What The Bishop Chess Piece Is Called In Europe & What It Means – Brilliant Maps

The
map
above
shows
what
the
bishop
chess
piece
is
called
in
other
European
languages.
Everything
from
elephant
(?)
to
jester
to
runner
to
spear.

Here’s
a

list
of
the
various
names
in
European
and
other
languages:

Why
does
the
bishop
have
so
many
different
names?

The
bishop
chess
piece
has
many
different
names
across
languages
because
its
original
identity
and
representation
evolved
differently
in
various
cultures
as
chess
spread
globally.
Here
are
several
key
reasons:

Historical
Origins
and
Cultural
Differences

Chess
originated
from
an
ancient
Indian
game
called


Chaturanga,
which
featured
different
pieces
such
as
elephants,
chariots,
cavalry,
and
infantry.

The
piece
we
now
call
the
bishop
was
originally
represented
by
an

elephant,
called

Alfil
in
Persian
and
Arabic
languages.

As
chess
spread
to
Europe,
different
cultures
interpreted
this
unfamiliar
piece
in
unique
ways:

• 
  Elephant:
  • 
    Arabic/Persian:
    Alfil
    (elephant)
    →
    still
    visible
    in
    Spanish
    
    (alfil).
• 
  Bishop/Clerical
  Figures:
  • 
    English:
    “Bishop”
    due
    to
    its
    pointed
    top
    resembling
    a
    bishop’s
    mitre
    (hat).
  • 
    Icelandic:
    “Biskup”
    (also
    meaning
    bishop).
• 
  Military
  or
  Court
  Figures:
  • 
    French:
    “Fou”
    (meaning
    fool
    or
    jester)
    possibly
    derived
    from
    a
    misinterpretation
    or
    a
    stylized
    depiction.
  • 
    German:
    “Läufer”
    (runner)
    describing
    its
    diagonal
    movement
    pattern.
  • 
    Italian:
    “Alfiere”
    (standard-bearer
    or
    officer)
    continuing
    a
    military
    interpretation.
  • 
    Russian:
    “Слон”
    (slon,
    elephant),
    keeping
    the
    original
    animal-based
    identity.

Visual
Representation
&
Interpretation

When
chess
moved
across
cultures,
people
adjusted
the
visual
representation
of
the
pieces.

Europeans,
unfamiliar
with
elephants
on
a
battlefield,
reinterpreted
the
abstract
shape
into
familiar
figures
such
as
religious
bishops,
jesters,
runners,
or
military
officers.
Thus,
the
appearance
led
to
names
matching
the
newly
adopted
visuals.

Translation
&
Phonetic
Shifts

Translation
errors
and
phonetic
shifts
further
contributed
to
the
differences.
For
example:

• Arabic
  “Al-fil”
  (elephant)
  →
  Spanish
  “Alfil”
• “Alfil”
  distorted
  into
  “Alfiere”
  in
  Italian
  (officer)
• Misinterpretation
  or
  stylization
  led
  to
  “Fou”
  (fool)
  in
  French

Gameplay
Mechanics

In
early
forms
of
chess,
the
bishop
(originally
elephant)
had
limited
diagonal
movement,
jumping
exactly
two
squares.

When
the
rules
changed
in
the
late
15th
century,
giving
bishops
longer
diagonal
movements,
it
further
diversified
their
identity
in
different
languages,
where
naming
often
emphasized
their
new
mobility
or
function
rather
than
the
original
identity.

Which
do
you
think
is
the
best
name
for
it?

Go to Source
Author: Brilliant Maps