The Witcher Iceberg Explained

[@natiscool]

Thanks for taking your time to watch this video, it means a lot to me! :) And another big thanks to Displate for sponsoring this video! It's great that such a great company is supporting really small channels such as myself! Get 25% off 1-2 displates, and 33% off 3 or more here: displate.com/natiscool/?art=60b4297c9a576 Hope to see you all in the comment section of this video and the ones to come! :D

[@fantasywind3923]

I'd like to add some thoughts I had on various theories, for example the 'Toussaint is doomed' theory is actually interesting as in the books there is some 'flashforward' references to a great fire that burned down the palace of Beauclair and an archeological team discovering stuff there, like corpses and a tub with manuscripts in some unspecified but apparently distant future of the witcher world. As for vampire an the date, well Emiel Regis in the book Baptism of Fire claims that he is around 400 or so years old and that he is 'a descendant' of the original vampires that got imprisoned in the witcher world after conjunction, so he was already BORN in witcher world, supposedly he may not know exactly whether the gate to original world of their species will be opened so maybe that date 1358 may have such significance :) that Regis is simply unaware of, and maybe only older vampires know of it and that would mean that the vampire in Novigrad is much older than Regis :) (but the easter egg is also good theory hehe). As for Roach horses and Geralt, he definitely cares about his steeds and it's visible in the books as well, hell it is said in Baptism of Fire by other character that despite complaining about his current horse Geralt owuld not leave it (the horse that Geralt got in Baptism of Fire after losing all his possessions at Thanedd, was given to him in Brokilon where he recuperated from his wounds): ""You won’t even give up that skittish mare, you won’t leave her, you won’t exchange her for another, even though you keep threatening to. You aren’t the kind that leaves others behind." Witcher, Baptism of Fire Books contain various references to future events, in year 1350 apparently the area of the northern kingdoms was supposed to come under attack in invasion of eastern tribes of Haak (from Haakland which together with Zerrikania lies far to the east beyond the mountains) there are no other events, until later into 15th century with the nilfgaardian scholar Fourens Delannoy :). It also should be noted that in-universe the name Mount Gorgon may actually come from a type of monster, in the Season of Storms there is a monster called Gorgon (though the real world etymological origin of the word definitely is important too :) as Sapkowski filled his books to the brim with historical, mythological and other references to real world European folklore and history). The scientific revolution thing, some form of progress is indeed happening as in the Season of Storms roughly hundred years later than the story, there is reference to steam powered machinery or something of the sort, that is seen by Nimue in the flashforward sequence, it should be noted that already at the time of the witcher stories taking place in books there were references to various technological developments, and mages and sorcerers influencing this progress wiht mage Ortolan inventing all sorts of stuff: "Like every inventor, Ortolan had stages of fascination with explosives, incendiary materials, bombards, armored chariots, firearms, and poisonous gases. A condition of well-being, argued the old man, is a common peace between the nations, and peace is achieved by armaments. The surest way to detract from war is scaring it away with scary weapons, and the scarier the weapons the longer and more stable the peace. As Ortolan did not listen to any arguments, saboteurs were secretly placed into his inventive group, which hindered the dangerous inventions. Almost none of them saw the light of day. An exception was the famous, and the point of many anecdotes, ball thrower. It was a kind of telekinetic arbalest with a great flagon for lead balls. The ball thrower - as the name suggests - was supposed to throw balls into a target, and in quick succession. The prototype went, to his surprise, beyond the walls of Rissberg, it was even tested out in some battles. With poor effect however. The shooter using the invention when asked about the arm's usefulness reportedly said that the ball thrower was like his mother-in-law. Heavy, ugly, absolutely useless and there's nothing to do with it but drown it in river. The old wizard did not take it to heart however. The ball thrower was a toy, he supposedly said, he had on his drawing board, other projects far more advanced, able to strike in mass. He, Ortolan, would give humanity the benefit of peace, even if it meant killing half of mankind. " Fireworks appear in the books too, in the Tower of the Swallow :). "A stinking rain of brimstone fell to the ground, the ashes of the last fireworks." And the freedom fighters used some sort of incendiary oil bombs in that book. We know from books that the mages were controlling all spheres of life to some extent, influenced not oniy politics but economy and science as well, mages and sorcerers were also using magic for military purposes (the nilgaardian mages helped with their magic during war with Cintra, and of course the famous Battle of Sodden had two sides employ mages). It also should be noted that many magical devices are being used more commonly, as well as that the gnomes and dwarves of Mahakam already have more advanced tech, with blasting furnaces and various machinery using steam etc. "'And the technology is in Mahakam,' Percival interjected. 'Iron, steel and metallurgy! Blast furnaces, not some shitty chimney. Water and steam hammers...' 'Here, Percival, wet your whistle.' Zoltan passed the gnome a full cup. 'You'll bore us all with your techniques." So it's only matter of time that this type of tech will spread among humans. well the thing about Dandelion/Jaskier's age hehe the only acknowledgement of his age is in the Blood of Elves (which should be theoretically covered in next season of the show but netflix is indeed very loosely inspired by ;)): "I know you're almost forty, look almost thirty, think you're just over twenty and act as though you're barely ten." -Sigismund Dijkstra Regarding the Freya and Ladies of the Wood theory, very interesting, it's one of those things that in the witcher world we don't know for sure whether the gods exist, but the characters interact with some powerful entities, Yennefer has vision of Freya with gold eyes in her temple on Skellige, Geralt and Dandelion encounter entity known as Dana Meabdh, which may have inspired the cult of Melitele (or maybe she is Melitele :)), an entity that was once worshiped by elder races (especially Aen Seidhe), and appears in two forms among humans as old lady (a crone) and a young girl Lille Queen of the Fields (Queen of the Fields, Ladies of the Woods? sounds intriguing right? A whole kind of ancient spirits maybe?), in Edge of the World story, I always assumed there might be some connection between Freya and Melitele and Dana Meabdh, it may not be also 'real' divine being, but some powerful magical being that has great power there may be other such entities (we know there exist demons from other dimensions and genies from other Spheres so why not). The Shrek and Donkey thing being similar to Geralt and Dandelion is only due to the netflix show I assure you ;), in the books their relationship is so much deeper a true friendship rather than annoying sidekick like in the show hehe alright jokes aside, that's a fun theory as both witcher and Shrek are all about twisting and subverting the fairy tale motiffs, deconstructing fairy tales and so on, but it's a superficial similarity. There are many stories like that I remember that old miniseries the 10th Kingdom which takes place in a subversion of fantasy land of Grimm fairy tales :) where Snowwhite and other fair tale characteres were real historical figures. About the cats, cats are stated in books to be able to draw magical energy and sense magical stuff (like see the invisible things) and the fact that witchers are mutated through magic may cause the whole cats disliking witchers as they would sense their magical impulses or vibrations and that's it (mages also can sense tingling sensation from the touch of a witcher, as sorcerers also can sense magic impulses).

