Languages & naming

The languages of the Grand Duchy, how Lithuanian names are built, and the saga’s invented true names and incantation grammar.

Labels. [Historical record] is attested in the sources or standard scholarship; [The saga’s invention] was made for this series.

In 1382 nobody in Lithuania could write a sentence in Lithuanian. The Grand Duke’s letters went out in Latin or Ruthenian, the Order counted in German, the priests prayed in Latin or Church Slavonic, and the old gods were spoken to in a language that had never been written down. That last fact is the saga’s opening. The Senovės Kalba is powerful partly because it lives only in mouths.

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1. The languages of the Grand Duchy in the 1380s [Historical record]

Language	Who used it	For what	In the saga
Lithuanian (lietuvių kalba)	The dynasty, the boyars and peasants of Aukštaitija and Žemaitija	Speech, song, oath, prayer to the old gods. Never written in this period. Two main dialect groups, Aukštaitian (highland) and Samogitian (lowland), already distinct.	The language of every pagan scene. Kęstutis, Birutė and Vytautas think in it. The Senovės Kalba is its oldest register (§4).
Ruthenian (rusьskyi jazykъ; Old Belarusian/Old Ukrainian)	The Orthodox East Slavs who were the majority of the Grand Duchy’s subjects; Algirdas’s Orthodox wives (Maria of Vitebsk, Uliana of Tver) and their households	The chancery language of the Grand Duchy (charters, treaties with Rus’ princes, later the Lithuanian Metrica and the Statutes of 1529, 1566 and 1588), written in Cyrillic	Jogaila’s court is bilingual Lithuanian–Ruthenian. Julijona’s household, Skirgaila (Orthodox as Ivan) and the Orthodox clergy of Vilnius speak it.
Church Slavonic	Orthodox clergy	Liturgy and scripture	Heard in the Orthodox churches of Vilnius.
Latin	Catholic clergy, Franciscans in Vilnius, papal and Order diplomats	International letters (Gediminas’s letters of 1323), treaties, the Krėva Act of 1385, the Mass	Written documents in Book I are Latin or Ruthenian, never Lithuanian.
German	The Teutonic Order (East Middle German), Hanseatic merchants (Middle Low German) in Riga, Vilnius and Kaunas	The Order’s administration, chronicles and route reports (Wegeberichte); trade	Order scenes think in German.
Polish	Polish clergy and lords, from 1385–86	Court and Church after the union	Arrives in ch. 28–29. Before 1385 no Polish voice belongs in Lithuania.
Tatar / Kipchak Turkic	The Golden Horde; Tatars settled in the Grand Duchy after 1397–98	Diplomacy (khans’ yarlyks), war	Book II. Tokhtamysh’s court.
Hebrew and Jewish vernaculars	Jewish communities, whose first known privileges came from Vytautas in 1388–89	Hebrew for liturgy and learning. In the 14th century the spoken vernacular may still have been Judeo-Slavic; Yiddish grew dominant later with Ashkenazi migration	Book II onward (Brest, Grodno, Trakai, Lutsk).
Karaim	Turkic-speaking Karaites brought from Crimea to Trakai c. 1397–98 (tradition)	Speech; Hebrew script	Book II onward, at Trakai.
Old Prussian	Prussians under the Order	Speech only (an Order word list, the Elbing Vocabulary, survives in a c. 1400 copy)	Prussian peasants and guides in Order lands, ch. 17–19. Extinct by c. 1700.
Latvian, Livonian, Curonian	Peoples of Livonia and the coast	Speech	Coastal and Livonian scenes.

Interpreters. The Order employed professional interpreters, called Tolken in Order documents, many of them Prussians or Lithuanian converts. An interpreter in ch. 18–19 is both accurate and useful: the Grand Master hears Vytautas’s words after a stranger has chosen them.

Writing in Book I. The earliest surviving Lithuanian text is a handful of prayers handwritten into a book printed in Strasbourg in 1503. The first printed Lithuanian book is Mažvydas’s catechism (Königsberg, 1547). So a written Lithuanian word, letter or inscription in 1382–87 is an anachronism. If the plot needs a written message between Lithuanians, it is in Ruthenian or Latin, or it is not written at all: a token, a knotted cord, an amber piece, a krivulė (the krivis’s crooked staff, carried as a summons).

