Geralt of Rivia may be the protagonist of The Witcher, but the supporting characters in his story are just as compelling. From sorceresses and druids to princesses and bards, all the figures in Geralt's life are as entertaining as they are captivating.
Vesemir is one of the franchise's most mysterious characters. He is Geralt's mentor and one of the oldest living witchers on the Continent. The animated movie The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf gave fans a glimpse into his life before becoming Geralt's teacher, but there are still plenty of things that the audience might not about this fascinating figure.
8 Different Origin In The Books
Fans of the Netflix show will know Vesemir's backstory after watching Nightmare of the Wolf. However, his origin is substantially different in the books. His date of birth is unknown, but he is said to be old enough to have witnessed the construction of Kaer Morhen in the 11th century.
During the sacking of the fortress, Vesemir survived, although the reasons are unclear. In Blood of the Elves, the first novel in the series, Triss Merigold mentions that only witchers who were not present in the fortress survived. However, in the first game, it is stated that he survived by pretending to be dead among the other corpses. It's unknown which origin the Netflix show will use, but both options are compelling enough that either one would be satisfactory.
7 Meeting Geralt Of Rivia
Nightmare of the Wolf ends after the assault at Kaer Morhen, with Vesemir gathering the surviving children and taking them on as pupils. Geralt is among them, and so his adventure begins. However, in the books and games, Geralt arrives at Kaer Morgen with a sorceress named Visenna after the assault. She delivers the young boy to Vesemir, and the two develop a close bond.
The Netflix Witcher universe has thus far made some significant changes to the source material. In the streaming series, Geralt actually lives through the assault at Kaer Morhen and survives thanks to Illyana's help. Despite these changes, season 2 of The Witcher promises to explore Geralt and Vesemir's bond, which seems to be as strong in the show as in the games and books.
6 He Once Led A Village Against A Group Of Vampires
During a celebration, the village of Fox Hollow suffered an attack from a horde of vampires led by Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy--a character who crossed paths with Geralt more than once. Vesemir joined forces with the town's militia captain, Germain, successfully driving the vampires out of the village.
Regis returned after his wounds healed, but Vesemir and the villagers trapped him. They chopped him into pieces and buried him as deep as they could. Although they failed to kill him, Regis still respected their efforts and agreed to stop attacking the village. This attack was crucial in showing the depth of Vesemir's abilities as well as his bravery. He doesn't hesitate to be as ruthless as possible in defending innocents and his courage was so impressive that the more powerful antagonist had no choice but to back down as a sign of respect.
5 He Can't Create New Witchers
Fans learn plenty of the witchers' secrets in Nightmare of the Wolf. Among them is that not everyone knows how to make the mutagens necessary to turn an ordinary boy into a witcher. In the movie, the mage Reidrich is responsible for such a crucial task, but he perishes during the sacking of Kaer Morhen.
Before the attack, there were multiple other mages in The Witcher universe who, like Reidrich, held the secrets to witcher creation. They all died during the sacking and took these mysteries to their graves. In all adaptations of the franchise, Vesemir lacks the knowledge to create more witchers. He is a master fencer and an excellent combatant but doesn't know anything about mutagens, which explains why witchers are a dying breed. This inability to help the witchers could be an interesting storyline in the Netflix show as it will show the powerful Vesemir's chief vulnerability.
4 He Had A Romance With A Woman Named Mignole
In the games' canon, Vesemir meets a woman named Mignole in the winter of 1234. Their affair was brief and ended when her father put an arrest warrant on him. Most adaptations seldomly explore Vesemir's love life, and this brief tryst is only present in the games. The Netflix universe adds more complexity to his personal life by introducing Illyana, Vesemir's childhood love and one of the best characters in Nightmare of the Wolf. Their romance is sweet and goes a long way in making him more relatable and complex.
3 He Was Betrayed And Imprisoned
The Schools of the Wolf and Cat received funding from the city of Kaedwen for a while. Vesemir and the Cat's fencing master, Guxart, formed a reluctant partnership that eventually turned into a meaningful bond. The cooperation ended during a friendly tournament when the Cat's Grandmaster betrayed the Wolves to the Kaedwen's King, Radowit II, who had grown paranoid and distrustful of the witchers.
The King imprisoned Vesemir and Guxart, thus sparing them from the tournament's massacre. They attempted to rebuild their respective schools after their release from prison, but the institutions eventually descended into oblivion without funding and support from the Crown. This period in Vesemir's life is an interesting one to explore as it shows the evolving relationship between him and Guxart, who initially didn't like the witcher but grew to like him as time passed.
2 He Hosted More Than One Surprise Child At Kaer Morhen
Most fans of the franchise know that Ciri receives witcher instruction from both Vesemir and Geralt. The former teaches her about monsters, herbs, and potion-making, while the latter takes responsibility for her physical training. The series will most likely follow the same route, as indicated by The Witcher season 2 trailer.
However, Ciri isn't the only Surprise Child that Vesemir hosts at Kaer Morhen. Years before the princess' arrival, Vesemir welcomes Eskel's Surprise Child, Deirdre Ademeyn, to the keep. Like Ciri, Deirdre was heir to a throne, haunted by her brother and vassal of the King, Merwin. Deirdre ultimately left Kaer Morhen on bad terms, even scarring Eskel's face. Like Vesemir's affair with Mignole, this event only happens in the games.
1 He Dies Protecting Ciri
During their training, Vesemir and Ciri form a close bond. During the events of The Wild Hunt, Vesemir protects Ciri from Imlerith, one of the most formidable opponents in the entire franchise. The witcher manages to stab Imlerith before the warrior snaps the old man's neck, killing him.
Vesemir's fate will most likely remain the same in Netflix's The Witcher. However, it's unclear if season 2 will adapt any of the events in The Wild Hunt. Netflix already renewed the show for a third season, so perhaps the writers will save Vesemir's demise for later.
https://ift.tt/3BDzumm
September 30, 2021 at 02:00AM