[@fantasywind3923]

By the way have you considereing making an iceberg about Lord of the Rings? There should be many topics and theories and so on about that franchise hehe.

[@natiscool]

@@fantasywind3923 This is some greaty insight! Sorry for the late reply! I haven't thought about making an iceberg on Lord of the Rings yet, but now it's on the back of my mind, I might end up making it there, got a lot of ideas in the backlog first though!

[@fantasywind3923]

@@natiscool in any case it will be interesting video for sure :), good luck and good work hehe.

[@CodeguruX]

Yeah, I'm going with the theory that he names all his horses Roach because he does. The life that he lives is inherently deadly, and there's no way to get around the fact that you're gonna lose a horse now and then if that's your only means of conveyance. Much in the same way as he treats Ciri, he's characteristic of someone who cares whenever he can. It's a luxury, not a constant. I'm mainly going off The Witcher 3 for this as it's the best example of how he really thinks and feels simply because if you don't act in that manner, you end up with probably the worst ending of any video game you could possibly get. And they back it up in the first DLC when "the bad" ending tells you how to get the good ending in the main game. He has an unspoken bond with most characters that he cares for. But that does change a bit, or a lot, when Ciri comes into the picture. There's literally nothing he won't do for her, and if the player acts contrary to that in any way, they are severely punished in the story mode. One parallel I would draw is the movie John Wick. The whole dog issue gives him a way to express emotion after the loss of his wife. He never gives it a name, nor does he give the second dog a name. But he cares for it as best he can.

[@mizukuly]

7:18 in blood of elves, Dandelion points out to Geralt that the horse his riding on isn't Roach but a random chestnut coloured one. Geralt corrects him by literally saying out loud that he names every single one of his horses Roach.

[@tjpeasant9135]

I thought I read this in the swords of destiny

[@rokship97]

True, as for the idea that he cares about all of his horses. At some point Milva says that for all the complaining Geralt does about the horse he got from the elves before leaving Brokilon, he hadn't actually gotten rid of it, indicating that he actually cared about it.

[@microwave4928]

@@rokship97 He cares about the horses for sure Naming every one roach is out of practicality and probably helps him cope with losing the horse

[@miria_h]

I heard that also in the game, i was shocked xD

[@Davete]

@@tjpeasant9135 i read it recently you are correct, it's when they're trying to cross the river and the army is using all the ferry

[@Sunflower41XD]

Everybody gangsta until Shrek is a Witcher, another 10/10 video

[@ElPresidenteMargz]

I want Dandelion’s cover of “All Star” by smash mouth now

[@EduardoMartinez-dh5xk]

Only watching cause of this comment 🤣

[@selfawaremeatpuppet413]

In Cyberpunk actually there's a book called "The Chronicles of Titania" that references a woman who is traveling between worlds but is from a "primitive world, long stained by feudalism". She's described differently but I think it's a potential nod to Ciri

[@quendelf]

There is SO much to read in cyberpunk. I think only a small percentage of people find that stuff

[@selfawaremeatpuppet413]

@@quendelf I almost only hear negative stuff about cyberpunk but paying attention to the details and listening to npc dialogue lines (even random ones taking to each other on the street) actually does some really great world building. There's one quest in particular involving a guy who has a religious conversion in prison that's a good example. Really impactful decisions that completely change that quest, accurate biblical references, and a really brutal end potentially. Surprised the internet isn't an in uproar about that one

[@electromancer2645]

@@selfawaremeatpuppet413 I loved it. Everyone hates on the game and then goes back to backwards flying dragons in Skyrim

[@TheStygian]

@@electromancer2645 I... I have never seen backwards flying Dragons... In all my hours.

[@seryux4788]

ok wild theory but in the manga "Fairy Tail" there is a character named Erza Nickname Titania who uses Weapons stored in another dimension... ok maybe not XD

[@wasganzandreas6108]

There is a book in Witcher 3 about cats and magic, which states that cats, like dragons, are sensitive to magic. Cats seek out places of magic and choose them as a place to sleep. In one of the Witcher books, can’t remember which one, Triss states that Witchers have a sort of anti-magic-aura, which is why it tingles if a Witcher touches a sorceress. That is the reason cats don’t like Witchers, because they block magic.

