Netflix’s upcoming show The Witcher: Blood Origin will turn back the hands of time 1,200 years from the events of its popular fantasy series, The Witcher. The four episode limited series will explore the cataclysmic event known as The Conjunction of the Spheres and will peel back the curtain on the creation of the very first Witcher prototype.
The series, which is based on the lore created by Andrzej Sapkowski in The Witcher novels, offers an inside peek at what has only ever been discussed via word of mouth. Finally, we got the chance to see what The Continent looked like before the Elder Race of Elves were eradicated, but are the creators of The Witcher: Blood Origin retconning major lore in the process? Here’s what we know so far.
Is The Witcher: Blood Origin invoking creative license or completely overhauling major lore?
The Witcher: Blood Origin‘s synopsis claims that the show will take place 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher and will explore the events that led to the Conjunction of the Spheres as well as highlight the creation of the very first Witcher prototype. Fans who are familiar with both The Witcher novels and the numerous video games it spawned spied a concerning bit of information concealed within that synopsis.
For starters, according to The Witcher lore the Conjunction of the Spheres took place around 230 BR (Before Resurrection), 1,500 years before Geralt of Rivia came galloping along. The Witcher: Blood Origin plans to scrap 300 years worth of history, taking place around 530 instead.
Furthermore, the original lore states the the Order of the Witchers, and thus the birth of the first Witcher, didn’t occur until the 900s. Mages and kings banded together to solve the rampant monster problem plaguing The Continent post-Conjunction. Although who the first Witcher was is somewhat of a grey area, the truth is that Witchers didn’t come around until 670 years after the Conjunction of the Spheres, at least according to Sapkowski.
The devil may be in the details, however; the creators of The Witcher: Blood Origin appear to have put an emphasis on the word prototype when explaining the show’s synopsis. The first Witcher prototype may not actually be the first Witcher at all, but instead the discussion of how to make a Witcher, which potion or elixir to use, or even an outline of what kind of magic needed to create one.
It’s unclear what the creators have to gain by tinkering with a timeline Sapkowski so expertly crafted 36 years ago. Changing when the Conjunction of the Spheres occurs may not even have an impact on the overall storyline, but it sure begs the question ‘why?’ One can only hope the implications help The Witcher when the show returns for its third season in the summer of 2023.