Why The Wild Hunt Wants Ciri (& What It Means For Witcher Season 3)

After rumors and speculation about its introduction in The Witcher season 2, the Wild Hunt is now part of this universe and it’s going after Ciri – but why and what does this mean for season 3? Created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher is a series of novels and short stories that became widely popular when they were adapted to video games, and after being adapted into a movie and a TV series in Poland in 2001 and 2002, it finally got its first English language adaptation in 2019 thanks to Netflix, quickly becoming one of the streaming giant’s most popular and successful TV shows.

Netflix’s The Witcher is based on the books, but its approach to these is a loose one, making major changes to the arcs of its main characters, adding new ones, and even bringing some that used to be exclusive to the video games. The series follows three different characters (Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Ciri), whose paths converged at the end of season 1 after following their stories through different places and points in time. The Witcher season 2 had a linear and clearer narrative and in addition to continuing the stories of the aforementioned characters, it introduced new ones, among those the Wild Hunt, who made a surprise appearance at the end of the season.

The Wild Hunt (or Wraiths of Mörhogg) is a group of specters who gallop through the sky on undead horses and are seen as an omen of war. The Wild Hunt were Aen Elle elves from Tir ná Lia who under the orders of elven King Auberon Muircetach formed a cavalry unit with the purpose of invading alien worlds and capturing young humanoids to use them as slaves, all this through the Gate of the Worlds. This group was named Dearg Ruadrhi or Red Riders, and to look more threatening while invading other worlds, they wore skeletal armor and used projections to look more spectral. Some time later, the elves lost their access to space-time travel through the Gate and recovered it partially, leading the Red Riders to change their tactics and enhance their spectral projections, and so they earned the name of “Wild Hunt” – and their true purpose changed once they learned about Ciri and her Elder Blood.

In the books, Ciri became a prisoner of the Aen Elle elves and learned that, as she’s carrying the Elder Blood gene, what the elves want from her is to mate with their king so their child reintroduces the Elder Blood to the elves, regaining power and, most importantly, giving them access to the Gate again. The plan changed when the king was unable to perform and was killed, and the new ruler decided to instead harness the power from Ciri and reopen the Gate. This is one of the most controversial storylines in The Witcher, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Netflix series dropped it and instead went for the one where the Wild Hunt simply wants to capture Ciri to take advantage of her powers. At the end of The Witcher season 2, the Wild Hunt appeared as Ciri teleported herself, Yennefer, and Geralt to another Sphere and the Voleth Meir joined the Hunt, so these are now aware of the extent of Ciri’s powers.

By the end of The Witcher season 2, Ciri was the target of different threats who want her for different reasons, but the most dangerous ones are the White Flame/Emhyr var Emreis and the Wild Hunt. Now, according to showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich, The Witcher season 3 will take inspiration from the book Time of Contempt, in which the Wild Hunt appear but not prominently, but as the series has already made big changes to the source material, the Hunt could be given a bigger presence in season 3, and through them, the show could explore the different Spheres and more of the backstory of this extensive universe.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3269 Articles Published)

See also  Avatar 2 Star Hints At Fascinating Arc For Villain Miles Quaritch

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

More From Adrienne Tyler