I'd like to add some thoughts I had on various theories, for example the 'Toussaint is doomed' theory is actually interesting as in the books there is some 'flashforward' references to a great fire that burned down the palace of Beauclair and an archeological team discovering stuff there, like corpses and a tub with manuscripts in some unspecified but apparently distant future of the witcher world. As for vampire an the date, well Emiel Regis in the book Baptism of Fire claims that he is around 400 or so years old and that he is 'a descendant' of the original vampires that got imprisoned in the witcher world after conjunction, so he was already BORN in witcher world, supposedly he may not know exactly whether the gate to original world of their species will be opened so maybe that date 1358 may have such significance :) that Regis is simply unaware of, and maybe only older vampires know of it and that would mean that the vampire in Novigrad is much older than Regis :) (but the easter egg is also good theory hehe). As for Roach horses and Geralt, he definitely cares about his steeds and it's visible in the books as well, hell it is said in Baptism of Fire by other character that despite complaining about his current horse Geralt owuld not leave it (the horse that Geralt got in Baptism of Fire after losing all his possessions at Thanedd, was given to him in Brokilon where he recuperated from his wounds): ""You won’t even give up that skittish mare, you won’t leave her, you won’t exchange her for another, even though you keep threatening to. You aren’t the kind that leaves others behind." Witcher, Baptism of Fire Books contain various references to future events, in year 1350 apparently the area of the northern kingdoms was supposed to come under attack in invasion of eastern tribes of Haak (from Haakland which together with Zerrikania lies far to the east beyond the mountains) there are no other events, until later into 15th century with the nilfgaardian scholar Fourens Delannoy :). It also should be noted that in-universe the name Mount Gorgon may actually come from a type of monster, in the Season of Storms there is a monster called Gorgon (though the real world etymological origin of the word definitely is important too :) as Sapkowski filled his books to the brim with historical, mythological and other references to real world European folklore and history). The scientific revolution thing, some form of progress is indeed happening as in the Season of Storms roughly hundred years later than the story, there is reference to steam powered machinery or something of the sort, that is seen by Nimue in the flashforward sequence, it should be noted that already at the time of the witcher stories taking place in books there were references to various technological developments, and mages and sorcerers influencing this progress wiht mage Ortolan inventing all sorts of stuff: "Like every inventor, Ortolan had stages of fascination with explosives, incendiary materials, bombards, armored chariots, firearms, and poisonous gases. A condition of well-being, argued the old man, is a common peace between the nations, and peace is achieved by armaments. The surest way to detract from war is scaring it away with scary weapons, and the scarier the weapons the longer and more stable the peace. As Ortolan did not listen to any arguments, saboteurs were secretly placed into his inventive group, which hindered the dangerous inventions. Almost none of them saw the light of day. An exception was the famous, and the point of many anecdotes, ball thrower. It was a kind of telekinetic arbalest with a great flagon for lead balls. The ball thrower - as the name suggests - was supposed to throw balls into a target, and in quick succession. The prototype went, to his surprise, beyond the walls of Rissberg, it was even tested out in some battles. With poor effect however. The shooter using the invention when asked about the arm's usefulness reportedly said that the ball thrower was like his mother-in-law. Heavy, ugly, absolutely useless and there's nothing to do with it but drown it in river. The old wizard did not take it to heart however. The ball thrower was a toy, he supposedly said, he had on his drawing board, other projects far more advanced, able to strike in mass. He, Ortolan, would give humanity the benefit of peace, even if it meant killing half of mankind. " Fireworks appear in the books too, in the Tower of the Swallow :). "A stinking rain of brimstone fell to the ground, the ashes of the last fireworks." And the freedom fighters used some sort of incendiary oil bombs in that book. We know from books that the mages were controlling all spheres of life to some extent, influenced not oniy politics but economy and science as well, mages and sorcerers were also using magic for military purposes (the nilgaardian mages helped with their magic during war with Cintra, and of course the famous Battle of Sodden had two sides employ mages). It also should be noted that many magical devices are being used more commonly, as well as that the gnomes and dwarves of Mahakam already have more advanced tech, with blasting furnaces and various machinery using steam etc. "'And the technology is in Mahakam,' Percival interjected. 'Iron, steel and metallurgy! Blast furnaces, not some shitty chimney. Water and steam hammers...' 'Here, Percival, wet your whistle.' Zoltan passed the gnome a full cup. 'You'll bore us all with your techniques." So it's only matter of time that this type of tech will spread among humans. well the thing about Dandelion/Jaskier's age hehe the only acknowledgement of his age is in the Blood of Elves (which should be theoretically covered in next season of the show but netflix is indeed very loosely inspired by ;)): "I know you're almost forty, look almost thirty, think you're just over twenty and act as though you're barely ten." -Sigismund Dijkstra Regarding the Freya and Ladies of the Wood theory, very interesting, it's one of those things that in the witcher world we don't know for sure whether the gods exist, but the characters interact with some powerful entities, Yennefer has vision of Freya with gold eyes in her temple on Skellige, Geralt and Dandelion encounter entity known as Dana Meabdh, which may have inspired the cult of Melitele (or maybe she is Melitele :)), an entity that was once worshiped by elder races (especially Aen Seidhe), and appears in two forms among humans as old lady (a crone) and a young girl Lille Queen of the Fields (Queen of the Fields, Ladies of the Woods? sounds intriguing right? A whole kind of ancient spirits maybe?), in Edge of the World story, I always assumed there might be some connection between Freya and Melitele and Dana Meabdh, it may not be also 'real' divine being, but some powerful magical being that has great power there may be other such entities (we know there exist demons from other dimensions and genies from other Spheres so why not). The Shrek and Donkey thing being similar to Geralt and Dandelion is only due to the netflix show I assure you ;), in the books their relationship is so much deeper a true friendship rather than annoying sidekick like in the show hehe alright jokes aside, that's a fun theory as both witcher and Shrek are all about twisting and subverting the fairy tale motiffs, deconstructing fairy tales and so on, but it's a superficial similarity. There are many stories like that I remember that old miniseries the 10th Kingdom which takes place in a subversion of fantasy land of Grimm fairy tales :) where Snowwhite and other fair tale characteres were real historical figures. About the cats, cats are stated in books to be able to draw magical energy and sense magical stuff (like see the invisible things) and the fact that witchers are mutated through magic may cause the whole cats disliking witchers as they would sense their magical impulses or vibrations and that's it (mages also can sense tingling sensation from the touch of a witcher, as sorcerers also can sense magic impulses).