[@Arrowtomahknee]

And that's why cats hiss at Geralt!

[@Kat-j19347]

Also the potestaquisitor glows when near cats

[@MultiGolonka]

It has nothing to do with blocking the magic. Triss never said anything about ANTI-magic aura specifically. Also it wouldn't make much sense if witchers blocked magic. I think it's on the contrary - witchers' magical abilities spook cats, might as well be something about their medalions that in essence gather magical energy for the witchers, as well as their eyes.

[@Dzonnyg]

And that tingling is probably also a rrason why sorceresses like Geralt so much lmao

[@wasganzandreas6108]

@@Dzonnyg that and because he’s hot

[@kotarldo]

In Spain, Roach is translated as "Sardinilla"... little sardine.

[@saltifate]

I havent watched the video yet, but for some reason in Russian Geralt calls Roach “плотва» which is one of the most common river fish you normally catch

[@therelaxingchannel8852]

In Poland Roach is translated to Plotka which means Roach but in Polish

[@dr_cachetes6822]

In Mexico roach is cucaracha, which is the disgusting insect.

[@dr_cachetes6822]

They should've really traduced that as Sardina, which is the same fish you mention, not as cockroach, the insect xD

[@kiswithy5541]

In czech the roach is translated as "Klepna" and in slovak as "Klebietka" with both meaning the one who gossips or a gossip. No idea why are yall geting animals but fine

[@SiM717]

What I love about Roach name in Polish is that it's indeed a small fish....but also a pun - you see - Płotka a horse - is often tied to a fence while Geralt is in a small village....a word "fence" in Polish is "Płot" - so "Plotka" could be interpreted as a horse that is tied to the fence quite often. It's a pun and a dad joke - most Geralt thing ever.

[@MrEgorXXX]

Didn't know that, nice fact)

[@chrismerryman8512]

Indeed that is funny!

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

They translated the name to Plötze in German which is just the name for that fish in German but I like the connection to the word fence too.

[@krumpi6500]

In the slovakian version she's called 'Klebetka', the slovakian word for gossip is 'Klebeta' and its an ironic nod to the fact Geralt's favourite thing about his horses is they don't talk

[@pufiksjel]

@@krumpi6500 I think this might be a mistranslation caused by confusing two words - compare płotka/plotka in polish: the former means roach (fish), the latter means... gossip ;)

[@steakslapn9724]

Reading the books right now. The more I read the more I appreciate how hard CDPR worked on the witcher 3. They captured sapkowskis world so well. The Netflix series however. I like less and less the more I read... its just not even close to as good. Geralt and Yens relationship is romantic in the books. And yen her self is more powerful, and more fierce, and it's a big reason why Geralt is so struck by her. Dandelion is better in the books. He's not just a big man child. He's a shit head at times, but is still an able man, and him and Geralt are bros, like tight AF, in the show Geralt seems to constantly be annoyed with jaskiers presence.

[@trev6783]

I'm confused about how Geralt didn't recognize avalach.. Also on how his character seems entirely different in the game versus the book.

[@steakslapn9724]

@@trev6783 when didn't he recognise avalanche? In the game?

[@mete9730]

also i loved cahir and i think he is way less interesting in show

[@emilyduke4255]

@@mete9730 same. Cahir was one of my favourite characters in the books and the show hasnt done him justice. Among many things they got wrong lol

[@warthoggoulags1679]

@@trev6783 how does he seems entirely different ?

[@Black_Wolf_Videos]

Shrek is a witcher. Can't change my mind.

[@rezasalamati9652]

I would like to know more

[@OskarJanczak]

@@rezasalamati9652 ...because Jaskier is a Donkey.

[@Gaunter_ODimm]

He is a witcher 🤫

[@atalukdar2004]

Additionally for the "Cats are Monsters Theory", you can use Yen's Potestaquisitor (The device used to detect the Dimeritium bombs disturbing her magic) on cats. If you do, the Potestaquisitor will hum louder the closer you are to a cat. Geralt even has a voice line of him shooing away the cat if you attempt this. Credit goes to xLetalis as this was in one of videos!

[@TheDennys21]

Which video?

[@rgmfg]

@@TheDennys21 i Wanna know too

[@Shifty5859]

for dandelions age, someone made a good point by mentioning that at least through the games I think the stories of Geralt were all told through dandelion, as he is the writer of the story he intentionally keeps himself youthful through the stories as he always holds himself to a high regard.

[@MultiGolonka]

By the "Blood of Elves" Dandelion / Jaskier is nearly 40 years old, supposedly looking nearly 30. At least in Dijkstra's words.

[@TrykusMykus]

Yeah, so in the Witcher games he would be nearly 42-45.@@MultiGolonka

[@Djaybird]

That intelligent academic spin Sapkowski puts on traditional fantasy is one of the things i love about his books. Its so distinct and different, but still feels very familiar to what we've come to expect of fantasty stories. Loved the video!

[@ICityCatI]

What kind of academic spin?

[@696190]

@@ICityCatI do you genuinely not know, or are you a troll?

[@Jenna_Talia]

@@696190 Bro just tell them it's not like "academic spin" doesn't sound vague as fuck.