Christian words are borrowed [Historical record]. Lithuanian took its Christian vocabulary from Ruthenian and Polish: krikštas (baptism), bažnyčia (church), kryžius (cross), griekas (sin), dūšia (soul), knyga (book). A pagan in 1382 hearing these words hears foreign words, which is a strong effect to use in POV. The native words for the sacred are older: dievas (god, cognate with Latin deus), šventas (holy), siela and vėlė (soul), auka (offering), alkas (grove). Even kunigaikštis (duke) is built on kunigas “lord”, an early loan from Germanic *kuningaz “king”.

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2. How Lithuanian names are built

2.1 Two-part (dithematic) names [Historical record]

Old Lithuanian princely and boyar names are compounds of two elements, like Germanic Wil-helm or Slavic Vladi-mir. The same elements recur in many names, which is how scholars identify them. The meanings below are the ones commonly proposed in Lithuanian onomastics. Most are probable, few are certain, and the confidence column is honest.

Element	Proposed meaning	Names	Confidence
taut-, -tautas	tauta “people, nation”	Vy-tautas, Taut-vilas, Bu-tautas, Goš-tautas	Good
vy-, vyt-	vyti “to chase, drive” (some prefer vyd- “to see”)	Vy-tautas, Vyt-enis, Vy-gantas	Uncertain
-gaila, -gailė	gailas “strong”, related to galia “power”	Jo-gaila, Skir-gaila, Švitri-gaila, Kari-gaila, Kęs-gaila, Rim-gailė	Probable
jo-	joti “to ride”	Jo-gaila (“strong rider” is the usual gloss)	Plausible
skir-	skirti “to separate, appoint”	Skir-gaila	Plausible
švitr-	švitrus “lively, quick”, or švitėti “to gleam”	Švitri-gaila	Uncertain
kęs-	kęsti “to endure”	Kęs-tutis, Kęs-gaila	Plausible
-tutis	a shortened taut- with diminutive -utis (?)	Kęs-tutis	Uncertain
-girdas	girdėti “to hear” or girti “to praise”	Al-girdas, Manti-girdas, Vis-girdas, Dau-girdas	Probable for the element; Al- is unexplained
ged-	gedėti “to mourn”, or “to long for”	Gedi-minas, Ged-vilas, Ged-gaudas	Uncertain
-minas, min-	minėti “to remember, mention”	Gedi-minas, Min-daugas	Plausible
daug-, dau-	daug “much”	Min-daugas, Dau-mantas, Dau-girdas	Good
-mantas	mantus “sharp-witted”, manyti “to think”	Dau-mantas, Nari-mantas	Probable
nar-	narsa “courage”, narus “brave”	Nari-mantas	Plausible
-vilas	viltis “hope”	Taut-vilas, Ged-vilas	Plausible
-vilkas	vilkas “wolf”	Vaiš-vilkas	Good
kari-	karias (old) “army”, karas “war”	Kari-jotas, Kari-butas, Kari-gaila	Good
-butas, but-	butas “house”, or būti “to be”	Kari-butas, Bu-tautas	Uncertain
rim-	rimti “to grow calm”	Rim-gailė, Rim-gaudas	Plausible
-vydas	vydėti “to see”	Man-vydas	Plausible
-gaudas	gaudyti “to catch” (?)	Ged-gaudas, Rum-baudas (different element?)	Uncertain

A correction to the brief’s divisions. Algirdas divides Al-girdas, not Algi-rdas, because -girdas recurs as an element (Mantigirdas, Visgirdas). Gediminas is usually divided Gedi-minas, with a linking vowel.

Žygimantas is not native. It is the Lithuanian form of German Sigismund, folk-reshaped to look like žygis “campaign” + -mantas. Žygimantas Kęstutaitis’s name is therefore a sign of his Christian upbringing; his pagan name, if he had one, is unknown.

2.2 Short and diminutive names [Historical record]

Alongside the compounds there are short names, often one element plus a suffix: -utis/-utė (Jaunutis “little young one”, Birutė, Danutė), -enis (Vytenis, Lengvenis), -ys, -elis/-ėlė. Many feminine names of the dynasty are of this kind. Medieval women’s names are poorly recorded. Most noblewomen appear in the sources only under their baptismal names (Ona, Elena, Marija, Sofija, Julijona, Eufemija, Kotryna).