By the way have you considereing making an iceberg about Lord of the Rings? There should be many topics and theories and so on about that franchise hehe.

@@fantasywind3923 This is some greaty insight! Sorry for the late reply! I haven't thought about making an iceberg on Lord of the Rings yet, but now it's on the back of my mind, I might end up making it there, got a lot of ideas in the backlog first though!

@@natiscool in any case it will be interesting video for sure :), good luck and good work hehe.

Yeah, I'm going with the theory that he names all his horses Roach because he does. The life that he lives is inherently deadly, and there's no way to get around the fact that you're gonna lose a horse now and then if that's your only means of conveyance. Much in the same way as he treats Ciri, he's characteristic of someone who cares whenever he can. It's a luxury, not a constant. I'm mainly going off The Witcher 3 for this as it's the best example of how he really thinks and feels simply because if you don't act in that manner, you end up with probably the worst ending of any video game you could possibly get. And they back it up in the first DLC when "the bad" ending tells you how to get the good ending in the main game. He has an unspoken bond with most characters that he cares for. But that does change a bit, or a lot, when Ciri comes into the picture. There's literally nothing he won't do for her, and if the player acts contrary to that in any way, they are severely punished in the story mode. One parallel I would draw is the movie John Wick. The whole dog issue gives him a way to express emotion after the loss of his wife. He never gives it a name, nor does he give the second dog a name. But he cares for it as best he can.