[@rgmfg]

@@Jenna_Talia it's not vague if you read the books lol. I mean don't tell me you weren't surprised when you first started reading thinking this was gonna be another epic Fantasy adventure story with Geralt being the archetypal big gruff swordswinging, monster slaying, maiden bedding, unemotional giga Chad only to find out that most of the actual action is only there to break up the long, dramatic dialogues, with Geralt time again showing the fierce intellect and deeply sensitive little emotions hiding behind that gruff exterior. Geralt likes to act like a big bad unfeeling witcher but really he's just as dramatic and emotional like Dandelion, only Dandelion Is more honest with his feelings

[@alucardonus]

Ciri in Cyberpunk has her easter egg... Remember all the ucking dashing enemies in CP77? Someone seen Ciri and designed implants to mimic her dashes... Thats my theory

[@suorsodavit7421]

haha now that you mention it....

[@aaronsandman749]

@The Pack I think they meant her entering the universe herself, or seeing her teleport, or just maybe her just running into you saying sorry or something as she passes. Not her on a magazine, lol.

[@dissuede6949]

The Witcher is hands down my number one franchise. This should make for a fun watch. :) Also; for algorithm.

[@natiscool]

It's a great franchise, definitely read the books if you haven't! Hoped you enjoyed! :)

[@dissuede6949]

@@natiscool Oh I've played the games a number if times, read the books and watched the show! Love it all. :)

[@natiscool]

@@dissuede6949 Oooh yes! Can't wait for the board game to get released!

[@elisthebirb2357]

a few bits i think are interesting to consider: -while canonically of vulcanic origin, Toussaint doesn't have to be 'doomed' at all. Italy is the best example for this theory, definitely, but i dare pose another: the Central Bohemian Highlands. warm and fruitful area of vulcanic origin that still looks the part while being completely inactive. -as for the technical revolution, there is a semi-canon (at best) collection of short stories by various authors called Tales from the world of The Witcher that dives a bit deeper into Fabio Sachs and his future accomplishments (as far as i know, it's set post-second conjunction). It describes a continent to the west, and includes the witcher school of the Crane, members of which use early guns. But even without this (because you don't have to accept it as canon), the theory still has a solid basis. -yes, monster mutagens were used for the trial elixirs, but the statement "witchers are monsters" kind of... goes against everything the series is about. Witchers are victims. Of poor domestic situations, extreme pain and body morphing, and for the rest of their lives, prejudice. Alzur, BugBoy and Old Fart Cosimo did fight fire with fire, but their side of the battle wasn't the witchers themselves but rather the insane amounts of shit they put their subjects through. And the cycle of abuse that would continue because witchers were always needed. To protect people that spat in their faces. The whole point (or one of the points) of the saga is that if anyone, people are most likely to be the monsters, worse than vermin roaming the wild and certainly worse than a bunch of grumpy dudes with suppressed trauma. -Cut-throat's name is Madoc, and i'm of the belief he doesn't have a school affiliation at all, at least that's what i got from the Journey story. The schools were formed a bit later after the creation of first witchers (which Madoc is heavily implied to be, given his first-hand experience with Alzur), after the Order of Witchers disbanded and its key members set out to found the schools. to be completely fair, the timeline is wonky as hell because like, mages live longer than usual and witchers do too but the creation of witchers isn't that far into the past from the books/games (very roughly 300 years), so by the time Alzur died (Journey story), the schools might have been estabilished or even well into the second generation of witchers (i approximate Vesemir to be third gen), but either way, cut-throat is Madoc, not Barmin, and it's implied he died with Alzur by the end of the Journey. -the spirit in the tree/whispering hillock/She Who Knows has been confirmed to be the mother of the three crones, her gwent card art is her forming Brewess (gwent.one/image/gwent/assets/card/art/max/2050.png ) and as for the Freya theory... Freya is essentially the Skellige version of Melitele, three faces and all. her/their existence is slightly more ambiguous (although implied to be real) than the crones', who, as well as SWK, have physical form and interact with commoners quite a bit. And the latter's intentions and demands also seem to be much more grey area or straight up hostile and cruel, as opposed to Melitele/Freya. -cats, like all common animals in the universe, are pre-conjunction creatures. They are however, unlike, say, bears, drawn in by magic (which only appeared during conjunction), being more sensitive to it. Since witchers have a weird aura, maybe it just puts cats off... i think maybe connecting cats to magic was just Sapko's way to create a grounded spin on "witch with a pet cat" trope? -as for Dandelion being immortal, this one is pretty easy: Sapkowski messed his own timeline while writing Season of Storms. :D there are a few more cool theories: Witcher 3 Dijkstra actually being a doppler because he acts so painfully ooc; the in-universe belief that Falka or her child had elder blood (but this one is easily disproved); what if Iris von Everec had elder blood (one of my favourites); Erland of Larvik (the founder of Griffin school) and Arnaghad (the founder of Bear school) are actually bitter exes,... Sapko is very vague with lore and worldbuilding that doesn't relate to the story he wants to tell, so there's a lot of room for creating semi or non canon content - and/or theories. the shrek stuff is quite funny though.