2.3 Patronymics and family names [Historical record]

• No surnames in the 14th century. A person is X, son/daughter of Y, or X of [place].

• Lithuanian patronymic suffixes: -aitis (son: Žygimantas Kęstutaitis, Andrius Algirdaitis); -aitė (daughter: Danutė Kęstutaitė); -ėnas (son or descendant, especially in the east: compare sūnėnas “nephew”, “brother’s son”). The suffix -áitis is always stressed.

• Ruthenian patronymics: -ovich/-evich (son), -ovna/-evna (daughter). Vytautas Kęstutaitis is Vitovt Keistutyevich in Ruthenian, and Jogaila Algirdaitis is Jagailo Olgerdovich.

• Dynastic plurals (Gediminaičiai, Kęstutaičiai, Algirdaičiai, Jogailaičiai) are modern historians’ terms. They are fine in narration and anachronistic in dialogue.

• Married names in -ienė (Kęstutienė) belong to the later surname system. Do not use them in Book I. Say Kęstučio žmona “Kęstutis’s wife”, or let the title carry it (kunigaikštienė “duchess”).

2.4 How contemporaries wrote the same names [Historical record]

Each language wrote the cousins differently. Using the right form in a point-of-view scene is cheap and very effective.

Lithuanian	Ruthenian	Polish	German (Order sources)
Kęstutis	Keistut (Кейстутъ)	Kiejstut	Kynstut, Kinstud
Vytautas	Vitovt (Витовтъ)	Witold, Witowt	Wytaut, Witowt
Jogaila	Jagailo (Ягайло)	Jagiełło	Jagal, Jagel
Algirdas	Olgerd (Ольгердъ)	Olgierd	Algart
Skirgaila	Skirgailo	Skirgiełło	Skirgal
Švitrigaila	Svidrigailo	Świdrygiełło	Swidrigal
Gediminas	Gedimin	Giedymin	Gedemin
Birutė	—	Biruta	—

2.5 Baptismal names [Historical record]

Baptismal names appear only after the baptisms.

Person	Baptismal name	Rite, date, place
Vytautas	Wigand (Lith. Vygandas)	Catholic, 21 Oct 1383, Tapiau (Tepliava)
Vytautas	Aleksandras	Catholic, 1386, Kraków
Jogaila	Władysław (Lith. Vladislovas)	Catholic, 15 Feb 1386, Kraków
Skirgaila	Ivan (Orthodox); Kazimierz (Catholic, 1386)	—
Švitrigaila	Bolesław (Catholic, 1386); Orthodox name Lev sometimes given	—
Vygantas	Aleksandras (Catholic, 1386)	—
Kaributas	Dmitry (Orthodox)	—
Lengvenis	Semyon (Simeon, Orthodox)	—
Tautvilas	Konrad	Catholic, in Prussia
Butautas	Henrikas (Heinrich)	Catholic, 1365, in Prussia
Danutė	Anna	Catholic, at her marriage to Janusz I of Masovia
Kęstutis, Algirdas, Birutė	never baptised	Kęstutis promised baptism to Louis of Hungary in 1351 and broke the promise

2.6 Lithuanian forms of foreign names

Lithuanian gives every foreign name a case ending: masculine -as, -is, -us, -a; feminine -a, -ė. Use these forms in Lithuanian prose and the native forms in English docs.

