work has been done with forgotten spirits. For the translation of Tolkien's barrow-wight (a spirit from burial mounds), the word **копша** (kopsha) is proposed. This choice is based on the ethnographic records of Pavel Shpilevsky: *kopsha* is an evil and vengeful grave spirit, related to the word "капец" (kapets/burial mound, kurgan).
Another European archetype — revenant (a dead man who returns to take revenge or complete affairs) — is accurately conveyed by the word **непрытомнік** (neprytomnik/revenant), which ethnographer Mikalai Nikifarouski recorded as early as 1897 in Vitebsk Governorate.
Andersen Did Not Write About Rusalkas
For all of us today, a woman with a fish tail (*mermaid*) is a *rusalka*. However, in Slavic mythology, *rusalkas*, *vadzianitsy* (water nymphs), and *kupalki* (Kupala spirits) have ordinary human legs, allowing them to dance in rye fields and climb trees.
The substitution of concepts occurred at the end of the 19th century due to the Russian translation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "Den lille Havfrue" (literally — "The Little Sea Maiden"). Russian translators Anna and Pyotr Hansen called the heroine "Русалочка" (Rusalka), forever linking the Slavic mythological character to the image of the European fish-woman.
Belarusian translators blindly repeated this mistake. To correct the error, the guide proposes historically accurate equivalents for mermaid and merman — **марска́я дзе́ва** (marskaya dzyeva/sea maiden) and **марскі́ чалаве́к** (marski chalavyek/sea man).
Some names localizers had to invent themselves. In Tolkien's legendarium, tree-like giants were called ents; however, in 1975, the creators of the game Dungeons & Dragons, to avoid lawsuits from the owners of the rights to Tolkien's legacy, artificially fused the English words tree and giant, getting treant. To preserve this logic and phonetic similarity, Belarusian translators propose the author's neologism **дрэнт** (drent) (tree + ent).
They also sorted out the hierarchy of dragons. Researchers argue that in the Belarusian language, the words **цмок** (tsmok/dragon) and **дракон** (drakon/dragon) are complete synonyms and have the same level of epicness, which is confirmed by their equivalent use in various Belarusian translations of the biblical "Apocalypse".
At the same time, smaller and most often wingless relatives of dragons (*drake*) are proposed to be simply transliterated as **драк** (drak/drake) (or as **малы цмок** (maly tsmok/small dragon)).
For the two-legged dragon wyvern, Andrzej Sapkowski coined his own *viverna* for his "Witcher" series, simply adapting the English term to the feminine gender. Thanks to the recent Belarusian translation of "Time of Contempt" by Kaciaryna Macijevskaja, this form — **віве́рна** (viverna/wyvern) — has also appeared in the Belarusian language. It is precisely this form that the guide proposes.
However, the oldest and most powerful of the dragons, known in English as wyrm, receive the Slavic name **змей** (zmey) — thus historically referring to universal evil.
A very interesting case is the localization of the monster behemoth. In Russian, it is usually simply called "чудище" (chudishche/monster). In modern Belarusian, the word "бегемот" (begemot/hippopotamus) has lost its meaning as a biblical monster and is associated exclusively with the African hippopotamus. However, researchers found a solution: by referring to Francysk Skaryna's translation of the Book of Job, they reintroduced the word **вегелмоф** (vehelmof).
The work of the compilers of the "Guide for Fantasy Translators" takes the project beyond a mere fan glossary. In fact, it is an attempt to systematize Belarusian fantasy terminology and free it from dependence on the Russian intermediary language, through which original meanings were previously distorted and concepts substituted.
The collected linguistic material demonstrates that the Belarusian language has a sufficient native lexical apparatus for the adequate transmission of global fantasy archetypes.
The developed terminological system already represents a ready-made methodological base not only for role-playing game enthusiasts but also for professional literary translations and future official localizations.
«Nasha Niva» — the bastion of Belarus
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