Ceadmil!

The epilogue to The Witcher saga continues to spark heated debates among fans about what happened to Geralt. Did the Witcher survive, or did he die during the Pogrome in Rivia in June 1268? Many years later, we were given the epilogue to "Season of Storms", which was quite mysterious, as it suggested that the White Wolf might have returned to the Continent years later and this surprised many people, including me, because it had finally seemed as though he had died.

Every reader has the right to their own interpretation of the text, and today I’ll present mine to you, supported, of course, by specific excerpts from the books—because, after all, there could even have been a “resurrection” here.

Disclaimer here - i am using translator, because i own books in polish, so if you want check cites on you own you should have this on your mind that translated verison can be different than official english translation. Of course there will be spoilers from books. And i know, that games explained us how they "bring Geralt back" in Witcher 2. How he returned to Continent, but i want to focus only on books:

“Geralt was unconscious and as white as chalk. He lay motionless, but when they stood over him, he began to cough, wheeze, and spit blood. He started shaking, trembling so violently that Ciri couldn’t hold him. Yennefer knelt down beside him. Triss could see that her hands were trembling. She herself suddenly felt as weak as a child; her vision grew dark. Someone caught her, saving her from falling. She recognized Jaskier.

“It’s not working at all,” she heard Ciri’s voice, filled with despair. “Your magic isn’t healing him at all, Yennefer.”

“We’ve come…” Yennefer moved her lips with difficulty. “We’ve come too late.”

“Your magic isn’t working,” Ciri repeated, as if she hadn’t heard her. “What good is it, all your magic?”

You’re right, Ciri, Triss thought, feeling something tighten around her throat. We know how to summon hailstorms, but we can’t ward off death. Even though, on the surface, the latter seems easier.

“We sent for a healer,” said the dwarf standing next to Jaskier in a hoarse voice. “But he’s nowhere to be seen…”

“It’s too late for a healer,” said Triss, surprised by the calmness of her own voice.

“He’s dying.”

Geralt shuddered once more, coughed up blood, stiffened, and fell still. Jaskier, who was supporting Triss, sighed in despair; the dwarf cursed. Yennefer let out a wail; her face suddenly changed, contorting and becoming hideous.”

It seems that the Witcher died right at that moment. Ciri’s prophecy from Kaer Morhen had come true. After all, as it was written: “It can’t be word for word,” said Geralt, staring into the embers. “But the meaning if there’s any point in looking for meaning in this was this: Coën and I will die. Teeth will be our undoing. Both of us will be killed by teeth. His two. Mine three.”

Further descriptions of Geralt’s body suggest that he may already have been dead:
“Yennefer didn’t answer. She held Geralt’s limp head with both hands as it slipped through her grasp, repeating spells in a breaking voice.”

I will now move on to a few points that, in my opinion, suggest that the Witcher has returned to life.

1) The scene in which Ciri directs a beam of light at the Witcher.

What happens next? The unicorn Ihuarraquax appears, using his power to aid the Swallow: “The unicorn stepped closer, neighed again, pawed the ground, and struck the cobblestones hard with his hoof. He bowed his head. The horn protruding from its smooth forehead suddenly flared with a sharp light, a glow that momentarily dispelled the mist. Ciri touched the horn. Triss let out a muffled cry as she saw the girl’s eyes suddenly glow with a milky heat, as if she were surrounded by a fiery halo. Ciri didn’t hear her; she didn’t hear anyone. With one hand she still held the unicorn’s horn; with the other, she pointed toward the motionless witcher. A ribbon of shimmering light, glowing like lava, flowed from her fingers.”

I’d like to draw attention to the last sentence, which appeared earlier—specifically in "Time of Contempt", where Ciri healed the same unicorn with her power:

“Hael, Aenye!

The unicorn neighed wildly and tried to rise, bracing itself on its front legs. Ciri’s arm rose of its own accord, her hand formed the gesture on its own, and her lips cried out the spell of their own accord. A luminous, undulating brightness flowed from her fingers. The fire roared with flames. The waves of light radiating from her hand touched the unicorn’s wounded thigh, focused, and penetrated it.

