How The Witcher Changes The Elves’ Elder Blood (& Improves Netflix’s World)

The Witcher season 2 has built upon the concept of the Elder Blood, and in doing so, it’s adding fresh depth to the wider world Netflix is building. Blood is a vital aspect of magic in the world of The Witcher, and the most powerful bloodline of all is that of an ancient elven sorceress named Lara Dorren. This passed into the royal family of Cintra, emerging every now and again in a powerful sorceress. The most notable example is Ciri, the prophesied descendant of Lara whom the elves hope will save them from a coming catastrophe.

The Witcher‘s prophecy of Ciri is a chilling one. “Behold! The Time of the Sword and Axe approaches,” Ithlinne foretold long ago. “The Time of the Wolf’s Blizzard, the Time of the White Frost and White Light. Nigh is the Time of Madness and Disdain, Tedd Deireadh, the Final Age. The world shall perish amidst ice and be reborn with the new sun. Reborn of the Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of a planted seed. A seed that will not sprout but burst into flames!” Little wonder those who become aware of Ciri’s power covet it.

And yet, The Witcher season 2 doesn’t just reproduce the concept of the Elder Blood from Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski’s books and short stories, but actually improves upon it. Netflix is attempting to expand the world of The Witcher, and the Elder Blood lies at the heart of everything they’re trying to accomplish. Some details are still shrouded in mystery, but the pattern is clear; the Elder Blood is vital to the ongoing story of The Witcher franchise.

The Elder Blood Created The Witchers

The Witcher season 2 builds upon the animated tie-in The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, a standalone story that reveals the history of the Witcher’s Keep, Kaer Morhen. The Witchers have long had a complicated relationship with the inhabitants of the Continent. They are useful so long as there are monsters to be slain in the world, but as the monsters become rarer, the citizens of the Continent turn their fear and distrust upon the Witchers themselves. The ending of The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf saw Kaer Morhen attacked by a mob that burned the castle to the ground and destroyed the alchemical stores used to create new Witchers. Vesemir became leader of the Witchers, but the leader of a dying order.

Countless years later, however, The Witcher season 2 offers hope for a new future for the Witchers. It revealed there was a simple reason Vesemir could not create any new Witchers: the alchemical processes that allow him to do this require Elder Blood. Vesemir believed this had long since been lost from the world, diluted through interracial marriage. To his surprise, he learned it had been sustained through the royal bloodline of Cintra – and Princess Ciri could well provide a supply of Elder Blood if she was willing. Suddenly the Witchers have flickering candlelight of hope once again.

This concept is entirely original, not present in Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels and short stories. It’s particularly important, though, because Netflix is about to launch a spinoff miniseries, The Witcher: Blood Origin, that reveals how the first Witchers were created. Netflix released the first trailer for The Witcher: Blood Origin as a post-credits stinger for season 2, and the title has become even more significant given season 2’s revelations as viewers now know exactly how blood is connected to the origin of the Witchers. It’s a smart detail, and it draws the narrative threads of The Witcher franchise together rather well.

The Elder Blood’s Connection To The Conjunction

The Witcher season 2 further suggests that Elder Blood is tied to a cosmic event known as the Conjunction of the Spheres, in which different worlds across the multiverse converged for a time. The Continent had previously been inhabited only by Elves and Dwarves, but the Conjunction introduced humanity into the mix, as well as all manner of monsters. In The Witcher season 2, sorcerer and archeologist Istredd deduces the mysterious stellacite monoliths scattered across the Continent played a key role in the Conjunction of the Spheres and believes they could actually be the conduits of power that enabled the Conjunction.

Think of these mysterious monoliths as locked doors that, should they be opened, can create a way to step from the Continent to another world. If that is the case, then the Elder Blood – uniquely powerful in Chaos (The Witcher‘s version of magic) – is the key that can unlock these doors. This is Ciri’s greatest power, and it is one that makes her a target; in The Witcher season 2, she is sought out by the Mother In Darkness, a monster that slipped through into the Continent a millennia ago and simply desires to go home. The interesting question is whether each monolith is a gateway to a single world, or whether they can be potentially used to get to different dimensions; the former seems likely, given the Mother In Darkness used the concealed monolith at Kaer Morhen when she could easily have gotten to other monoliths that weren’t surrounded by enemies.

The Elder Blood Is Central To The Witcher’s Past – And Future

All this means the Elder Blood has become the single narrative thread running through the entire Witcher franchise. The Witcher: Blood Origin is presumably the story of how a bearer of the Elder Blood unwittingly caused the first Conjunction and how that same Elder Blood was used to create a solution for the monsters unleashed on the Continent: the Witchers. Meanwhile, in the present, Ciri is a target precisely because she is heir to the power of the elven Elder Blood. She must learn to master her gifts, but as she does so, she will run the risk of unwittingly causing another Conjunction should the power she wields get out of control. In The Witcher season 2, there’s a telling scene in which Ciri tells Geralt she fears her power could burn the world. That fear is actually well-founded, as the Elder Blood pumping through her veins really could change the world of The Witcher forever.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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