The Witcher: 10 Unanswered Questions We Still Have About Calanthe

There’s never enough great fantasy series on TV, and now that Game of Thrones is over, it gives other shows the opportunity to shine. When the Netflix show The Witcher premiered in December, it quickly became an unexpected hit. Yes, the video games based on the series of books by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski were successful, but still, nobody probably expected the series to become so beloved so quickly as it did.

One reason for its success is the great characters it featured, including princess Ciri’s grandmother, queen Calanthe. Here are 10 unanswered questions the show’s fans till might have about Calanthe.

10 Does Calanthe Manipulate Her Enemies?

You don’t get as far as Calanthe did without breaking a few necks along the way – both literally and figuratively. Calanthe rules Cintra with a firm hand, and she seems to hold the majority of the kingdom’s power, which is no easy task in a country with so many kingdoms that their rules must always be aware and ready for an imminent attack of infiltration.

Whatever means Calanthe uses to protect Cintra from invaders and enemies, it’s safe to presume these means are far from innocent. Calanthe seems like the type who would do anything for her people, including manipulating others, however, it might suit her needs.

9 Why Didn’t Calanthe Leave?

Queen Calanthe quickly became fan-favorite thanks to her no-nonsense attitude and general high level of badassness. The audience was, therefore, greatly disappointed when she died in the first season by throwing herself out of the window of her chamber after she had said goodbye to her granddaughter Ciri.

This begs the question – why didn’t Calanthe try to save herself? One possible answer is that she knew she wouldn’t make it far with her existing injury. Or perhaps she thought her suicide would provide Ciri with the distraction she needed to escape the castle. Whatever the reason was, queen Calanthe’s death was one of the saddest moments of the whole first season.

8 What Was The Exact Relationship Between Calanthe And Mousesack?

Mousesack is another important character living in Cintra and queen Calanthe’s castle. He seems to hold the position of a court sorcerer and from what is stated in the first series, he’s been serving Calanthe and the royal family for a long time.

He and Calanthe seem quite close, but the exact nature of their relationship remains unclear, as well as how it came to be in the first place. After all, Calanthe does seem rather wary of magic, but then again, she might have acknowledged that having a sorcerer working for you does provide you with an edge against your enemies.

7 Did Calanthe Like Geralt?

The exact nature of the relationship between Calanthe and Geralt looks to be even more complicated. If Geralt hadn’t invoked the Law of Surprise and hadn’t gained his right to Ciri, he and Calanthe could have been friends or at least allies. After all, they share many similarities. They’re both fighters, wary of the people around them, and they possess brilliant strategic minds.

But Calanthe loves her granddaughter and the idea that Geralt might take her away drives a wedge between the two people. When Geralt comes for Ciri, Calanthe first tries to fool him and make him leave with another girl, and when this strategy fails, she imprisons Geralt instead.

6 Did Calanthe Make A Mistake By Imprisoning Geralt?

Whatever else you might be thinking about Geralt, and whether you find him sympathetic or not, one thing is for certain – Geralt is a great fighter, one that is better to have at your side, especially when you’re facing an enemy of such power and size as Nilfgaard is. Unfortunately for queen Calanthe, she didn’t quite get the lesson.

It isn’t obvious at first but when Cintra ends up under attack by Nilfgaard, Geralt is already present – locked in the castle’s dungeon. He manages to escape but at that point, it’s already too late. Had Calanthe released him, he might have helped both her and Ciri.

5 How Did Calanthe Meet Her Husband?

Queen Calanthe’s position as the ruler of Cintra is more complicated than it might seem at first glance. And it may also very well be responsible for her behavior throughout the first series. Calanthe seems very determined to keep the throne for herself, even though the usual tradition dictates that a king should rule his country, not a queen.

Calanthe wants to hold the power in her hands, though, and her husband seems comfortable to let her rule Cintra how she wants. In one scene, it’s said that while Calanthe is called “The Lioness of Cintra”, her husband will never be called “The Lion of Cintra”. It’d be interesting to see how these two got together in the first place, but that probably won’t happen in the show.

4 Why Didn’t Calanthe Have More Children?

Queen Calanthe has only a single child, her daughter, princess Pavetta. And it soon becomes obvious that Calanthe genuinely loves her daughter and wants the best for her even though these two have their disagreements.

When the time comes for Pavetta’s engagement party, the princess looks less than excited since she’s already in love with Duny. When Duny arrives to claim his bride due to the Law of Surprise, Calanthe is ready to strike him down but eventually relents. When Pavetta and Duny die in a shipwreck, Calanthe’s only remaining heir is Ciri. This could have been prevented if Calanthe had had more children.

3 Why Didn’t Calanthe Have Magic Powers?

Even though queen Calanthe has no magic powers, she still does a great job of ruling her kingdom since she’s a great warrior and strategist. She also employs Mousesack who serves her and her family as a sorcerer, as it seems to be the tradition in the world of The Witcher. But as it’s shown later in the first season, Calanthe’s daughter, princess Pavetta can do magic.

Pavetta shows off her skills when Calanthe tries to kill her beloved Duny. Ciri also inherited powers from her mother, but why did the magic talent avoid Calanthe? It clearly isn’t because it’d always skip a generation, so what’s the reason?

2 Will We See More Of Calanthe’s Past?

It’s not yet clear whether the fans will get to see Calanthe again. Yes, she’s dead, committed suicide during the attack of Cintra, but there are ways how even dead people can influence the lives of living… at least in the world of magic and supernatural creatures.

For example, Ciri could eventually learn to master her magic powers and find a way how to communicate with her grandmother. However it could be done, it’d be great to see more of Calanthe’s past in the show. After all, she was a brave warrior who fought multiple enemies and won many battles, but the audience rarely got to see any of this in the first season.

1 Will Calanthe Come Back To Life?

Alright, this may seem like a stretch but if The Witcher did bring Calanthe back, or any other dead hero, for the matter, it wouldn’t be the first show that would do something like this. The most obvious solution to how to get Calanthe would be by using magic, but as the show already demonstrated, not even magic is the solution to everything.

Yennefer desperately tries to get back her ability to get pregnant but she still fails. A more realistic way of how the audience could get more of Calanthe even after her death is through the form of flashbacks. But until the second season premieres, it’ll remain unclear whether Calanthe will come back or not.

About The Author

Kath Leroy
(523 Articles Published)

Kath Leroy is a writer at Screen Rant. She also publishes in a number of Czech magazines. She works as an actress and appeared in feature films, short films, as well as TV series. Kath has loved movies, TV, and literature ever since she was a child and her father first played Star Trek for her. Since she has a background in writing genre fiction and screenplays, Kath enjoys fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero films and shows above all – however, she likes to watch films of all genres.

Visit Kath Leroy’s blog for her articles about culture, acting life as well as other topics, follow her on Twitter and on Instagram as @girlartistgeek or contact her directly at [email protected]

More From Kath Leroy