[@madgeologist495]

I really loved this video, however there are two things that I would like to criticize/correct: 1) The Catriona is not extremely similar to the bubonic plague, it IS the bubonic plague, just with a different name. 2) I disagree with the notion of Toussaint being doomed. As my username might suggest, this topic interested me a bit too. :-D The name of Mount Gorgon and everything around there is likely due to the fact of the mountain terrain being extremely treacherous in the winter month with snow storm plaguing the landscape. This is revealed by the names of the mountain passes near Mt. Gorgon like e.g. Pas Sansmerci, meaning "without mercy". This said however, I would speculate that the volcano that is responsible for all the volcanic ash is Mont Crane (the one with a hansa in the castle on top), which now largely only remains as a volcanic neck. This is further evidenced by the Ardaiso-quarry of marble/limestone situated at the base of Mont Crane. This is typical for submarine volcanoes, where reefs form on their flanks. This means that either the volcanic-derived soil could be from eroded pillow-lava (which is typical for marine low-viscosity lava systems) or a deposit of volcanic ash, as volcanoes can show explosive characters under and above the sea. What exactly happened here cannot be stated, but anyway: I would speculate that all volcanic activity in Toussaint is long gone and there is no threat of eruption there anymore.

[@natiscool]

Thanks for the in depth explanation! 1, is most likely true, that Ciri did go to a place that was considered Earth and picked up the Bubonic plague, but I'm not sure if it's been 100% confirmed anywhere that it is actually the Bubonic plague? It could have also just been a paradox where Ciri was just obtaining the Catriona plague from the future. 2: This is amazing analysis and I hadn't actually thought of this before! Will have to include this in a follow up video if I end up doing one!

[@madgeologist495]

@@natiscool This could be the case. I mean; sure, it's not 100% confirmed that it is the bubonic plague, but I just looked in the book (granted: German version may have some differences to the English or Polish version) and there it is described that Ciri arrived at a port where boats lay at quais and wooden poles and a channel runs through the port. This sounds quite similar to Venice. Houses where infections happened were also marked with a white cross - as was done in our world. Moreover the infected people there had ulcers on their bodies and the disease was transmitted by a flea. Now while this does not say 100% that it is our world (you are technically correct there), I would say that it is 99,9% sure. Thanks, that would be an honour. One thing that we have to keep in mind however is that Toussaint is surrounded by mountains and some rivers show really strange travel patterns. Meaning, what we know of the world is not always consistent with geology, therefore we have to take everything with a grain of salt.

[@AJZulu]

Good read. Thank you.

[@Elite7555]

12:00 Yennefer is actually way warmer, softer, and affectionate then Netflix and CPR depict her.

[@LadyAhro]

To be fair her warmer side isn't seen until at least the equivalent of Season 2 of the Netflix series. Its not so evident in the short stories. But CDPR definitely didn't do enough with her character.

[@trucid2]

No wonder Yennifer is such a b---- in the game.

[@Gecko_Zen]

@@trucid2not really or not near the end of the game. She’s more affectionate towards Geralt in blood and wine

[@regarded9702]

It'd worth noting that we only know this because the books let us see from her perspective mostly. If it wasn't for that she might still appear very cold.

[@GangstarComputerGod]

Imagine not caring enough about you own show that you “drop the ball” on aging a character. That or incompetence. So glad Cavill walked away from this joke.

[@ShadowPa1adin]

My favorite Witcher deep-lore fantheory is this: Later on in the book series we are introduced to a scholarly sorceress born hundreds of years after the deaths of the main characters named Nimue verch Wledyr ap Gwyn. Nimue grew up on the tales of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri since childhood, and she can be said to be obsessed with their story. She collected book after book of the legends of Geralt and Ciri and keeping them in her own personal library at her lake-house (hence her getting the nickname: "The Lady of the Lake"). One of the framing devices in the final book in the series (also called "Lady of the Lake") is Nimue hiring an oneiromancer named Condwiramurs Tilly to go over these ancient manuscripts and paintings to use her powers to magically dream up the "true" ending to the story for her. Now think of all those books on Nimue's bookshelves. What if Geralt and Yen actually did die at the end of the books and stay dead? Wjhat if the events of the games are not exactly canon, but are rather "in-canon" as other stories about the Witcher, with each differing choice and story-path being written by a different author? Same with the show or the comic books: all stories written over the centuries now resting on Nimue's bookshelf. Ancient authors would depict Geralt siding more with their nations and factions they themselves were sympathetic to. "Team Yen" and "Team Triss" would be two actual in-world factions of writers and scholars arguing with each other. Perhaps Witcher 3's omission of Emhyr's incest-plan from the books is due to that story being written by a Nilfgaardian author? The possibilities are endless.

[@loczek1965]

I thought about using that as a way to make the games fit with the canon, despite the differences. But, with how impactful Geralt's actions were on the world, it doesn't work. The fun thing about Geralt, is that while his story is a well known legend in the Witcher world, his action weren't that impactful. If you look at the in-world, Geralt isn't really mentioned when it comes to historical events. It's a neat thing, that while he did influence quite a lot, it was done in such a way, that historians have no way of knowing about it. You could say, that in historical context, Geralt appears, I would say, 4 times total. Removing the curse from Foltest daughter, when Duny arrived in Cintra, Thanned Coup and Battle at the Bridge. All of his other actions were basically unnoticed, and that's why there are so many different versions of what has happened. In games, Geralt is a much more important person the world. In W3 alone, you can impact who is the ruler of Redania, Temeria, Skellige, Nilfgaard. This kind of impact would not go unnoticed, it's too big compared to Geralt's actions in the books. It could work, if the games had the unreliable narrator, but they don't really have that. In the books, we see what really happned and with in world texts we see that the world remembered all of it very different. Games don't really do that.

[@coreymiller6717]

What if Geralt wasn't one person, but multiple people and all the stories were embellished over time? What if he didn't actually walk on water or get resurrected?

