Elder Speech is predominantly an elven language but technically it refers to all languages which originated prior to the Conjunction of the Spheres. As it is one of the oldest languages still in use, it is referred to as the "Old" or "Elder" Speech and the lingua franca is "Common Speech". It is mainly used by the elves and dryads, though mages, scientists and the more educated people also know it. The sung version of Elder Speech is used by sirens and nereids. Nilfgaardian and the Skellige Islands dialects both derive from Elder Speech. Its vocabulary is based heavily on the gaelic and celtic languages of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Old Speech - Polish original text on Andrzej Sapkowski Zone

Dictionary Edit

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Names

A Edit

Elder Speech	English
a'baeth	kiss
aard, ard	mountain
aark, aark	phonetic presentation of the sound ravens/crows make
abb	escape
addan, adan	dance; dancer; dancing
aedd	shard
aefder	later
aen	of; for
aen'drean	enter?
aenye	fire
aesledde	ride on a sledge/sled
aespar	shoot (verb.)
aevon	river
aep	of; appears to be just general genitive, not marking solely hereditary ties
aép	in, to
aine	light (possibly enlightened)
an	small, minor, vague
an'givare	informer, spy
a'taeghane	today
ard	mountain, upper, or "the highest"
arse	arse (UK), ass (US), butt

B Edit

Elder Speech	English
ban	village?
beanna	woman
beann'shie	banshee
blath	flower
blathan	garland; flowers
blathanna	Genitive: flowers', of flowers
blathe	the fifth savaed in the elven calendar; possibly 'flowering'?
bleidd	wolf
bloed	blood
bloede	bloody

C Edit

Elder Speech	English
caed	forest; grove
cáelm	calm, peaceful, quiet; slowly, quietly; calm, quieten
cáemm	come, go
caen	can (verb)
cáerme	fate, destiny
Cáerme	Destiny
carn	kurgan, barrow, burial mound
ceádmil	greet (in game appears as caed'mil; also as caedmill), greetings
cerbin	raven
cinerea	Ilyocoris
col	?
craag	?

D Edit

Elder Speech	English
dearme	sleep; good night (phrase)
deireádh	end (noun)
deith	flame
deithwen	white flame
dh'oine	human (in game also in form dh'oinne)
dhu	black
dice	say
d'yaebl	devil (in game both a sword and a wolf bear this name)
dol	dale, dell, vale, valley

E Edit

Elder Speech	English
eate	summer
elaine	fair, beautiful
en	indefinite article (a/an)
enid	daisy
ess	be
esse	will be
essea	I am
esseath	you are
evall	horse
evellienn	every, all

F Edit

Elder Speech	English
feainn	sun; also the sixth savaed in the elven calendar
feainnewedd	Sun-Child, Child of the Sun
fen	fen (a low marshy/frequently flooded area), wetlands
foilé	frantic
folie	frenzy

G Edit

Elder Speech	English
gar'ean	note; consider
geas	curse; geis is a magical obligation/prohibition
gláeddyv	sword
glean	bottom, low
gleanna	valley
glosse	look, observe?
gwen, gwyn	white (also -wen)
gvalch'ca	falconess
gynvael	ice

H Edit

Elder Speech	English
hael	greeting; health, safety, cure?
haela	medicine; drug?
hanse	Unit; group of friends
hav'caaren	hawker(s); based on Elder Speech word for 'rapacious'
hen	old, oldest

I Edit

Elder Speech	English
ichaer	blood
inis	island
invaerne	winter

K Edit

Elder Speech	English
kelpie	kelpie

L Edit

Elder Speech	English
laeke	lake
lara	seagull
lionors	lioness
llamas	maturing
luned	daughter / young girl

M Edit

Elder Speech	English
me	my, mine
meáth	meet
mid-	middle
milva	kite (bird)
mire	look, observe?
mistle	waxwing, or mistle thrush, also one of the Rats
minne	love (noun)
muire	sea
modron	mother, also the name used by Crach an Craite for Calanthe
morc	book, tome
morvudd	enemies

N Edit

Elder Speech	English
naev'de	nine
neén	not

P Edit

Elder Speech	English
pavienn	ape
pest	pestilence, plague, blight

Q Edit

Elder Speech	English
que	that
quirk, quirk	phonetic representation of the sound sparrows make

R Edit

Elder Speech	English
raenn	run
rhena	queen
Roethainne	Redanian

S Edit

Elder Speech	English
saov	spirit, soul, ghost?
savaed	One eighth of the year in the elven calendar
scoia'tael	squirrel(s)
seidhe	elf
shaent	sing
sidh	elven?
sledd	sled
sor'ca	little sister
spar	shoot (verb)
spar'le	(order) fire; attack
squaess	excuse (squass'me - I apologize); forgive
straede	road, path

T Edit

Elder Speech	English
taedh	bard, poet
tearth	fear
tedd	time, age, season
thaesse	shut up
tirth	wild boar
tor	tower
tvedeane	twelve, dozen

V Edit

Elder Speech	English
va	go
va faill	goodbye, farewell
vara	ware; goods?
vatt'ghern	witcher
veloë	fast, quick; quickly
voe'rle	stop, halt?
vort	further, away (from oneself), still

W Edit

Elder Speech	English
wedd	child
weddin	diminutive form of 'wedd', child; kiddo
wen	white (also as -wen)
woed, woéd, woedd	wood; forest

Y Edit

Elder Speech	English
yeá	so
yghern	Giant centipede
yn	on, over, upon
ys	downward

Z Edit

Elder Speech	English
zirael / zireael	swallow (bird)
zvaere	swear (to take an oath)

Names Edit

Elder Speech	English
Aedd Gynvael	Shard of Ice
Aen N'og Mab Taedh'morc	"Practices for a Young Bard"
Aen Saevherne	Sages
Aen Seidhe	elves
Aen Woedbeanna	Woman of woods
Aenyell'hael	Baptism of fire, also the name of a novel
Aevon y Pontar Gwennelen	River of Alabaster Bridges, Pontar
Belleteyn	blossoming
Birke	Spring equinox; the fourth savaed in the elven calendar
Ban Ard	Mountain (village?)
Ban Gleán	Low (village)?
Caed Dhu	Black Forest/Grove
Caed Myrkvid	Myrkvid Forest/Grove
Caer a'Muirehen	Old Sea Keep; Keep of the Elder Sea (Blood of Elves , UK); Witchers' fortress
Ceann Treise	a cascade in Brokilon; meaning uncertain
Conynhaela	a magical cure which enables the rapid regeneration damaged or broken bones
Craag An	once a village, now a necropolis in Brokilon; meaning uncertain
Dol Adalatte	Valley of Adalatte-river.
Dol Blathanna	Valley of the Flowers.
Duén Canell	The Place of the Oak
Glyswen	White River
Gwenllech	river: White Stones
Gwynbleidd	White Wolf
Imbaelk	Imbolc, germination; the third savaed in the elven calendar
Lammas	maturing; the seventh savaed in the elven calendar
Midaëte	Midsummer
Midinvaerne	Midwinter
Saovine	'Soul day'?; the first savaed in the elven calendar
Tor Lara	Tower of the Seagulls, Gulls' Tower
Tor Zireael	Tower of the Swallow, Swallow's Tower
Velen	autumn equinox; the eight savaed in the elven calendar
Xin'trea	Cintra in Elder Speech.

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