The Witcher Prequel: Biggest Mysteries The Netflix Spin-off Can Answer

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The Witcher prequel TV show, The Witcher: Blood Origin, can answer several questions and explore greater mysteries that were left ambiguous in Netflix's main series. The prequel will be a six-part live-action limited series that details the origins and adventures of the first Witcher. Developed by The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, Blood Origin's showrunner will be Declan de Barra (writer of "Of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials").

Released in late 2019, The Witcher was an instant success for Netflix. A second season was commissioned before the first even arrived, and is now eagerly anticipated by fans. Based on the popular books from Andrzej Sapkowski and video games by CD Projekt Red, The Witcher chronicles the tales of Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill). Geralt, the titular Witcher, is a sword-for-hire who went through brutal training and genetic manipulation as a child, leaving him with enhanced abilities. The Witcher season 1 adapted The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny, a collection of short stories that preceded the main Witcher novels.

Set 1200 years before the original series, The Witcher: Blood Origin stands to explore the history of the Continent, as well as the Elder Races that inhabited it at the time. An animated spin-off titled The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf also is in the works. The Witcher: Blood Origin has a huge world and a whole new era to explore - but these are the most interesting questions it can answer.

The Origins Of The Witchers

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The Witcher season 1 revealed very little about the order of monster-hunters that Geralt belongs to. The process of creating Witchers is considered inhumane and arduous, and only a handful survive the transformation and training, but the mutations are necessary for Witchers to fulfill their monster-hunting duty. Blood Origin can reveal why Witchers were created, as well as the method by which the first was made. Further, the prequel can answer how this process was discovered. Was it an accidental result of magic and torture, or was it a necessary evil to endure?

Blood Origin can also confirm whether or not Witchers were created for the reasons audiences have been lead to believe. Do Witchers tie directly to the arrival of monsters on the Continent, or were they made for other, more nefarious reasons? The prequel has a lot of room to flesh these beginnings out. Besides Geralt, only one other Witcher was featured in the main series, in the episode “Betrayer Moon,” and no details about his order were specifically given.

The First Witcher

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While Witchers may resemble superheroes, with their preternatural strength and ability to perform a limited range of magic, they are definitely not treated like heroes in their own world. Most people who interact with Geralt prefer not to associate with Witchers unless they have to do business, and there are nightmarish tales of them lacking any human emotion and originating in Hell. This leads to a life of wandering and collecting coins to kill beasts, mostly through back roads.

With Blood Origin, the identity and nature of the first Witcher could explain how some of these superstitions originated, as the protagonist of the prequel show will create the mold for Witchers and their strange, detached ways. Depending on the manner of his transformation and how he is received after, the story arc that unfolds may be one where viewers see a man battling his newfound nature. Furthermore, if this person lived before the Conjunction of the Spheres (a cataclysmic event that brought many monsters into the world where The Witcher takes place), a strong arc could be written to explore their place in this great change.

What Elven Society Was Like Before Humans?

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The Witcher: Blood Origin's showrunner Declan De Barra has expressed a wish to see the world of the elves and other Elder Races before humans arrived, and how science and technology flourished before their fall. The prequel can tie the history of the Continent to the different groups that inhabited before and after the Conjunction of the Spheres - and how the first Witcher fit into this tumultuous time.

We can also expect to see a world that looks very different from the scattered kingdoms and settlements that are seen throughout The Witcher. The ruins of Elven buildings were seen in the episode "Four Marks," offering a glimpse of a once-great civilization that has since been reduced to a band of rebels by the conflict with mankind. The collision between humans, elves and monsters will be tied to a major event in the timeline of the Witcher universe - one that has remained largely a mystery until now.

The Conjunction Of The Spheres

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While The Witcher: Blood Origin will be based around the origins of the first Witcher, it will also delve into the Conjunction of the Spheres. Referenced several times in The Witcher, the exact nature of this world-changing phenomenon is a great mystery. In the Witcher universe, the only given explanation is provided from journal entries within the video games, which describe the Conjunction as a merging of parallel worlds within a Multiverse. This brought monsters, humans, and other beasts into the world inhabited by the Elder Races: elves, dwarves, and gnomes. Yet within the lore, the arrival of humans is disputed. Blood Origin will be able to reveal exactly which races existed before and after the Conjunction.

Origins Of Magic

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Istredd (Royce Pierreson) tells Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) that magic, or chaos, existed on the Continent before the Conjunction. However, it is noted in the novels and games that more potent magic arrived with the Conjunction. In The Witcher, Istredd further demonstrates the separation of these entities using portals. He explains to Yennefer that the ones he uses are older and not taught by the Brotherhood. The Witcher: Blood Origin will be able to explain the origins of magic on a macro and micro level. Audiences will learn if there is more than one force of magic, and if so, did this affect the ease with which different races learned to master it?

How And Why Magic Was Taught To Humans

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The Witcher laid out a bloody history between humans and elves through the eyes of its three main characters. The strife between these races goes back as far as most can remember, and originated with the Conjunction and the arrival of magic. With Blood Origin providing answers for so many points in the complex history and lore, the real enmity between both parties and how it plays out through time can be seen. Filavandrel, the leader of the Free Elves, tells Geralt that humans adapted to magic better than the Elder Races did. Blood Origin may well explain why that is so.

The History Of Aretuza

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With Blood Origin showing the arrival of humans and their subsequent success with magic, it stands to reason that the ancient fortress of Aretuza will be featured. Located in Temeria, on the island of Thanedd, it houses the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and their academies for girls and boys. Its importance in The Witcher is explored through Yennefer's storyline, yet its history remains elusive. Blood Origin can show how Aretuza was first built, and how humans came to rule over it as training grounds for young sorcerers and sorceresses. The prequel can explain why and how the mages came to be influential in the courtly politics of kings.

The Witcher: Blood Origin stands to be a successful hit for Netflix and The Witcher franchise. Focusing on the ancient past, the show will provide answers for an array of mysteries alluded to but not fully detailed in the main series. For fans, knowing that the origins of the first Witcher will be explored already has created great anticipation for the show. Discovering other secrets of the past such as elven society, life before and after the Conjunction of the Spheres, the origins of magic, and how that magic transforms the races, could not only be a fascinating journey in its own right, but also shed more light on Geralt's modern adventures.