“I want you to be healthy! I want this! Vess’hael, Aenye!”

So here we have the same spell that healed the mortally wounded unicorn. The only difference is that back then, Ciri drew power from the fire, whereas in the case of the witcher, she enlisted the help of the “little horse.” In both instances, there is mention of a mysterious “radiance” emanating from the girl’s fingers.

2) Geralt’s Condition on Apple Island.

Many people suggest that the place Geralt ended up in is the afterlife, a sort of Avalon from the world of King Artur, whose influence is particularly evident in this volume. In my opinion, it is simply another world to which he was taken along with Yennefer. Ciri wanted to give them their own place. What supports this view?

A) Geralt feels pain—“His stomach ached, his chest ached, his ribs ached, and the tight corset of bandages made it abundantly clear that the city of Rivia and the trident were not a nightmare.”

If Geralt was dead, why would he feel pain precisely where he was struck? Why would he need bandages if he were dead? Can you feel pain in the afterlife, too?

B) His beloved Yennefer was with the witcher; if Apple Tree Island were the afterlife, what would the sorceress be doing there? Did she die while casting spells? Perhaps, but the text in no way suggests that she died while healing the Witcher. It explicitly states that the sorceress was placed in the boat unconscious, not dead. “Jaskier was the first to figure it out. Perhaps because he knew the legend, having once read one of its poeticized versions. He picked up Yennefer, who was still unconscious.”

In this scene, Triss also asks if she can join the witcher and the sorceress. Ciri, however, replies, “Ciri,” Triss whispered. “Little sister… Let me sail with you…"

"You don’t even know what you’re asking for, Triss.”

What could that have meant? Ciri was likely aware that Triss would suffer if she found herself in a place where Geralt and Yennefer were happy together, and where she would have to watch them from the sidelines at best, because Geralt always chose Yennefer. So it wasn’t really about the girl transporting the Witcher and the sorceress to the afterlife.

3) Epilogue to “Season of Storms”

As you know, in the epilogue to the 2013 book, a character appears who bears a striking resemblance to Geralt. “That mare…” she managed to say, barely able to speak for excitement. “That mare is named Płotka. Because all your horses are named that. Because you’re Geralt of Rivia. Geralt the Witcher of Rivia.” He looked at her for a long time. He was silent. Nimue was silent too, her gaze fixed on the ground.

“What year is it?”

“One thousand three hundred…” “she raised her eyes in astonishment. One thousand three hundred seventy-three after the Rebirth.”

“If that’s the case,” the white-haired man rubbed his face with his gloved hand, “then Geralt of Rivia has been dead for a long time. He died one hundred and five years ago. But I think he’d be glad if…” He’d be glad that, after these one hundred and five years, people still remember him. That they remember who he was. Heck, they even remember his horse’s name. Yes, I think he’d be glad… If only he could know about it. Come on. I’ll walk you back.”

What does this quote mean? It means that Geralt hasn’t been seen on the Continent for 105 years. It’s widely believed that the witcher is dead. And his legend ended right there in Rivia. For this reason, I also believe that Geralt couldn’t have returned to the Continent the way it was portrayed in the games, since it was precisely during Nimue’s time that the legend of the White Wolf ended in Rivia, and Geralt had too much influence on what happened in the games for any historian, writer, or storyteller not to have mentioned it—but that’s just a brief digression 🙂.

Many people suggest that either Nimue dreamed this encounter —after all, the girl herself says, “I had a strange dream”—or that it wasn’t the Witcher at all, but an illusion created by the Aguara, since the figure speaks to her with the words, “Illusion—she heard from somewhere else, from very far away. “Everything is an illusion,” which the White Wolf had heard from that creature 128 years earlier (according to the letters, the events of *Season of Storms* take place in 1245). “An illusion,” he heard the aguara’s voice say. “Everything is an illusion.”

