Geralt of Rivia

Original

Geralt, the central character, is a witcher. Shortly after being born, Geralt was forced (by the "Law of Surprise", a law that states that if one cannot pay for the services of a witcher, the witcher is entitled to something the debtor does not yet know they have) to undergo training and, eventually, become a witcher at Kaer Morhen — the stronghold of the Wolf School Witchers. Geralt survived numerous mutations during the Trial of the Grasses, thanks to which he gained practically superhuman physical and mental abilities with minimal side effects. He resisted the "changes" brought on by the Trial of Grasses better than most, which encouraged his makers to perform even more dangerous experimental procedures on him, making him lose all body pigmentation. Because of his pale skin and white hair, he is also known in the Elder Speech as "Gwynbleidd", the White Wolf.

Despite his name, Geralt does not come from Rivia (although he learned how to mimic a Rivian accent and is later knighted for services to the queen of Rivia): young witchers were encouraged to make up surnames for themselves by master Vesemir, to make their names sound more trustworthy. He once claimed that his first choice was Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde, but this was dismissed by Vesemir as silly and pretentious.

After completing his witcher training, he received his Wolf medallion (the symbol of Kaer Morhen) and embarked into the world on his horse called Płotka — (literally, "Roach" with a dimunitive suffix. More accurately "Roachie" in English; he gave the same name to every horse he owned) to become a monster slayer for hire.

I looked for the words "Witcher urgently needed". And then there'd be a sacred site, a dungeon, necropolis or ruins, forest ravine or grotto hidden in the mountains, full of bones and stinking carcasses. Some creatures which lived to kill, out of hunger, for pleasure, or invoked by some sick will. A manticore, wyvern, fogler, aeschna, ilyocoris, chimera, leshy, vampire, ghoul, graveir, were-wolf, giant scorpion, striga, black annis, kikimora, vypper... so many I've killed.

— Geralt, in Andrzej Sapkowski, The Last Wish, "The Voice of Reason 4"

Even though Geralt did not believe in destiny, he unknowingly demanded the unborn child of princess Pavetta and her husband Duny as a reward for his services by invoking "the Law of Surprise". The child turned out to be a girl, Ciri (otherwise known as Ziri coming from the elder speech word Zireael meaning Swallow). At first, Geralt did not take her because women cannot become witchers. However, fate or blind chance caused Geralt and Ciri to cross their paths thrice, and after the death of her grandmother, Queen Calanthe of Cintra, Geralt ends up taking the girl into his care, training and loving her as his own daughter.

The events of the novels unfold as Geralt is pulled into a whirlwind of events in his attempts to protect Ciri from those who would do her harm, becoming reluctantly embroiled in the political contentions of monarchs and emperors.

Continuation in video games

After seemingly being killed by a mob during a slaughter of non-humans at the end of the Witcher saga and taken, with Yennefer, to the Isle of Avalon, by Ciri, who then revives them, Geralt's story continues in CD Projekt Red's video game trilogy (The Witcher, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt). Geralt wakes in the outskirts of the Kaer Morhen fortress, with no recollection of the details of his sudden reappearance, (after Yennefer was captured by the Wild Hunt, he offered himself for her freedom. He was saved once again by Ciri, and left wounded and without memory of his past in the wood near Kaer Morhen). He is rescued by his fellow witchers of the school of the wolf and taken back to Kaer Morhen.

It was announced that Geralt, voiced by Doug Cockle, will appear as a guest character in the upcoming 2018 game Soulcalibur VI.^[2]

Sapkowski stated that the games are a work of art of their own and that they cannot be considered either an "alternative version", or a sequel, "because this can only be told by Geralt's creator. A certain Andrzej Sapkowski." ^[3]