The fact that we have to wait over a year until we get to witness more of Geralt’s monster-hunting adventure is a hard pill to swallow. The first season of the Netflix series was an absolute blast to watch, and fans of the books or games as well as those completely new to the universe were glued to their screens every episode keenly following the triumphs and tribulations of our favorite white-haired sword-wielding creature slayer.
Sitting at only eight episodes for the first season, it is no surprise the showrunners had trouble cramming all the world-building elements they could into it. Alas, the show has still managed to do a good job at setting the scenes, introducing us to pivotal characters, and showcasing bewitching action scenes. It will be quite some time till more of the wonder and whimsy is unveiled but until then we are here to provide more of your Witcher fix.
We have dived into the history of the show and its original source material to pinpoint several fascinating facts you didn’t know about The Witcher.
Geralt is older than he looks
Despite having white hair, Geralt does not look much older than 40. The books, video games, and TV show all point towards his age falling somewhere between his late 30s and early 40s. Alas, we couldn’t be further from the truth. While not elaborated on in much detail, for reasons unbeknownst to us, Geralt of Rivia is actually pushing 100 – something that would be hard to believe if we had to judge his age on his ability to slay monsters and go on adventures.
The reason he has white hair
To nip this one in the bud, Geralt’s white shade of hair has nothing to do with his age – even though white hair is a natural insignia of old age. Geralt, often referred to as the ‘White Wolf’ because of his standout hair color, was subject to an increase of mutagens during his Trial of Grasses which put his body under an incredible amount of stress. It was enduring this heightened state of stress that caused his hair to turn white, something that is not entirely uncommon in the real world.
He doesn’t hail from Rivia
Another misconception about Geralt is that he comes from Rivia. After all, he is called by townsfolk and sorcerers world over as Geralt of Rivia. But, this is just a guise and, being a feared monster hunter, Geralt adopted this surname to appear more trustworthy to potential clients – something that many witchers are known to do.
A Polish Witcher live-action adaptation aired back in 2001
Believe it or not, the world has seen a live-action iteration of The Witcher before the latest Netflix release. A Polish movie/tv show hybrid called Wiedzmin, or The Hexer, was released in 2001 as 13 short episodes squished into one two hour feature film. This incredibly strange concept followed the astounding adventures of Geralt of Rivia but, through poor production and loose storytelling, did not leave viewers as pleased as the newest Netflix installment.
There is so much to learn and love about The Witcher universe that we could be here for ages trying to get through it all. Alas, these few fascinating facts you didn’t know about The Witcher should give you some context and insight into Geralt and the world he wanders within.
