The Witcher Season One: A Straightforward Chronology

Geralt's confrontation with Renfri happens at the very beginning of The Witcher… or is it the very cease? Photo: Katalin Vermes/Netflix

Anyone who comes to Netflix's The Witcher will spend the first few episodes grappling with the same question: How is all of this supposed to be connected, anyhow?

The Witcher'due south timeline, which was inspired past Dunkirk, is unusually convoluted, and it doesn't practice much to make things piece of cake on the audition. Events occur in a rough chronological order, except when they don't. Two of the chief characters don't testify concrete signs of aging, which makes it that much harder to approximate how much time has passed. And the start flavour is mostly adjusted from author Andrzej Sapkowski's short stories, so the order of the private adventures is often unclear — and in several cases, doesn't matter.

It can get confusing fast, and so allow's pause downwards what we do know. The basic principles? There are 3 main characters: Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and Princess Cirilla, more commonly called Ciri (Frey Allan). The beginning season of The Witcher centers on each of those 3 characters over a different length of fourth dimension. According to showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, Geralt's story spans about 20 years, Yennefer's story spans about seventy years, and Ciri's story spans well-nigh two weeks.

As for the rest: If y'all even so have questions about The Witcher'due south overall timeline (and don't mind spoilers) here's a rough chronology of the social club in which the events of season one occur.

1. Yennefer'southward origin (episodes 2-three)
Yennefer'southward story begins in episode ii, "Four Marks," when Tissaia de Vries buys her from her abusive stepfather and enrolls her in the magic schoolhouse Aretuza. Yennefer is in that location for … well, every bit long equally it takes to learn a bunch of magic. The Witcher doesn't make it clear how long that is, just information technology ends with Yennefer enduring an enchantment that fixes her hunched dorsum simply takes abroad her ability to have children.

Yennefer manipulates her manner to a coveted position at the royal court in Aedirn, and her classmate Fringilla ends up with Yennfer'southward original spot in the less-regarded kingdom of Nilfgaard.

2. Geralt'due south origin (episode viii)
Geralt's origin story runs more or less parallel to Yennefer'south, but we don't meet information technology until the season finale (and only when Geralt is in a delirious brume). For reasons that remain unclear, Geralt was abased by his mother, Visenna, and left in the care of a witcher named Vesemir, who put Geralt through the trials that made him a witcher as well.

iii. Geralt has some adventures, Yennefer abandons life at courtroom (episodes 1-3)
You could become really granular hither, because there are plenty of contextual clues that indicate, roughly, when each of these stories is taking place. (A rule of thumb: Listen for whatsoever reference to Cintra and/or Queen Calanthe. The improve things are going for Cintra, the earlier we are in the timeline.) But honestly: Information technology doesn't actually matter whether Geralt met a sylvan or fought a striga first. Just know that Geralt has some adventures, which are immortalized in song (and with dubious veracity) by his bard friend Jaskier, lending Geralt a kind of fame effectually the Continent.

Meanwhile, xxx years have passed since Yennefer went to the court at Aedirn. Since then she has decided that a life at court isn't what she wants after all. Afterwards existence attacked by an assassinator, Yennefer abandons the court and becomes focused on how she can repair the damage of her enchantment and have a child.

4. Geralt gets fatigued into the Law of Surprise (episode 4)
In the first large incident around which this season pivots, Geralt attends a royal brawl at Cintra, where Queen Calanthe — then at the height of her ability — seeks a suitor for her daughter, Princess Pavetta. Against the queen'due south wishes, the suitor turns out to be a knight chosen Duny, who has been cursed.

In render for Geralt saving his life, Duny offers Geralt the "Law of Surprise," in which a person is granted a boon known to neither the giver or receiver at the time. In this case, the benefaction turns out to exist Duny'due south unborn girl with Pavetta, who will grow up to exist Princess Ciri. Ciri'due south fate is forever tied to Geralt as a upshot.

This is also when Queen Calanthe publicly insults a representative of Nilfgaard, which helps fix the stage for Cintra'south later collapse.

five. Yennefer and Geralt meet, have an adventure (episodes five-6)
At least a year later the brawl in Cintra, Geralt fishes a djinn's bottle out of a lake and receives three wishes. Soon later on, he meets Yennefer, who cures his injured friend Jaskier. Geralt eventually uses his final wish to bind his life to Yennefer'south in some way. (The verbal details of the wish are unclear, and a source of debate among fans.) Yennefer and Geralt accept sex and brainstorm a tumultuous on-off relationship.

Some time later, Geralt and Yennefer bump into each other on an adventure that culminates in an encounter with a gold dragon. Yennefer realizes that Geralt's last wish involved her in some way, and angrily leaves him.

6. The fall of Cintra (episodes 1, 7)
In the second big incident around which the first season of The Witcher pivots, the kingdom of Cintra is invaded and sacked by Nilfgaard, upending the political structure of the Continent. Queen Calanthe dies. Princess Ciri, who is at present fourteen years old, escapes the urban center, even as Geralt — honoring the Police force of Surprise — comes looking for her.

seven. Ciri's wanderings (episodes 1-viii)
Ciri wanders around for nearly ii weeks. During that time, she discovers she has terrifying supernatural powers. Meanwhile, a Nilfgaardian knight named Cahir badly and fruitlessly hunts for her.

eight. The Battle of Sodden Hill (episode eight)
There's a kind of ceremonious war among the mages of Aretuza. The Nilfgaardian regular army, which is led by Yennefer'due south old classmate Fringilla, attempts to take a bridge that will leave the other northern kingdoms vulnerable. Yennefer and her friends successfully defend the bridge, just endure heavy casualties. After unleashing all her power at the climax of the battle, Yennefer disappears.

ix. Geralt and Ciri run into (episode 8)
Immediately following the Battle of Sodden Hill, Geralt and Ciri finally meet in the woods nearby. Ciri, whose powers include prophetic dreams, asks about Yennefer, setting the stage for season two.

The Witcher Season One: A Straightforward Chronology