The Witcher universe
Encyclopedia
The fictional universe
of The Witcher
saga was created by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski
in his cult series of books (The Witcher Saga). The universe was never officially named by the writers; the largest entity - the continent - is simply called The Continent, and Polish fans have labeled the universe Wiedźminland (The Witcher in Polish is wiedźmin).
s and the dwarfs. After a period of elf-dwarven wars, the dwarfs retreated to the mountainous regions, and the elves settled in plains and forests. The story repeated itself about five hundred years ago, when human colonists came. The humans defeated the old races, and are now the dominant race; the other races are considered second-class and often are forced to live in small ghetto
s inside human settlements, or in the most inhospitable regions of wilderness, as of yet unclaimed by the humans. In addition to elves, gnomes and dwarfs, other notable races on The Continent are the halflings and the dryads. Some other races - such as werewolves or vampires - appeared on The Continent due to a magical event known as the Conjunction of the Spheres.
Over the past several centuries most of the south-west and south-center of The Continent have been taken over by the growing Nilfgaard Empire. The north belongs to the fragmented Northern Kingdoms. The Witcher saga takes places in the aftermath of a major war between the Nilfgaard Empire and the alliance of Northern Kingdoms, and the second war begins in the middle of the series.
No official map of the universe created by Sapkowski himself has been released, but several fan-made maps have been created. Sapkowski has refused to create a map, having stated that the existing maps are 'mostly accurate'. Most recently, a new map has been created by CD Projekt
for The Witcher
computer game and Sapkowski himself was consulted on it. See external links for maps.
The Continent can be divided into four regions. The Northern Kingdoms are the area where most of the Saga takes place, they are Aedirn, Cintra, Kaedwen, Kovir, Poviss, Lyria, Rivia, Redania and Temeria. South of the Northern Kingdom lies the Nilfgaard Empire. East of both of them are mostly unknown territories, such as the Korath desert, Zerrikania, Haakland and Zangwebar.
(Polish: Geralt z Rivii), known also as Gwynnbleid (name in the Old Speech meaning "The White Wolf", given to him by the Dryads) is a witcher and the protagonist of the Witcher series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski and its adaptations. He is also known as the Butcher of Blaviken.
He has been described as a character embodifying "the neo-liberal anti-politics" spirit of the Polish popular culture of the 1990.
in the Polish edition of Playboy
in May 2011.
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
of The Witcher
The Witcher
The Witcher, or , by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski is a cult series of fantasy short stories and five novels about the witcher Geralt of Rivia...
saga was created by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski, born 21 June 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy writer. He is best known for his best-selling book series The Witcher.-Biography:...
in his cult series of books (The Witcher Saga). The universe was never officially named by the writers; the largest entity - the continent - is simply called The Continent, and Polish fans have labeled the universe Wiedźminland (The Witcher in Polish is wiedźmin).
History and races
The Continent was settled few thousand years ago by elves, who came from overseas, meeting the gnomeGnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
s and the dwarfs. After a period of elf-dwarven wars, the dwarfs retreated to the mountainous regions, and the elves settled in plains and forests. The story repeated itself about five hundred years ago, when human colonists came. The humans defeated the old races, and are now the dominant race; the other races are considered second-class and often are forced to live in small ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
s inside human settlements, or in the most inhospitable regions of wilderness, as of yet unclaimed by the humans. In addition to elves, gnomes and dwarfs, other notable races on The Continent are the halflings and the dryads. Some other races - such as werewolves or vampires - appeared on The Continent due to a magical event known as the Conjunction of the Spheres.
Over the past several centuries most of the south-west and south-center of The Continent have been taken over by the growing Nilfgaard Empire. The north belongs to the fragmented Northern Kingdoms. The Witcher saga takes places in the aftermath of a major war between the Nilfgaard Empire and the alliance of Northern Kingdoms, and the second war begins in the middle of the series.
Geography
Cintra |
||
| | |
No official map of the universe created by Sapkowski himself has been released, but several fan-made maps have been created. Sapkowski has refused to create a map, having stated that the existing maps are 'mostly accurate'. Most recently, a new map has been created by CD Projekt
CD Projekt
CD Projekt is a Polish video game publisher. The company was founded in May 1994 by Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński. From the beginning their goal was to publish software in the Polish market on compact discs...
for The Witcher
The Witcher (computer game)
The Witcher is a computer role-playing game for the PC developed by CD Projekt RED STUDIO and published by CD Projekt in Poland and Atari for the rest of the world. The game is based on the book series of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The game utilizes BioWare's proprietary...
computer game and Sapkowski himself was consulted on it. See external links for maps.
The Continent can be divided into four regions. The Northern Kingdoms are the area where most of the Saga takes place, they are Aedirn, Cintra, Kaedwen, Kovir, Poviss, Lyria, Rivia, Redania and Temeria. South of the Northern Kingdom lies the Nilfgaard Empire. East of both of them are mostly unknown territories, such as the Korath desert, Zerrikania, Haakland and Zangwebar.
Geralt of Rivia
Geralt of RiviaGeralt of Rivia
Geralt of Rivia is a fictional character and protagonist of The Witcher series by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, as well as its adaptations.-Fictional biography:...
(Polish: Geralt z Rivii), known also as Gwynnbleid (name in the Old Speech meaning "The White Wolf", given to him by the Dryads) is a witcher and the protagonist of the Witcher series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski and its adaptations. He is also known as the Butcher of Blaviken.
He has been described as a character embodifying "the neo-liberal anti-politics" spirit of the Polish popular culture of the 1990.
Yennefer of Vengerberg
Yennefer is a powerful and beautiful sorceress who lived in the capital city of Aedirn - Vengerberg. She was the youngest member of the Council of Wizards and later the Lodge of Sorceresses. She was the love of witcher Geralt of Rivia and a mother figure for Ciri.Cirilla (or Ciri)
Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon' (known as Ciri or the Lion Cub of Cintra), is a princess of Cintra, daughter of Pavetta and Duny (Hedgehog of Erlenwald) and granddaughter of queen Calanthe. She is Geralt's adopted daughter, around whom much of the plot is centered.Triss Merigold
Triss Merigold of Maribor, a sorceress and a friend of Geralt and Yennefer. She took care of Ciri for some time and is like an older sister to her. Triss is unhappily in love with Geralt. Merigold appeared as cover girlCover girl
A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a magazine....
in the Polish edition of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
in May 2011.
