She’s the child of Elder blood, the sole heir to the Cintran throne, the first female Witcher-in-training, and a Source, someone who is born with astronomical power but little control over it. Basically, Ciri is a powder keg of chaos, and the whole continent wants to get its hands on her.
Given how much audiences have seen her do, it is only natural to wonder how old she was in The Witcher.
Who is Ciri in The Witcher?
When we meet Ciri in season one of The Witcher, she is but a lion cub torn from her homeland upon the slaughter of the Cintra at the hands of the Nilfgaardian empire. After she manages to escape, Ciri meets Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf, the Butcher of Blaviken, her destined father via the Law of Surprise.
Bound by destiny to protect Ciri from those who wish her harm, Geralt employs the assistance of Yennefer of Vengerberg. As one of the most powerful mages on the Continent, Geralt has faith that Yennefer can train Ciri in the ways of magical arts (after she almost sacrifices Ciri to get her powers back, of course; a misunderstanding that lands her out of favor with Geralt, but eventually rights itself).
If Yennefer can help Ciri control her magic, maybe then Ciri can protect herself from harm and harness her chaos for good.
And to think, all this trouble from a girl so young. From a tiny little pent-up powder keg in season one to a skilled Witcher and Mage-in-training in seasons two and three, Ciri’s evolution happens right before our very eyes. Nevertheless, it can be a bit tricky to discern just how old she really is, especially since the first season’s timeline hops all over the place.
Exactly how old is Ciri in season three, anyway?
Good question. If we’re going strictly off the Netflix series, then Ciri was barely a teenager during the events of season one. The slaughter of Cintra occurred in 1263, according to the show’s main site. Since Ciri was born in 1250, that made her 13 years old.
Season two concludes in 1964 when the White Flame (ahem, you-know-who) reaches Cintra. That would make Ciri 14 years old during this time.
As for season three — the show picks up soon after the events of season two with Ciri, Yennefer, and Gerlt on the run. How much time passes in the season is vague, but the first episode shows the trio jumping from one safe house to the next, sometimes spending as much as a month in one location.
Ciri is likely still 14 years old, but by the time the season ends, she will probably push 15 years old.
What we do know, based on what she told Yennefer and Geralt, is that she was born on Belleteyn, the fertility festival that attracts townsfolk far and wide.
If anything, Ciri will certainly be 15 years old during season four. That is, if we don’t get a major time jump (you know, with Henry Cavill leaving the show and all). For now, because we don’t have an exact date, it’s safe to say she is somewhere on the cusp of 14 and 15.
Published: Jan 5, 2024 09:30 am