Which parts of the Witcher books is Netflix going to adapt?
By Daniel Roman
Image: Netflix/The Witcher
1. The Striga
If there’s a single iconic moment from the early Witcher saga that HAD to be in the show in some way, it’s this one. Based on the very first short story about Geralt of Rivia, 1986’s “The Witcher,” the showdown between our titular monster hunter and the striga is our introduction to the characters, tone, and world of this series. As is often the case, Geralt’s battle with the cursed, incestuous, undead daughter of King Foltest comes down to a moral choice: slay the monster, or risk extreme danger to break the curse and possibly save an innocent child.
This story is a great example of how juicy the dilemmas in The Witcher can be. There’s a political element, with different factions having different views on how best to eliminate the striga…or use it for their own gain. There’s a personal element as well, as King Foltest appeals to Geralt to save his estranged daughter…unless no other choice presents itself. And of course, the folkloric sophistication which pervades this fantastical world is present in this deeply twisted, complex curse and the requirements for breaking it.
There are several bits from Geralt’s duel with the striga laced throughout the trailer, such as the very first scene break at 0:06. But the one that stands out the most is this scene, where our friendly neighborhood witcher prepares to wrap the striga in a silver chain.
Image: Netflix/The Witcher
Geralt tying the silver chain around the striga is one of the high points of the fight in the original story (as well as the cinematic trailer for the first video game), and I’m cautiously encouraged by Netflix’s inclusion of it. Hopefully, it bodes well for how they seek to honor the source material.
After this trailer, it’s all but guaranteed that the striga sequence is going to be in the show…but the thing I’m more curious about is when it will occur. While the striga’s story is the opener of the first Witcher short story collection, The Last Wish, chronologically it’s the last — and leads directly into the book’s framing story. By that point, Geralt has already met Yennefer, and had quite a bit of history with her. In conjunction with Anya Chalotra’s recent interview where she revealed that we’ll be following Yennefer from “14 years old to when she’s 77,” it seems practically assured that we will have time jumps and/or flashbacks in the series.
Of course, the show could also take the relatively self-contained story of the striga and place it elsewhere in the timeline. Without knowing for certain where things will kick off, it remains a mystery.