There is SO much to read in cyberpunk. I think only a small percentage of people find that stuff

@@quendelf I almost only hear negative stuff about cyberpunk but paying attention to the details and listening to npc dialogue lines (even random ones taking to each other on the street) actually does some really great world building. There's one quest in particular involving a guy who has a religious conversion in prison that's a good example. Really impactful decisions that completely change that quest, accurate biblical references, and a really brutal end potentially. Surprised the internet isn't an in uproar about that one

@@selfawaremeatpuppet413 I loved it. Everyone hates on the game and then goes back to backwards flying dragons in Skyrim

@@electromancer2645 I... I have never seen backwards flying Dragons... In all my hours.

ok wild theory but in the manga "Fairy Tail" there is a character named Erza Nickname Titania who uses Weapons stored in another dimension... ok maybe not XD

I thought I read this in the swords of destiny

True, as for the idea that he cares about all of his horses. At some point Milva says that for all the complaining Geralt does about the horse he got from the elves before leaving Brokilon, he hadn't actually gotten rid of it, indicating that he actually cared about it.

@@rokship97 He cares about the horses for sure Naming every one roach is out of practicality and probably helps him cope with losing the horse

I heard that also in the game, i was shocked xD

@@tjpeasant9135 i read it recently you are correct, it's when they're trying to cross the river and the army is using all the ferry

And that's why cats hiss at Geralt!

Also the potestaquisitor glows when near cats

It has nothing to do with blocking the magic. Triss never said anything about ANTI-magic aura specifically. Also it wouldn't make much sense if witchers blocked magic. I think it's on the contrary - witchers' magical abilities spook cats, might as well be something about their medalions that in essence gather magical energy for the witchers, as well as their eyes.

And that tingling is probably also a rrason why sorceresses like Geralt so much lmao

@@Dzonnyg that and because he’s hot

I want Dandelion’s cover of “All Star” by smash mouth now

Only watching cause of this comment 🤣

I havent watched the video yet, but for some reason in Russian Geralt calls Roach “плотва» which is one of the most common river fish you normally catch

In Poland Roach is translated to Plotka which means Roach but in Polish

In Mexico roach is cucaracha, which is the disgusting insect.

They should've really traduced that as Sardina, which is the same fish you mention, not as cockroach, the insect xD

In czech the roach is translated as "Klepna" and in slovak as "Klebietka" with both meaning the one who gossips or a gossip. No idea why are yall geting animals but fine

Didn't know that, nice fact)

Indeed that is funny!

They translated the name to Plötze in German which is just the name for that fish in German but I like the connection to the word fence too.

In the slovakian version she's called 'Klebetka', the slovakian word for gossip is 'Klebeta' and its an ironic nod to the fact Geralt's favourite thing about his horses is they don't talk

@@krumpi6500 I think this might be a mistranslation caused by confusing two words - compare płotka/plotka in polish: the former means roach (fish), the latter means... gossip ;)

I would like to know more

@@rezasalamati9652 ...because Jaskier is a Donkey.

He is a witcher 🤫

I'm confused about how Geralt didn't recognize avalach.. Also on how his character seems entirely different in the game versus the book.

@@trev6783 when didn't he recognise avalanche? In the game?

also i loved cahir and i think he is way less interesting in show

@@mete9730 same. Cahir was one of my favourite characters in the books and the show hasnt done him justice. Among many things they got wrong lol

@@trev6783 how does he seems entirely different ?

Which video?

@@TheDennys21 i Wanna know too

By the "Blood of Elves" Dandelion / Jaskier is nearly 40 years old, supposedly looking nearly 30. At least in Dijkstra's words.

Yeah, so in the Witcher games he would be nearly 42-45.@@MultiGolonka

haha now that you mention it....