Native	Lithuanian	Native	Lithuanian
Konrad	Konradas	Marienburg / Malbork	Marienburgas / Malborkas
Ulrich	Ulrichas	Königsberg	Karaliaučius
Winrich	Vinrichas	Tapiau	Tepliava
Heinrich	Henrikas	Ragnit	Ragainė
Wigand	Vygandas	Georgenburg	Jurbarkas
Johann / Jan / Ivan	Jonas (Ivanas for a Rus’ prince)	Insterburg	Įsrūtis
Sigismund (of Luxembourg)	Zigmantas	Memel	Klaipėda
Sigismund (Kęstutaitis)	Žygimantas	Kraków	Krokuva
Władysław	Vladislovas	Riga	Ryga
Kazimierz	Kazimieras	Danzig / Gdańsk	Dancigas (older) / Gdanskas
Jadwiga	Jadvyga	Toruń / Thorn	Torunė
Zofia / Sophia	Sofija	Lutsk / Łuck	Luckas
Anna	Ona	Kyiv	Kijevas
Elżbieta	Elžbieta	Moscow	Maskva
Wilhelm	Vilhelmas	Ostrów	Astravas
Ludwig / Lajos	Liudvikas	Ashmyany / Oszmiana	Ašmena
Dmitry	Dmitrijus	Grunwald / Tannenberg	Žalgiris
Uliana	Julijona	Hrodna / Grodno	Gardinas
Tokhtamysh	Toktamyšas	Brest	Brasta
Edigu	Edigėjus	Polotsk	Polockas
Timur	Timūras	Smolensk	Smolenskas
Zbigniew Oleśnicki	Zbignevas Olesnickis	Vitebsk	Vitebskas
Jan Długosz	Janas Dlugošas	Navahrudak	Naugardukas

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4. The Senovės Kalba as Old Lithuanian

4.1 What it is

[The saga’s invention] In the world, the Senovės Kalba (“the Ancient Speech”) is Lithuanian in its oldest register, the words the elements were first addressed in. It was handed down by mouth from krivis to žynys and from mother to daughter, and never written. Mortals ask in it, and the elements answer only to it.

[Historical record] In fact, the five incantations are standard modern Lithuanian. Real Old Lithuanian, as the 16th–17th-century texts preserve it, had features that modern Lithuanian has lost or reduced. The saga can draw on them for flavour:

• Athematic verbs in -mi: esmi “I am”, eimi “I go”, duomi “I give” (modern esu, einu, duodu).

• The permissive with te-: teesie “let it be”, teateinie “let it come”, tebūnie “let it be” (Daukša’s Lord’s Prayer, 1595).

• A living dual number: mudu “we two”, judu “you two”, dvi žvaigždi “two stars”.

These are attested forms. Inventing new archaic forms (for example a permissive *tešvytie “let it shine”) should be checked with a historical linguist first. A wrong “archaism” will jar a Lithuanian reader more than plain modern Lithuanian.

4.2 The formula

[Element] [tau / man] [verb].

Element	Line	Literal sense
Stars (Praurimė)	Žvaigždės tau švytės	“The stars will shine for you”
Fire (Gabija)	Ugnis tau degs	“Fire will burn for you”
Water (Bangpūtys)	Vanduo tau teks	“Water will fall to your lot” (see below)
Earth (Žemyna)	Žemė tau laikys	“Earth will hold (it) for you”
Wind (Vėjopatis)	Vėjas tau neš	“Wind will carry (it) for you”

The grammar, and why it matters to the magic:

1. The element comes first, in the nominative. Naming the power is the address, so the element is spoken first. Never reorder the words.

2. The pronoun comes second, in the dative. tau means “for you” (cast for another; the caster pays) and man means “for me” (cast on oneself; the caster pays, but less). These are unstressed clitics.

3. The verb comes last, in the 3rd-person future. The appendices gloss it as a wish (“Tegul žvaigždės tau švytėtų”, “May the stars shine”). Grammatically it is a statement about the future: “the stars will shine.” This is the saga’s best hidden rule. A working is a prophecy the caster asks the element to make true. Under the Law of Truth a false statement fails, so a caster cannot ask for what they do not truly intend (Magic rules §3.2). The Lithuanian 3rd person is the same in singular and plural, which is why žvaigždės (plural) and ugnis (singular) take the same form of verb.

4. The verb is the element’s own natural act: stars shine, fire burns, earth holds, wind carries.

5. Every line ends on a stressed syllable (švy-TĖS, DEGS, TEKS, lai-KYS, NEŠ). New lines should keep this hard, falling-shut cadence.

