The Witcher: How Much Older Geralt Is Compared To Ciri

In Netflix’s hit show, The Witcher, how much older is the eponymous protagonist Geralt than his child surprise, Ciri? Linked by both destiny and the Law of Surprise, the two characters have been nearly inseparable since their first meeting at the end of The Witcher season 1. Given the strong father-daughter dynamic between Geralt and Ciri, then, it’s natural to wonder what their age gap really is.

The Witcher is known for juggling multiple storylines at once, particularly with its three different timelines in season 1, which are often cited as confusing and remain one of the first season’s biggest sources of criticism. But despite the jumbled nature of The Witcher‘s timeline, it’s clear that Geralt and Ciri are at the heart of the story, Ciri because of her Elder Blood and its power to change the whole Continent, and Geralt because of his crucial role in protecting and aiding her. The setup might be gradual and at times unclear, but two of season 1’s timeline branches build inevitably to the moment Geralt and Ciri meet, and season 2 focuses on the next stage of their relationship as more details about Ciri come to light.

In the midst of all this complex storytelling, it’s hard to establish any character’s age with certainty, but it does seem important to understand how old Geralt and Ciri are compared to each other, at least roughly. This poses several challenges, however. In addition to yellow eyes, Geralt’s Witcher status also gives him extended life, making the question of his exact age difficult to answer. Add in the fact that Ciri’s story unfolds in a different timeline for the show’s first half so far, and things become even harder to parse. The short answer is that Geralt is about 100 years older than Ciri in Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher, but there are plenty of factors to consider.

Ciri’s age in the Netflix show is actually progressing rather true to that of the books and video games. Ciri is 11-12 at the start of the books and in her mid-20s by the end, which lines up with her confirmed age of 12 in The Witcher season 1. If the show continues on its current trajectory, then, actress Freya Allen’s actual age of 20 leaves her primed to start aging at about the same pace as her character in future Witcher seasons as Ciri’s training and powers progress and she grows into a mature woman. The bottom line is: as of now, Ciri is still in her early teens.

Geralt’s age is much trickier to figure out. While Henry Cavill, who plays him, is 38, Geralt’s enhanced Witcher lifespan means he’s actually a centenarian. It’s confirmed that Geralt is almost 100 when he meets Renfri in The Witcher‘s very first episode, meaning that as his season 1 timeline progresses, he grows to be a little over 100. At the exact moment that Ciri’s conception is revealed in the season 1 episode, “Of Banquets, Bastards, and Burials,” it’s impossible to tell just how much time has passed since the start of Geralt’s journey, but it is certain that however old Geralt is in this episode, that’s the age gap between him and Ciri. In approximate terms, then, he’s about 100 years older than her.

Henry Cavill’s Geralt, like his Witcher book and video game counterparts, has seen a lot in his life but still has plenty left ahead. In this sense, he doesn’t really feel 100, but rather like a seasoned fighter in his prime who is now taking on daunting new challenges. Thus, while Geralt is technically about 100 years older compared to Ciri, he feels more like a father figure than a wizened mentor. The Witcher has developed this dynamic well throughout season 2, so it will be interesting to see how it progresses as Ciri ages and grows more powerful and dangerous in the show’s future seasons.

About The Author