@chilli pickle it does have a Ciri Easter egg tho.

@@thepack9070 I think they meant her entering the universe herself, or seeing her teleport, or just maybe her just running into you saying sorry or something as she passes. Not her on a magazine, lol.

Surprised there hasn't been one! Hope it surpassed your expectations!

@@natiscool yeah I'm genuinely surprised lol. And if your wondering yes it did surpass my expectations just like your video about ds1 and Skyrim, keep being great man👍

Ur alright boah

@@barrybananas2737 Thanks mah boah

To be fair her warmer side isn't seen until at least the equivalent of Season 2 of the Netflix series. Its not so evident in the short stories. But CDPR definitely didn't do enough with her character.

No wonder Yennifer is such a b---- in the game.

@@trucid2not really or not near the end of the game. She’s more affectionate towards Geralt in blood and wine

It'd worth noting that we only know this because the books let us see from her perspective mostly. If it wasn't for that she might still appear very cold.

Imagine not caring enough about you own show that you “drop the ball” on aging a character. That or incompetence. So glad Cavill walked away from this joke.

What kind of academic spin?

@@ICityCatI do you genuinely not know, or are you a troll?

@@696190 Bro just tell them it's not like "academic spin" doesn't sound vague as fuck.

@@Jenna_Talia it's not vague if you read the books lol. I mean don't tell me you weren't surprised when you first started reading thinking this was gonna be another epic Fantasy adventure story with Geralt being the archetypal big gruff swordswinging, monster slaying, maiden bedding, unemotional giga Chad only to find out that most of the actual action is only there to break up the long, dramatic dialogues, with Geralt time again showing the fierce intellect and deeply sensitive little emotions hiding behind that gruff exterior. Geralt likes to act like a big bad unfeeling witcher but really he's just as dramatic and emotional like Dandelion, only Dandelion Is more honest with his feelings

It's a great franchise, definitely read the books if you haven't! Hoped you enjoyed! :)

@@natiscool Oh I've played the games a number if times, read the books and watched the show! Love it all. :)

@@dissuede6949 Oooh yes! Can't wait for the board game to get released!

Thanks for the in depth explanation! 1, is most likely true, that Ciri did go to a place that was considered Earth and picked up the Bubonic plague, but I'm not sure if it's been 100% confirmed anywhere that it is actually the Bubonic plague? It could have also just been a paradox where Ciri was just obtaining the Catriona plague from the future. 2: This is amazing analysis and I hadn't actually thought of this before! Will have to include this in a follow up video if I end up doing one!

@@natiscool This could be the case. I mean; sure, it's not 100% confirmed that it is the bubonic plague, but I just looked in the book (granted: German version may have some differences to the English or Polish version) and there it is described that Ciri arrived at a port where boats lay at quais and wooden poles and a channel runs through the port. This sounds quite similar to Venice. Houses where infections happened were also marked with a white cross - as was done in our world. Moreover the infected people there had ulcers on their bodies and the disease was transmitted by a flea. Now while this does not say 100% that it is our world (you are technically correct there), I would say that it is 99,9% sure. Thanks, that would be an honour. One thing that we have to keep in mind however is that Toussaint is surrounded by mountains and some rivers show really strange travel patterns. Meaning, what we know of the world is not always consistent with geology, therefore we have to take everything with a grain of salt.

Good read. Thank you.

M B

I thought about using that as a way to make the games fit with the canon, despite the differences. But, with how impactful Geralt's actions were on the world, it doesn't work. The fun thing about Geralt, is that while his story is a well known legend in the Witcher world, his action weren't that impactful. If you look at the in-world, Geralt isn't really mentioned when it comes to historical events. It's a neat thing, that while he did influence quite a lot, it was done in such a way, that historians have no way of knowing about it. You could say, that in historical context, Geralt appears, I would say, 4 times total. Removing the curse from Foltest daughter, when Duny arrived in Cintra, Thanned Coup and Battle at the Bridge. All of his other actions were basically unnoticed, and that's why there are so many different versions of what has happened. In games, Geralt is a much more important person the world. In W3 alone, you can impact who is the ruler of Redania, Temeria, Skellige, Nilfgaard. This kind of impact would not go unnoticed, it's too big compared to Geralt's actions in the books. It could work, if the games had the unreliable narrator, but they don't really have that. In the books, we see what really happned and with in world texts we see that the world remembered all of it very different. Games don't really do that.

