Svetovit
Polabian Slavic god of abundance and war, chief deity of the Rani.
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The name's meaning is debated among scholars, with interpretations ranging from "Strong hero" to "Holy lord".[1] The reconstructed Old Polabian dialectal form *Svątevit is the basis for the theonym Svetovit.[2]
Life and work
The theonym's first part derives from the Proto-Slavic adjective *svętъ, which originally meant "strong, mighty" according to a prevailing view.[2] Some modern scholars criticize this interpretation and argue that "holy, sacred" was the original Proto-Slavic meaning.[3] The word's cognates include Lithuanian šventas and Old Prussian swints, both meaning "holy, sacred"[3] The second part of the theonym is traditionally analyzed as a suffix -vit meaning "lord, ruler, hero"[4]
A proposed translation of the first part as "world" or "light" has been rejected by linguists.[5] Aleksander Brückner and Stanisław Rospond were among those who supported this interpretation.[6] Because *vitędzь has a Germanic etymology, some scholars reject linking the suffix -vit to it.[4] A different morphological division, Svet-ovit, is used by certain researchers, interpreting the suffix -ovit as meaning "one who has much of something".[1]
What the cited sources add
The evidence from Łuczyński 2020 provides the reconstruction of the Old Polabian dialectal theonym as *Svątevit.[2] The evidence from Derksen 2008 and Boryś 2005 supports the reconstruction of the Proto-Slavic meaning of *svętъ as "holy, sacred"[3] The evidence from Brückner 1985 shows that he found the interpretation problematic and proposed a connection with świętowity.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Svetovit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brückner 1985, p. 196; Rosik 2020, p. 283; Szyjewski 2003, p. 116; Szyjewski 2003, p. 116; Łuczyński 2020, p. 150; Łuczyński 2020, p. 150 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Svetovit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Łuczyński 2020, p. 150 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Svetovit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Łuczyński 2020, p. 150; Derksen 2008, p. 476; Łuczyński 2020, p. 150; Vasmer 1986, p. 585; Derksen 2008, p. 476; Łuczyński 2020, p. 150; Derksen 2015, p. 456; Vasmer 1986, p. 585; Derksen 2008, p. 476; Łuczyński 2020, p. 150; Kroonen 2013, p. 256; Łuczyński 2020, p. 150; Łuczyński 2020, p. 150; Derksen 2008, p. 476; Boryś 2005, p. 623 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Svetovit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zaroff 2019, p. 42; Łuczyński 2020, p. 150; Zaroff 2019, p. 42; Rosik 2020, p. 283; Gieysztor 2006, p. 117; Urbańczyk 1991, p. 41 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Svetovit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rosik 2020, p. 283; Urbańczyk 1991, p. 41; Urbańczyk 1991, p. 41; Gieysztor 2006, p. 117 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Svetovit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brückner 1927, p. 537; Rospond 1983, p. 134 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Svetovit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brückner 1985, p. 196 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Svetovit (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Supernatural beings identified with Christian saints
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Svetovit (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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