The water line’s double sense. Teks is the future of tèkti “to fall to one’s share; to have to”, not of tekėti “to flow” (whose future is tekės). Read strictly, Vanduo tau teks means “water shall be your portion”. That is a fitting oath for the element that heals by taking the patient’s wound onto the healer (Magic rules §4.1). Keep the line as it is, and let a learned character (the krivis, Birutė) notice the double meaning once. If the author ever wants the plain sense “water will flow for you”, the line would be Vanduo tau tekės.

The Five-Voice invocation (Penkių Balsų Šauksmas) speaks the five lines in the order Stars, Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, from the sky down to the air around the caster.

5. The true name: slaptas vardas [The saga’s invention]

Required by the Senovės Sutartis.

1. What it is. At birth, before any public name is given, the mother whispers a secret name into the child’s ear. Only she and the elements know it. The public name (Vytautas, Eglė) is given later, at the naming feast.

2. How it is given. In the first hour, over the five media if she can manage it: a candle (fire), a bowl of water, a pinch of earth, an open window (wind), and starlight or amber (stars). Most mothers manage two or three. The elements present are the elements that will “know” the child.

3. What it sounds like. A single old word, never a two-part princely name. Often it is something the mother saw or felt at the birth (a bird, a weather, a tree), or a nature word with an old diminutive. The point is that it sounds nothing like a duke’s name. Do not invent Vytautas’s true name in the docs. Magic_rules §6 has Birutė speak it in ch. 3 and leaves it as a mystery for later. The reader should hear only that it was a word older than “Vytautas” (author’s decision).

4. Who may speak it. Only the mother; the bearer, if they ever learn it; a binder in a Senovės Sutartis; and an Iron Wolf candidate, who whispers his own to a sacred flame at his making. Speaking another’s true name to anyone else is the gravest breach of trust a Lithuanian of the saga can commit.

   • The skin-name. Distinct from the true name, an Iron Wolf also bears a kailio vardas (“skin-name”). It is a public nickname, a dead enemy’s name, or an object. Kęstutis’s armour-bearer Jonas wears the baptismal name of an Order sergeant he killed. The skin-name hides nothing and binds nothing.

5. What it does. It addresses the person beneath every title, baptism and mask. This is why baptism cannot overwrite it. Vytautas is Wigand and then Aleksandras to the Church, but his true name is unchanged, and this is why the amber answers to his truth, not his creed (Magic rules §5.4). Under Magic rules §10, someone who knows your true name better than you do is beyond your workings.

6. Hooks. The Shadow-Seller collects true names. A mother who dies in childbirth takes the name with her, and that child is unbindable, which is a blessing and a curse. When the Root-Mother takes Eglė, she names her anew (Pelkių Eglė), which is what “taken” means.

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7. Glossary

Stress is shown with the stressed syllable in CAPS.