What if Geralt wasn't one person, but multiple people and all the stories were embellished over time? What if he didn't actually walk on water or get resurrected?

Based, thanks my dude

Yep! This is in Gwent: A History, which is one of the main reasons why I don't think that this is true.

It's also said in the books as the first appearance of Gwent is when Zoltan and other dwarves introduce it to Geralt and his friend

Thanks Neko, really appreciate that confidence boosting comment! :)

Cring

@@peachyjam9440 if you don’t agree That’s fine 🖥

Wow! Nice and early! Good to see you again!

this game was good enough to get me to buy the books , and i hate reading, but the story and lore is rich

i suggest playing it. it might take some time to take off but once its off god damn you wont regret it.

Fun fuct In Polish versions same voice actress dubbed both Princess Fiona and Triss

Thanks! Thank you for taking the time to watch this video! :D

What happened after ww2 😐

@@20jumps All former German areas east of the rivers Oder and Neisse plus the eastern part of the island Usedom were incorporated into Poland with the exception of the northern part of Ostpreußen which became the Russian oblast of Kaliningrad (former Königsberg). Many Germans of those regions fled direction west, some could stay in Poland. But in communist Poland, there was no place for the German language. All had to learn Polish and speak it. If one was caught speaking German in the early years they could face retribution. But even later (from the 70ies onward) speaking German was frowned upon. Many Germans still living in Poland (and all the other communist countries of the Warsaw Treaty) have moved to (West)-Germany. As long as they can prove German lineage they are considered German by the administration.

@@twinmama42 ah thank you

In one of the books (at work and poor memory), Dijkstra comments something like Dandelion is 40, looks 30 and acts 20 (ages probably wrong because again, poor memory and no access to books right now). So Dandelion looking far younger than his age (and acting even younger than that) is canon, at least according to Dijkstra :)

Thanks Henrique! Put a lot of effort into this so glad it's turned out well!

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! :D

A unicorn eunoch

Or maybe gaunter odimm spying on geralt

Had to put streaming on the back burner to get this video out, and need to take a break from content creation for a bit to reset, hopefully streaming then goes back on the agenda!

Thanks for this correction Wynn!

While I agree that Baba Yaga was likely a strong inspiration, the three Crones are also heavily reminiscent of the Norse Norns, the three women who would weave the threads of people's fate and sever them in Norse mythology, like the Fates in Greek mythology and like Weavess' magical tapestry of human hair in the game. There's also some Hansel and Gretel as well as other European folklore involved. They are missing the quintessential flying mortar, pestle and broom as well as the house on chicken legs, which I'd say are somewhat referenced in Blood and Wine by the witch in the Land of a Thousand Fables, though that one's actually supposed to be a reference to Hansel and Gretel. Bottom line is that the Crones are a whole concoction of references to folklore and I could swear that I've seen something similar to She Who Knows and her daughters in European folklore. Really cool and sinister design alluding to the even darker pagan origins of many folktales (like Baba Yaga likely originating from an old Slavic goddess of death).

They look nothing like Keanuo Reeves though

I actually haven't played too much Runescape so I wouldn't be able to do an iceberg any time soon, I'll have a read around of the lore though and see if anything interests me!

Agreed, it would be 15 points, unburnable, and would double all attack values for ranged troops.

*special effect:* Your opponent must remove all their clothes.

You'll be reading a fan translation as opposed to the later official translation. :)