While we are still probably quite a ways away from being able to dive into the world of The Witcher Season 2 on Netflix, there's no denying that a lot of people are clamoring for more in the adventures of Geralt (Henry Cavill), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and Ciri (Freya Allan). The trio at the center of Season 1 will all be returning, along with our favorite bard, Jaskier (Joey Batey), but there are likely many fans who continue to have some serious questions about the first season, because of the way the fantasy series used three separate timelines to explore the lives of each of the main characters.
If you find yourself still a wee bit confused about the particulars of when everything took place in The Witcher Season 1, though, you're in luck! We have below a handy guide to make sure everyone is completely up to date on the order of events in popular show, starting with some answers to a few basic queries which many viewers were confused about.
How Old Are Geralt, Yennefer, Ciri, And Jaskier?
Alright, this has caused a fair amount of consternation among fans of The Witcher, and, as I see it, two issues are at hand. First of all, Geralt and Yenn are magical and either don't age or age very, very slowly. Secondly, well, Jaskier is human, but doesn't age at all during the course of the first season, which covers several decades worth of action. Even though showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich admitted in the summer of 2020 that Jaskier's apparent lack of maturity later in the series was simply due to a production mistake, we might as well go ahead and clear all this up now.
Alright, Ciri is, indeed, the youngest person among this group. Hers is essentially the "present day" timeline of The Witcher, and, according to the extremely detailed official site, she was born in 1250, and every time we see Ciri, the year is 1263, making her 13 during Season 1. Our oldest main character is our head Witcher, Geralt, who was born in 1160. Meanwhile, his soon-to-be partner in co-Child of Surprise parenting, Yenn, was born in 1192, making her about 32 years younger than Geralt.
Now we come to the -- very much human -- Jaskier. The age-defying bard was birthed in 1222, meaning that when he and Geralt meet for the first time, the Witcher is (hold onto all those coins you were planning to toss) a whole 62 years older than Jaskier. Ah, the joys of not dying when you undergo a magical transformation, right?
Geralt Becomes The Butcher Of Blaviken (Episode 1)
We're off to a roaring start now! The events of the first episode ("The End's Beginning") cover both a lot of time with Geralt and some of the fall of Cintra with Ciri. Remember, though, every time we see the princess during the course of Season 1, the year is 1263, so her portion of Episode 1 is already taken care of. However, Geralt's is not. When we meet him for the first time, he's doing his duty as a free-range monster-hunter, going where the trouble is so that he can make a living.
During the course of this episode, we see him given the task of taking out Renfri because of the local mage's feud with her, and he does, despite what I can only call simmering sexual tension with the former princess-turned-bandit leader. In the process, Geralt had to bloodily kill all of her men, and the people turned against him, branding him with the title of The Butcher of Blaviken. This all happens in 1231.
Yennefer Begins Her Training, Geralt Meets Jaskier (Episode 2)
This is where things probably got super confusing for a lot of viewers, because all three timelines are in play. Ciri is here in the "present," but so are Yenn and Geralt, as we're shown some of their past. Yenn's story here is especially important, because Episode 2 ("Four Marks") is a large portion of her origin. In 1206, a young, hunchbacked Yenn is sold by her father to big time sorceress Tissaia, and she begins her studies in wielding chaos at Aretuza.
Elsewhere, Geralt and Jasiker meet for the first time, and if you think this happened as Yenn was first leaning to use magic, you're quite wrong. This fateful event doesn't take place until 1240, which is 34 years after Yenn gets to Aretuza. Also? Upon meeting Geralt, the excitable bard is a very youthful 18 years old.
The Law Of Surprise (Episode 4)
The all important episode which saw Geralt very accidentally bind himself to Ciri forever. Episode 4 ("Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials") sees Jaskier and the Witcher attend royal festivities at the court of Queen Calanthe of Cintra, held to find a husband for her daughter, Pavetta. When Lord Urcheon of Erlenwald barges in (looking like a hedgehog due to a childhood curse) and claims Pavetta by the Law of Surprise, it causes a brawl. This leads to Geralt stepping in and saving the knight's life, which, in turn, entitles Geralt to a favor from Urcheon.
Of course, you'll remember what happens next, because, frustrated with the whole situation, Geralt blurts out that he also claims the Law of Surprise, thinking it would be nothing. But, Pavetta is already pregnant with Ciri, which became clear to everyone in the room when she tossed her regal cookies all over the banquet hall floor two seconds later. All of this happens in 1249.
Yennefer Meets Geralt (Episode 5)
Things get very interesting in Episode 5 ("Bottled Wishes") when Geralt accidentally releases a djinn while fighting over its vessel with Jaskier. The bard is hurt, and Geralt is compelled to find someone to heal him. And, that someone turns out to be Yenn, who'd abandoned life at court and was making money doing small spells and charms for people. Yenn wanted the djinn's wishes for herself, to regain what she'd sacrificed for her transformation, and the two began a battle of wills.
This is where the long-standing romance between Yenn and Geralt began, and it all happened in 1256. The next time we see them together in Episode 6 ("Rare Species"), the duo wonder why they haven't been able to avoid each other during their travels, and it's clear that they've run into one another several times during the past six years, even though the audience hasn't been privy to those other meetings.
Ciri And Geralt Finally Find Each Other (Episode 8)
Here is where it all comes together. The year is 1263 for everyone in Episode 8 ("Much More"), and after the fall of Cintra, which had Ciri fleeing her home and Geralt breaking out of the prison Calanthe put him in, both of them had traversed the Continent in an effort to find the other. Yenn had joined other powerful mages at the Battle of Sodden Hill, and after a lot of losses, finally gathered all of her chaos to deal a deadly blow to Nilfgaard's forces.
The next day, Geralt was still recovering from a ghoul attack, and was taken by the merchant he saved back to his family's home, where, unbeknownst to everyone, Ciri had been brought by the merchant's wife earlier. Finally, in the forest near Sodden Hill, Ciri and Geralt met for the first time.
This, of course, will take us right into the events of the second season, and now that all of the timelines are in the "present" of 1263, the events of The Witcher should be much easier to follow. Honestly, I can't wait to see the new season, especially because I hope they decide to just never let Jaskier age at all.
The Witcher Season 2 is still filming as of this writing, but, hopefully, a release date for the new set of episodes will be along before too much longer! As we wait, check out what's coming up for The Witcher in a variety of media, including The Witcher: Blood Origin!