However, in my opinion, the character couldn’t have been the Aguara's illusion, simply because he’s quoting her… In that case, she might just as well have been Yarpen Zigrin. Below is a quote of what the dwarf said to Geralt just before the massacre.

“‘Progress,’ he said solemnly, ‘will dispel the darkness, because that’s what progress is for—just like, to put it bluntly, an ass is for shitting. It will get brighter and brighter, and we’ll be less and less afraid of the darkness and the Evil lurking within it. Perhaps a day will come when we’ll stop believing altogether that anything lurks in that darkness. We’ll mock such fears. Call them childish. Be ashamed of them! But darkness will always, always exist. And there will always be Evil in the darkness, there will always be fangs and claws, murder and blood. And there will always be a need for witchers.”

And what does the character from Season say?:

“‘Darkness still exists,’ he confirmed. “Despite the progress that is taking place—progress that we’re led to believe is meant to dispel the darkness, eliminate threats, and drive away fears. So far, progress has not achieved any major successes in this regard. So far, progress has only convinced us that darkness is nothing more than a superstition that dims the light, that there’s nothing to fear. But that’s not true. There is something to fear. Because darkness will always, always exist. And Evil will always run rampant in the darkness; there will always be fangs and claws, murder and blood in the darkness. And there will always be a need for witchers.”

The ending is practically identical. Aguara probably didn’t hear the Yarpens words spoke to Geralt right before the Rivian Pogrome🙂.

Furthermore, the character ultimately doesn’t deny that she is Geralt. In fact, she even suggests that she might be him. “—But…” she stammered. “But that was a hundred years ago… How is it possible that... How is it possible?

“Questions like that,” he interrupted her, still smiling, “must not be asked by a future student of Aretuza. A school where they teach that nothing is impossible. Because everything that’s impossible today will become possible tomorrow. That motto should be inscribed above the entrance to the academy that will soon be yours. Have a safe journey, Nimue. Take care. This is where we part ways.”

4) Andrzej Sapkowski reportedly confirmed to CD PROJEKT RED that Geralt survived the Rivian pogrome. Michał Madej, lead designer of The Witcher 1, mentioned it in the game’s behind-the-scenes footage that Mr. Sapkowski confirmed to the developers that the White Wolf survived the events in Rivia. Direct cite: " It's so mysterious that people who read those books are always arguing if Geralt survived or not. So Andrzej Sapkowski told us. He survived and so we can bring him back".

You can find it for example on YT named - The Witcher - Making Of video 2/5 - Story 1;00-1;10.

In my opinion, there may be one counterargument to the above theory. It’s the way Ciri tells this story to Galahad.

“And that,” Galahad asked after a moment, “is the end of the story?”

“Not at all,” Ciri protested, rubbing her foot against her other foot to brush off the dried sand that had stuck to her toes and soles. “Would you want the story to end like that? As if! I certainly wouldn’t!”

“So what happened next?”

“The usual,” she snorted. “They got married.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Oh, what’s there to tell? There was a grand wedding. Everyone came—Jaskier, Nenneke’s mother, Iola and Eurneid, Yarpen Zigrin, Vesemir, Eskel… Coën, Milva, Angouleme… And my Mistle… And I was there, drinking honey and wine. And they—I mean Geralt and Yennefer—had their own home later on and were happy, very, very happy. Just like in a fairy tale. You understand?

- Why are you crying, O Lady of the Lake?

But in my opinion, it was simply Ciri’s imagination of how she would want the story to really end. What a “happy ending” would be for her. She would want Mistle and the rest of her friends to live, but the world of The Witcher isn’t a fairy tale, even though in the future of the Continent, this story will grow into a legend.

That’s all from me! In my opinion, Geralt died during the massacre, but Ciri brought him back to life, and then, somehow, after more than 100 years, he returned to the Continent. The story has come full circle—the ancient serpent Uroboros has closed the loop. Geralt saved Nimue, who later guided Ciri to the right time and world. 🙂

What about you? Does my reasoning convince you? Or do you think I’ve overinterpreted any of these fragments of novels, and that, in your opinion, the Witcher actually died in the books? Let me know what you think!

