The Witcheris considered by many to be one of the greatest video game series of all time, and there’s no other person to thank other than Andrzej Sapkowski for creating such a brilliant and lived-in world that feels like the prime dark fantasy setting everyone wanted to know about. The Continent is a dark and unforgiving place… but it’s definitely full to the brim with some truly lovable and colorful characters who have become household names due to their presence in the books.
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One such character who is perhaps the most valuable member of the game’s cast is none other than Geralt of Rivia himself. This character has been featured front and center when it comes to some of the most important moments ofThe Witcher— whether it be the books or otherwise. That being said, there are several things Geralt has been featuring in when it comes to the books that most video game fans are completely unaware of. Here are ten such things that only book readers know about the famous Geralt of Rivia.
Updated on February 19th, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra:Fans of dark fantasy games should look no further than The Witcher. The series is full to the brim with amazing characters, brilliant stories, and beautiful landscapes to explore. At the heart of this series is Geralt of Rivia, a powerful witcher who never has a dull moment as he embarks on some truly engaging adventures indeed. Here are some things about this character that people unfamiliar with the books have no clue about.
15For The Longest Time, Geralt Thought That His Child Of Destiny Was A Boy
While going back to Queen Calanthe to discuss the tenets of the Law of Surprise he had negotiated a while back, viewers found out something interesting about the witcher. He was under the assumption that the Child of Destiny was a boy.
Calanthe did nothing to dispel this notion when Geralt mentioned it to her. It was only after a chance encounter with Ciri in Brokilon Forest that Geralt found out about her actual gender.
14His High Resilience Led To Him Receiving More Experimental Treatments
The Trial of the Grasses is something that most prospective witchers are subjected to, with children ingesting potions to mutate and transform into these monster-hunting mutants. While the survivability of this trial is pretty low, Geralt shocked everyone by showing an unnaturally high resistance towards these mutations.
This led the witchers to select Geralt for more experimental treatments to increase his strength and resilience even further. While Geralt could’ve died as a result of these treatments, he thankfully survived and embarked on the journey to become a witcher.
13The Origin Of His White Hair
Unlike most of the other witchers, Geralt’s trademark white hair is distinctly unique. In fact, its origins come from the experimental treatments that are discussed above.
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During these experiments, Geralt’s hair lost all its pigmentation and turned white. This led to Geralt gaining the nickname of ‘White Wolf’ as well.
12Geralt Was Forced To Kill His Best Friend In A Farcical Tournament
During his time as a prospective witcher, Geralt made many friends along the way that have appeared in the games as well, such as Eskel. One such person was Gweld, whom Geralt considered to be his best friend. Both students faced off against each other in a witcher-only tournament.
However, this tournament was nothing more than a ploy to wipe out the witchers of the Wolf School. While Geralt and Gweld knew about this farce, a druid forced a powerful mind-control spell on the latter that sent him into a murderous frenzy. With no choice,Geralt had to kill his best friendbefore running away.
11The Name He Uses For His Horse Isn’t Really Unique
Roach is a legendary horse, whose name has been steeped in gaming history. However,most fans ofThe Witcher’s gameswould be saddened to know that this mount isn’t exactly legendary.
In fact, Geralt gives this name to every horse he’s ever had. Since they died frequently, Geralt did away with the notion of naming each horse individually and settled on a common name for all of them — Roach.
10Geralt Isn’t Exactly Good-Looking In The Books
Given how Geralt has been portrayed in the games and the Netflix adaptation, one would assume that Geralt was quite an eye-pleaser in the books as well… but that isn’t even remotely the case.
Rather, Geralt is actually quite an evil-looking witcher, with hollowed-out eyes, pale skin, and a face that’s marred by scars. However, that’s not even the worst part of his features…
9His Smile Is Disgusting To Look At
The one thing that the book version of Geralt would also agree with is the fact thathis face is nothing short of an absolute mess… but twisting these grotesque features into a smile makes him look even more terrifying.
It’s a smile so horrifying to look at that Geralt himself ends up taking a double-take when a mimic he’s fighting ends up twisting its features to resemble what can only be described as the ugliest smirk known to man.
8He Isn’t As Strong As The Games Make Him Out To Be
One has to admit that Geralt’s combat skills inThe Witchergames are nothing short of incredible, allowing him to take on imposing monsters and mobs of humans with the greatest of ease.
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However, in the books, Geralt is nowhere near that powerful. He’s been handed a resounding beating in some normal fistfights, and the mage Vilgefortz managed to best him in combat without even using his magic!
Speaking of which…
7His Knee Was Permanently Damaged After His Fight With Vilgefortz
After figuring out that Yennefer was trapped and being tortured in Stygga Castle, Geralt embarked on a quest to save his love and even managed to do… although not before facing off in a battle against Vilgefortz.
The mage was so powerful that he didn’t even use any magic in his fight against Geralt, choosing to use his staff instead to lay a vicious beatdown upon Geralt that ended up damaging his knee so bad that it ended up being a permanent hindrance throughout the rest ofThe Witcherseries.
6He’s An Atheist
Given the fact that Dandelion and Geralt are fast friends, it goes without saying that the bard would be more than aware of most nuances of Geralt’s character… including the fact that he doesn’t believe in a god.
That being said, he doesn’t impose his beliefs on most people and respects their faith. Although — given the supernatural and magical elements ofThe Witcher— one has to admit that Geralt is definitely the odd one out for not believing in a higher power that governs all this madness.