Term	Say	Meaning	Label
aitvaras	AIT-va-ras	Fiery rooster-dragon that steals wealth for its keeper	[Historical record]
alkas (pl. alkai)	AL-kas	Sacred grove or hill	[Historical record]
Amžinoji Ugnis	am-ži-NO-ji ug-NIS	The Eternal Flame	[Historical record] in concept
Anapilis	a-na-PI-lis	“The castle beyond”, the underworld	[Historical record] in folklore
anyta	a-NY-ta	Husband’s mother	[Historical record]
Atsaistymas	at-SAIS-ty-mas	The Unbinding of the spirits after 1387	[The saga’s invention]
Aukso Rijūnas	AUK-so ri-JŪ-nas	The Gold-Glutton, Mercator-Rex	[The saga’s invention]
Aušrinė	auš-RI-nė	The Morning Star	[Historical record]
bajoras (pl. bajorai)	ba-JO-ras	Boyar, noble	[Historical record]
Baltoji Tyla	bal-TO-ji ty-LA	The White Silence	[The saga’s invention]
Bangpūtys	bang-PŪ-tys	God of sea and storm; Water element	[Historical record] (16th c.)
burtininkas	bur-TI-nin-kas	Diviner, caster of lots	[Historical record]
Dagotuvės	da-go-TU-vės	Harvest-end feast; Žemyna’s zenith
Dangus	dan-GUS	The sky; the crown of the World Tree	[Historical record]
Dausos	DAU-sos	The afterlife meadow	[Historical record]
dėdė	DĖ-dė	Uncle	[Historical record]
Didysis kunigaikštis	di-DY-sis ku-ni-GAIKŠ-tis	Grand Duke	[Historical record]
Dievas	DIE-vas	The sky god; God	[Historical record]
Dievas Senelis	DIE-vas se-NE-lis	“Old Man God”, the Beggar	[Historical record] in folklore
dvasios	DVA-sios	Spirits of place	[Historical record]
Dykra	dyk-RA	The wild swamp-forest belt (the Order’s Wildnis)	[The saga’s invention] name for a [Historical record] place
Elgeta	el-ge-TA	“The Beggar”	[The saga’s invention] usage
Gabija	ga-BI-ja	Goddess of the hearth fire; Fire element	[Historical record]
Galios	GA-lios	“The Forces”	[The saga’s invention]
Gedimino stulpai	ge-DI-mi-no STUL-pai	The Columns, the dynastic sign	[Historical record]
Gediminaičiai	ge-di-mi-NAI-čiai	The dynasty	[Historical record] (historians’ term)
Geležinis Šventasis	ge-le-ŽI-nis šven-TA-sis	The Iron Saint	[The saga’s invention]
Geležinis Vilkas	ge-le-ŽI-nis VIL-kas	The Iron Wolf of Gediminas’s dream	[Historical record] (16th-c. legend)
Giltinė	gil-TI-nė	Death, who cuts the thread	[Historical record]
gintaras	GIN-ta-ras	Amber	[Historical record]
Gintaro Karalienė	GIN-ta-ro ka-ra-LIE-nė	The Amber Queen, an office	[The saga’s invention]
Gyvybės Versmė	gy-VY-bės vers-MĖ	Life Spring, the Water boon	[The saga’s invention]
Jūratė	JŪ-ra-tė	Sea goddess of the amber palace	[Historical record] (19th-c. legend)
kaukas	KAU-kas	Small household sprite	[Historical record]
Komtur (Lith. komtūras)	KOM-tur	Commander of an Order castle	[Historical record]
krivis	KRI-vis	High priest (Dusburg’s Criwe)	[Historical record], partly legendary
krivulė	kri-VU-lė	The krivis’s crooked staff; a summons	[Historical record]
Kūčios	KŪ-čios	Christmas Eve supper; Praurimė’s zenith	[Historical record] / [The saga’s invention] zenith
kunigaikštis	ku-ni-GAIKŠ-tis	Duke, prince	[Historical record]
laidas	LAI-das	Surety in a Sutartis	[The saga’s invention] usage
Laima	LAI-ma	Fate	[Historical record]
Laimos medis	LAI-mos ME-dis	Laima’s tree, a protective sign	[Historical record] motif
laumė (pl. laumės)	LAU-mė	Bird-footed fairy woman	[Historical record]
Marios	MA-rios	Lagoon or sea	[Historical record]
Medeina	me-DEI-na	Forest goddess, merged into the Root-Mother	[Historical record] (1252)
Mėnuo	MĖ-nuo	The Moon; month	[Historical record]
Nepajudinamoji Valia	ne-pa-JU-di-na-mo-ji va-LIA	Unmovable Will, the Earth boon	[The saga’s invention]
Pasaulio Medis	pa-SAU-lio ME-dis	The World Tree	[Historical record] motif