[@SmugglerSteel]

On the subject of Roach. My mother-in-law names all her dogs some slight variation on the same name she only has one dog at a time. It is clear it's because she wants to always honor and remember the pup before and before and before. It's chain of love extending all the way back to her first pup. So when I first played Witcher and found out about Roach I instantly assumed that was why he always had a Roach.

[@Nathan_Coley]

I'm pretty sure in Wither 3 Gwent it's stated as a Dwarven invention.

[@natiscool]

Yep! This is in Gwent: A History, which is one of the main reasons why I don't think that this is true.

[@NieJa_2137]

It's also said in the books as the first appearance of Gwent is when Zoltan and other dwarves introduce it to Geralt and his friend

[@davidlukac8666]

There is a note in the Witcher 3 that is talking about Cthulhu, you can find it on the Skelige Isles in the possession of a pirate at an island with a destroyed fortress.

[@Moz29]

Damn it. Now I want to do another Witcher 3 play through 😂

[@donquijote2256]

M B

[@MUSIC7052]

When Yen starts teaching Ciri magic, she says that magic is pouring out of the ground and Ciri has to learn to feel it. She also says that cats feel this magic and are attracted to it. Maybe cats are not monsters, but at least they are magical

[@jacobowen1982]

Literature is meant to be interpreted but the last wish Geralt made was something along the lines of “to be together forever” which is why despite separating all those times they came back. The two of them could effectively live together but a mage will likely die and a Witcher most certainly will. But they still cheat death individually and together a lot. Even in their death in the books they’re brought to to the isle of mists to effectively be together forever.

[@PercivalQyou]

video starts at chapter 3 (6:55) no hate towards the video, just helping those that wants to get into the iceberg immediately :D

[@MrAskmannen]

Based, thanks my dude

[@andrejohansson5491]

I love how professionally this video is made and still keeping things light with good jokes here and there.

[@crowr1691]

honestly, the whole "dandelion not aging" thing I think would be super funny if he went and got himself cursed and then was just too embarrassed to tell anyone. Probably not but it could tie into geralts last wish if he managed to get tangled up in that.

[@THIZZAVELI]

Wolves asleep amidst the trees Bats all a swaying in the breeze But one soul lies anxious wide awake Fearing all manner of ghouls, hags and wraiths For your dolly Polly sleep has flown Don't dare let her tremble alone For the witcher, heartless, cold Paid in coin of gold He comes he'll go leave naught behind But heartache and woe Deep, deep woe Birds are silent for the night Cows turned in as daylight dies But one soul lies anxious wide awake Fearing all manner of ghouls, hags and wraiths My dear dolly Polly shut your eyes Lie still, lie silent, utter no cries As the witcher, brave and bold Paid in coin of gold He'll chop and slice you Cut and dice you Eat you up whole Eat you whole​

[@twinmama42]

20:00 "Gwint" is derived from German "gewinnt" (wins or winning) in a contracted form prevalent in Sylesian and Pommeranian dialects of German (both areas with mixed German and Polish people before WW2).

[@20jumps]

What happened after ww2 😐

[@twinmama42]

@@20jumps All former German areas east of the rivers Oder and Neisse plus the eastern part of the island Usedom were incorporated into Poland with the exception of the northern part of Ostpreußen which became the Russian oblast of Kaliningrad (former Königsberg). Many Germans of those regions fled direction west, some could stay in Poland. But in communist Poland, there was no place for the German language. All had to learn Polish and speak it. If one was caught speaking German in the early years they could face retribution. But even later (from the 70ies onward) speaking German was frowned upon. Many Germans still living in Poland (and all the other communist countries of the Warsaw Treaty) have moved to (West)-Germany. As long as they can prove German lineage they are considered German by the administration.

[@20jumps]

@@twinmama42 ah thank you

[@SurfRock74]

I am not late for this one! Never even played the game but if the other videos are anything to go by, this will still be very interesting! EDIT: It did not disappoint!

[@natiscool]

Wow! Nice and early! Good to see you again!

[@l34CoNCreepy]

this game was good enough to get me to buy the books , and i hate reading, but the story and lore is rich

[@dijkstra4698]

i suggest playing it. it might take some time to take off but once its off god damn you wont regret it.

[@sciencefliestothemoon2305]

With Jaskier stumbling into events, I wouldn't be surprised if he stumbled into a fountain of youth

[@hpcarlos2255]

i’ve been Pc gaming Since 1983 ( i’m getting old ) in my Opinion : Witcher III Goty editions is the BEST game i’ve ever Played 🕹🇵🇹🎮💻🖥

[@peachyjam9440]

Cring

[@hpcarlos2255]

@@peachyjam9440 if you don’t agree That’s fine 🖥

[@SweetFlexZ]

I never though about the translation of Roach, in Spanish is "Sardinilla" the name they gave to Roach, and it's that, a sardine, absolutely perfect.

[@jankrizkovsky9446]

To the Dandelion aging theory. It is said in the Season of Storms a potion stat slows aging is indeed a thing and a reason why mages and sorceresses don't seem to age, invented by master Ortolan. It should be the next or few paragraphs after the arbalest gatling gun mentioned in the scientific revolution theory section. It also contains mention how some inventions of mages are being sabotaged not to get out.

[@evelynalden7291]

In one of the books (at work and poor memory), Dijkstra comments something like Dandelion is 40, looks 30 and acts 20 (ages probably wrong because again, poor memory and no access to books right now). So Dandelion looking far younger than his age (and acting even younger than that) is canon, at least according to Dijkstra :)

[@Tome123100]

In the last expansion of the Gwent multilayer game we were given a bit of a backstory for She Who Knows. There's no chance she's Freya...apparently she is as enigmatic and old as life itself and has traveled all over the world in search for her own origins and the meaning of life. Really interesting story/character.