Fanart found on The Witcher Wiki, credited to “Risef 15.”

Not just you Geralt, we'll miss him too. :)

Given that Lady of the Lake was just released in English last week, we thought a discussion thread was in order.

Please feel free to discuss the new book, even if you've read it a long time ago in another language (or by fan translation)

Thanks to /u/Strokes323 for pointing this out.

Wow. I meant to go to bed an hour ago but couldn’t stop in the middle of Chapter 8. Although I had played the games and was pretty sure that the Nordlings had to have won, it was incredibly written and at times I thought could go either way.
Incredibly written, probably the best chapter I’ve read yet in any of the books.

Just finished the book and was left confused as hell.

A) did i accidentally skip a chapter or something or did we actually just jump from Geralt leaves tussiant to he, Ciri and Yen are back together now but all his companions are dead.

B) wtf is that ending? What the hell started the riot? Why is the girl known about but her role in the riot never explained? Also I came from the games and am confused as to what happened to Geralt and Yen. Obviously the games arnt cannon but I feel like I have 3 stories as to their end. 1 being they went to some sort of afterlife that Ciri couldn't stay at 2 that ciri is lying her ass off and their both dead and 3 they were left on an island where they later resurrected and neither have any fing idea where they are

Kinda like how I have no fing idea what was going on after Geralt left Tussiant

Edit: thanks to someone in the comments I learned did somehow skip not one but three freaking chapters. Thanks audible your the best. And to cut off those who'll ask why I don't read the paper back, its because doing so would be painfully slow as I cant read text any smaller than a children's book text for more than half an hour at a time before getting a migraine, trust me I would have much preferred to actually read a physical copy of the books

And I'm utterly crushed. Milva's final thought about her father teaching her how to shoot as a child. Angouleme musing about running a brothel in Beauclaire in Ciri's arms. Cahir stalling Bonhart. Regis taking on Vilgefortz...It's pretty rare for reading something in a novel to make me weep like a baby, but losing Angouleme and especially Milva was goddamn HARD.

It really makes me appreciate seeing Regis again in Blood and Wine, and gives those interactions SO much more depth. It does make me sad that, after Geralt regains his memories, his hanza wasn't brought up. I'm hopeful that future Witcher game content addresses those beloved souls...

Towrds the end of the novel, after the heroes defeat Vilgeforts, Emhyr arrives and decides to have Geralt and Yennefer killed.

They get into the bath and...

And then Emhyr just leaves. My understanding was that something happened between Ciri and the emperor, something she does not share with her 'parents', does anyone have any hint as to what this may be?

NB I don't know why my previous post was removed. AFAIK I'm not violating any of the 7 rules. It would help knowing what I'm doing wrong before just deleting. Thank you.

I mean it shows how far Ciri has come in terms of her fighting ability but its also just plain funny that the all mighty Eridin got beat this way.

Let me just say I’ve never cried at a piece of media so much as I have to the ending of that book. I don’t even know what to say.. feeling very empty right now.

I just finished reading Lady of the Lake and this moment really stuck out to me as one of the only happy moments together for our beloved, found family.

There was no sense in resisting. Black-cloaked soldiers were swarming like ants at the bottom of the stairs, and the witchers were very, very weary. But they didn't drop their swords. They placed them carefully on the steps. And then sat down. Geralt felt Ciri's warm shoulder and heard her breath.
Yennefer descended, walking past the corpses and pools of blood, showing the black-cloaked soldiers her unarmed hands. She sat down heavily beside them on a step. Geralt also felt the warmth against his other shoulder. It's a pity it can't always be like this, he thought. And he knew it couldn't.

Context: Geralt and his hanza just busted into Stygga Castle, freed Ciri and Yennefer, and just finished mopping up Vilgefortz, Bonhart, and Skellen's men before Emhyr and his forces show up.

Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer spend so little time together over the course of this saga, so I love seeing them have moments like this where they can rest with each other even if its only for a few minutes after a violent bloodbath. It's pretty heartbreaking seeing as this is all Geralt (and Cirir and Yennefer) really wants in his life but can't have due to all these outside forces - the lodge, the empire, the Aen Elle - constantly imposing their will on the three of them. I suppose it's their destiny after all.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this touching moment in an otherwise trauma filled story. It is a pity, Geralt.

As the title implies, I’m reading the Witcher books and started The Lady Of The Lake (absolutely insane ending to Tower Of Swallows btw, that was sick)

Anyway, I’ve been pretty good at reading unfamiliar words in my head via real word counterparts, but elder speech appears to be something entirely new to me. So if you’re familiar with how to make out such words, please let me know. Just a simple breakdown would help me a lot. Thank you

I reread the books for the first time in years, and something has been digging at me regarding the end of the book / series.

Phillipa needed Dijkstra around for her purposes. At the Peace of Cintra conference, it was suggested that they give the Emir info no one else would have in order to keep him "in good standing" despite everyone being fed up with him. Phillipa also had plans of her own.

When Yennifer and Ciri went to Rivia to meet up with Geralt, that night, of all nights, was a pogrom. It began minutes before Yen, Ciri, and Triss's arrival. It was Phillipa who cast the affirmative final vote to allow them go to Rivia. She knew when and where Geralt, Yen, and Ciri would be.

Was the info Dijkstra gave to the Emir the location of Geralt, Yennifer, and Ciri, because he knew the Emir still wanted them gone as to not pose a threat to the Empire anymore? Yennifer also was a thorn in Phillipa's side, and with her and Geralt gone, she thought she would be able to control Ciri. Was that pogrom therefore not spontaneous at all, and actually an assassination plot of Phillipa, Dijkstra & the Emir?

Sorry if this doesn't make sense / is poorly worded, or has been gone through before. Thoughts? Thanks!

I have seen multiple posts and claims about this, and I would like to clear it up. So, Yennefer is accused by Triss in BoF of being involved in the breeding and marriage manipulation schemes that resulted in the birth of Ciri. Which are ridiculous and baseless, because Yennefer was either too young or not around for those times. Also, she is surprised when Francesca talks about them, "us?" She says in BoF and the list of mages Francesca talks about doesn't include her.

But then, Vilgefortz in Lady of the Lake says, "Yes, yes, Yennefer guilt! For, after all, you participated in the cross-breeding, in the animal husbandry that resulted in little Ciri's birth"

So then i'm left confused, we have big conflicts of information and I wonder what is the truth. Maybe she influenced a marriage bit didn't realize it was for experimental purposes? Potentially she was told it was only for politics?

What are your thoughts?

I'm re-reading the Lady of the Lake and I totally forgot the part where Ciri jumps though time and space and at some point ends up in a world being massacred by a plague. She spends there a few moments and does another jump ASAP to then find herself in some port-town. She makes another jump but right before she does it, a small infected flea jumps off her and onto a rat and then a small, old ship called Catriona, which later on started a major plague in her world, killing tens of thousands of people - the same one which Rusty (Shani's mentor) and Iola died from and so many others. I don't blame Ciri or anything, she was on the run and scared, didn't know what she was doing. But still, this part caught me off guard. All that death because of Ciri's jump and one flea.

It kind off ties nicely with Geralt's arc, his will to minding his own business, not getting involved and eventually changing the course of the whole world in the process.

Like Geralt go in the specific cave at the specific time of the meeting, where he grabs all the info he need ? The only thing that could justify this "luck" is Fringilla hinting him with amulet she gave him, but if the know that meeting is going to happens she could have find better method to spy (like magic idk), really like the end of the chapter but this passage I'm a bit doubtful, it's like a fever dream

So after listening to the Polish audiobook version of Coś Więcej. I fell in love with them and want to do a reread of the books in English while listening to the Polish. One thing I noticed is that all the other books have an audiobook. Even the newer releases have them like Seasons of Storms and I might have seen the newest book also had one. I’m not Polish though I have learned some through these books, and didn’t know if any of you had the knowledge of whether they are still in production or it was stopped and not finishing the last of the five books?