Paukščių Takas	PAUKŠ-čių TA-kas	The Milky Way, “Birds’ Way”	[Historical record]
Pažymėtas	pa-žy-MĖ-tas	“Noticed”, the second path to Kalba	[The saga’s invention]
Pelkių Eglė	PEL-kių eg-LĖ	Eglė of the Swamps	[The saga’s invention]
Penkių Balsų Šauksmas	pen-KIŲ bal-SŲ ŠAUKS-mas	The Five-Voice invocation	[The saga’s invention]
Perkūnas	per-KŪ-nas	Thunder, oaths, justice	[Historical record]
Perkūno Rūstybė	per-KŪ-no rūs-TY-bė	Perkūnas’s Wrath, his Force-face	[The saga’s invention]
perkūnėlis	per-kū-NĖ-lis	Thunder-cross sign	[Historical record]
piliakalnis	pi-LIA-kal-nis	Hillfort mound	[Historical record]
Požemis	PO-že-mis	The under-earth	[Historical record]
Praurimė	prau-RI-mė	Fire of the stars; Stars element	[Historical record?] (19th-c. sources)
Prigimtis	pri-gim-TIS	“Birth”, the innate path to Kalba	[The saga’s invention] usage
pusbrolis (pl. pusbroliai)	PUS-bro-lis	Cousin	[Historical record]
ragana (pl. raganos)	RA-ga-na	Witch, seer	[Historical record]
Rasos	RA-sos	Midsummer, “the dews”; Gabija’s zenith	[Historical record] / [The saga’s invention] zenith
Regėjimo Aiška	re-GĖ-ji-mo AIŠ-ka	Clear Sight, the Stars boon	[The saga’s invention]
Reise (pl. Reisen)	RAI-ze	The Order’s seasonal raids into Lithuania	[Historical record]
Sandėris	san-DĖ-ris	A bargain with the Shadow-Seller	[The saga’s invention] usage
Saulė	SAU-lė	The Sun	[Historical record]
Saulutė	sau-LU-tė	Sun-wheel sign	[Historical record] motif
Senovės Kalba	se-NO-vės kal-BA	The Ancient Speech	[The saga’s invention]
Senovės Sutartis	se-NO-vės su-tar-TIS	The Ancient Pact rite	[The saga’s invention]
Sielos Šarvas	SIE-los ŠAR-vas	Soul Armour, the Fire boon	[The saga’s invention]
slaptas vardas	SLAP-tas VAR-das	The true name (§5)	[The saga’s invention]
Stepių Alkis	STE-pių AL-kis	The Steppe-Hunger	[The saga’s invention]
Stiklo Kalnas	STIK-lo KAL-nas	The Glass Mountain	[Historical record] motif
sūnėnas (pl. sūnėnai)	sū-NĖ-nas	Nephew (brother’s son)	[Historical record]
Surištas	SU-riš-tas	“Bound”, the third path to Kalba	[The saga’s invention]
Šaknų Motina	šak-NŲ MO-ti-na	The Root-Mother	[The saga’s invention]
Šešėlio Greitis	še-ŠĖ-lio GREI-tis	Shadow Speed, the Wind boon	[The saga’s invention]
Šešėlių Pardavėjas	še-ŠĖ-lių par-da-VĖ-jas	The Shadow-Seller	[The saga’s invention]
Šventaragis	šven-ta-RA-gis	The sacred valley of Vilnius	[Historical record] (16th-c. legend)
Tolk (pl. Tolken)	TOLK	An Order interpreter	[Historical record]
Tylioji Sutartis	ty-LIO-ji su-tar-TIS	The Silent Pact of 1345	[The saga’s invention]
uošvis	UOŠ-vis	Spouse’s father	[Historical record]
vaidila	vai-DI-la	Pagan priest-bard	[Historical record]
vaidilutė	vai-di-LU-tė	Priestess of the eternal flame	Word largely 19th-c.
Velnias	VEL-nias	Lord of the dead and of bargains	[Historical record]
vėlė (pl. vėlės)	vė-LĖ / VĖ-lės	Soul of the dead	[Historical record]
Vėlinės	VĖ-li-nės	Feast of the dead; Vėjopatis’s zenith	[Historical record] / [The saga’s invention] zenith
Vėjopatis	vė-JO-pa-tis	Lord of the winds; Wind element	[Historical record] (16th c.)
vilkatas (pl. vilkatai)	vil-KA-tas	Werewolf	[Historical record]
Vytis	VY-tis	The mounted knight of the arms	[Historical record]
Wildnis	VILT-nis	The Order’s name for the depopulated border belt	[Historical record]
žaltys (pl. žalčiai)	žal-TYS	Sacred grass snake	[Historical record]
Žemyna	že-MY-na	Earth; Earth element	[Historical record]
Žirgeliai	žir-GE-liai	Horse-head gable ornaments	[Historical record]
Žolinė	žo-LI-nė	The Assumption, 15 Aug	[Historical record]
Žymė	žy-MĖ	A Force’s claim	[The saga’s invention] usage
žynys (pl. žyniai)	žy-NYS	Priest, seer, “knower”	[Historical record]