[@gruppr]

Geralt absolutley has a connection with his horse, regardless of the banal name he assigns them. In the books, he got a horse during baptism of fire and constantly preached about how he couldn't wait to get rid of it, get a new one, or abandon the current one - yet he never did, even when he had ample oppurtunity to do so. So yea, Geralt appreciates and cares for his horses deeply, more than he ever verbally expresses.

[@ivanquiles4903]

41:00 I love the attention to detail in W3 cats always hiss at you as soon as you walk into a town

[@Neko123Uchiha]

One of the best iceberg videos I have seen! Your explanations are clear and you clearly know The Witcher universe :D

[@natiscool]

Thanks Neko, really appreciate that confidence boosting comment! :)

[@matheusribeiro6433]

Wow, this is one the highest quality icebergs I’ve ever seen ! Outstanding job

[@natiscool]

Thanks Henrique! Put a lot of effort into this so glad it's turned out well!

[@Audio-Man]

42:02 Actually, it's cats AND dragons, not just cats.

[@LiftYagami]

The cat thing is really that cats are associated with a lot of magic in folklore like having 9 lives and giving you bad luck. Also the cats hissing at Witcher’s is more of like a trope, just like how children in the witcher always scoff at geralt

[@FumblsTheSniper]

I love the idea that, similarly to such relationships in real life, the seemingly odd relationship between Geralt and Dandelion has no concrete definition. Sure it *could* be a Djinn “curse”, but ultimately they are both better off for it. One could say it goes along with Geralts unnatural luck. That he survived the modified Trials, multiple deaths, immortal demigods, and being hunted by entire kingdoms is testimony to that despite the hardships he faces. Maybe we all feel life is like that sometimes and that’s why we like him so much :)

[@Garadares]

Thank you for taking the time to do this video! :D

[@natiscool]

Thanks! Thank you for taking the time to watch this video! :D

[@valter14725]

the is also another novigrad in croatia located in Zadar county

[@b.malinowski302]

The Toussaint architecture you are showing specifically at 23:29 are connected with Polish renaissance architectonic style, not exactly Italian (in town or cities like Kazimierz Dolny, Lublin, Zamość etc).

[@infamousgamer767]

My favourite theory about dandelions youth is that roach is part unicorn and spending time around her and geralt dramatically slows his age because of her magic. Really stupid but fun

[@notsosecretsnacker5218]

A unicorn eunoch

[@ShinForgotPassxXx]

The great thing about the Witcher is that after reading the books, you play the games and then there are easily another couple hundred hours of Witcher lore and speculation videos like this one. Being a Witcher fan is a fulfilling thing.

[@Audio-Man]

31:42 There is a potion that halts the aging process in Season of Storms, but only mages have access to it. Just because Dandelion doesn't age in the show due to constraints, it doesn't mean that he doesn't age in the books.

[@raidwiped9405]

Ended up starting this video when i replayed the witcher little over a year ago, never got around to finishing it... But since Next Gen update came out this popped back into my feed and couldnt be happier... thanks for all ur work and, happy holidays from the time of writing this

[@jmccm7739]

This was so awesome, thanks for the upload, man

[@natiscool]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! :D

[@mateuszwesoowski9583]

Roach does not mean cockroach. Roach is a type of fish. This is clear in the Polish version. The horse is named after a common fish.

[@czarbrandorf473]

I like to think that Nibbles isn't actually a cat, but actually a doppler spying on Geralt. They could be at the employ of Dijkstra or possibly even Nilfgaard, as both would have a vested interest of keeping an eye on Geralt.

[@hello-qp1cl]

Or maybe gaunter odimm spying on geralt

[@JonDay-lf7cj]

Man, Ciri not appearing in Cyberpunk 2077 in a side mission was such a major dropped ball.

[@Masden-]

Several. Thousand. Subscribers. How. You deserve far more man, wow. The research and quality you put into your videos makes some of the big channels look like amateurs. Keep it up mate and you’ll be 100k+ in no time!

[@t1czer]

Vampire under Novigrad - more likley he opened an investment account in Vivaldi bank and just wants to wait for profits. If you ever wondered why vampires are so rich... Thats's why.

[@soorenafirouzabadi633]

These videos you make are pure art

[@FatKidWitAJetPak]

Loving these iceberg videos. Just watched your other two. Keep up the amazing work!!!

[@YoSomePerson]

One aspect that wasn't mentioned by you in regards to the verge of scentific breakthrough is that it is actually a theme in Witcher 3. It may therefore not be canon but at the end of the druid questline there is a brief moment where geralt discusses the fact that monsters seem to leave this world and making witchers irrelevant. But is not only referred to the harmful monsters and spirits but to all magical elements being pushed out of the world in favor of scientific progess. The people are stopping the believing in their old traditional ways which weakens the monsters and spirits.

[@attero9500]

Love the vid. Can see you put a lot of work into it and am looking forward to seeing more icebergs in the future!

[@Luddendorf]

This video is quality mate! I almost guarantee if you keep uploading this type of content you will be well on your way to 100k+ subs. Well done!

[@wudu-wasa971]

Quick correction to the timeline you presented in the introduction: Season of Storms does chronologically take place around the time of The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny, but that book was not released until after The Witcher 2. Also, the show never adapted anything from Season of Storms and ended season one with the end of The Sword of Destiny, so I doubt they are going to do anything or much with that book.

[@natiscool]

Thanks for this correction Wynn!

[@Crusaydr]

Let's gooooo

[@IbnEmadAlmouaibed]

In reference to ciri was in cyberpunk. In the lady of the lake there is a short paragraph within the games universe that is written by a newspaper in London (our world) the newspaper discusses the story of a girl appearing out of no where on top of a black horse ( this girl is ciri) the date of the newspaper is given as 1904 I believe. But Ciri exists in our world as a game character, but in the Witcher universe she has been to our world which views her as a game character. The same fact could apply to cyber punks world.

[@fat_d4ddy]

The creativity in advertising the sponsor tho......best i have ever seen

[@sukhoonlee7833]

Addressing the roach issue, in my family we do the same with our dogs. Always naming them either Conti or Kingo, to make them all live as succesors but also as their own beings. But ultimatly so we never forget them because we deeply love our them

[@frogman4700]

You forgot the theory that Triss Merigold is Shrek's granddaughter

[@pawekoodziejczyk6781]

Fun fuct In Polish versions same voice actress dubbed both Princess Fiona and Triss

[@mg1721]

The Vampire lore from the B&W dlc was added later, so it is more detailed. The vampire quests in novigrad were made before and then later slightly retconned.

[@seanvti]

0:57 As the owner of 3 cats, I can confirm they should be higher up in the chart lol

[@breadsqueeze27]

I absolutely hate the fact that The Shrek Is in the Witcher world theory makes actual genuine sense

[@breezehxme]

The Freyja / Crones theory makes me even MORE confused because I thought the Crones were supposed to be based on Baba Yaga?

[@_Lumiere_]

While I agree that Baba Yaga was likely a strong inspiration, the three Crones are also heavily reminiscent of the Norse Norns, the three women who would weave the threads of people's fate and sever them in Norse mythology, like the Fates in Greek mythology and like Weavess' magical tapestry of human hair in the game. There's also some Hansel and Gretel as well as other European folklore involved. They are missing the quintessential flying mortar, pestle and broom as well as the house on chicken legs, which I'd say are somewhat referenced in Blood and Wine by the witch in the Land of a Thousand Fables, though that one's actually supposed to be a reference to Hansel and Gretel. Bottom line is that the Crones are a whole concoction of references to folklore and I could swear that I've seen something similar to She Who Knows and her daughters in European folklore. Really cool and sinister design alluding to the even darker pagan origins of many folktales (like Baba Yaga likely originating from an old Slavic goddess of death).

[@notsosecretsnacker5218]

They look nothing like Keanuo Reeves though

[@Alpha_blossom]

Love the xletalis shout out. Great content btw, earned my sub

[@persilis]

The shrek Witcher theory is now official in my head and no one can tell me otherwise

[@merisav4171]

I once was at writer's corner with Andrzej Sapkowski when he visited Kyiv maybe 10 years ago. He really hated talking about witcher and almost despised one guy in Geralt's cosplay. It was funny.

[@cradleofgoth]

Unseen elder is definitely a very important character, but also completely missable.

[@hewhoisme4343]

In the second season of the netflix series, someone complains that one of dandelions songs "was too complicated" and "took him until the fourth verse to figure out there were multiple timelines". This was a joke about the first season, and how it confusingly had multiple timelines. This could mean that the story being told is through Jaskier's perspective, and that is part of the shows explanation for how he barely ages.

[@WastedPot]

I expected to cast my view around the Afterlife or some other area of Night City and have Ciri be sat somewhere very subtly. The sort of sweeping the room with V’s eyes before noticing Ciri in my periphery and looking back to get a better look but she’s gone. I saw the magazine with her on the cover which was cool, I just expected more.

[@GothicEU]

Great video! I especially appreciate all the spoiler warnings throughout it.

[@vincentmartinez222]

They should make Witcher magic the gathering cards to make gwent real

[@krstn2873]

i really love the fact that he actually took the time to try and translate lots of these polish words, and understood them correctly

[@Gachimon2000]

The way they portrayed Foltest in the first season of the Netflix show. It made sense to me 'cause I just thought he was depressed or something about his daughter being a monster.

[@MultiGolonka]

Nah, they portrayed him that way to villify him, that's all. (Also Triss was not there, Geralt met her in a completely different circumstances)

[@frankpower97]

31:37 yes there is ! such a potion exist, in season of storm the last book you litterally meet the old and decrepit mage Ortolan who invented (a little late for himself) the potion to stop everyone from aging, if I don't misremember it's also stated that the potion is not spread between the non magic population as a means of control except the mage that invented it doesn't know that, and think that all the people are immortal

[@BrandonGiordano]

I'm DEEP into the iceberg. It's a whole ass glacier

[@bartosznaswiecie1179]

As a Polish person I can attest that roach has nothing to do with cockroach. It's just a direct translation of płotka, which is a type of fish. Cockroach in the original language of this series is karaluch so english similarity is just a coincidence.

[@mitkoshredder]

The way you present your sponsor is amazing.

[@patriciusvunkempen102]

bombs and fireworks existed in the late medieval period, there are even "feuerwerker handbücher" which are books about making fireworks and other incendiary devices.

[@zolikoff]

I went to check my ebook version of Baptism of Fire mentioning the dwarves playing cards, and even though it is an English version, it says 'Screwed' and not 'Barrel'. What the hell am I reading??

[@natiscool]

You'll be reading a fan translation as opposed to the later official translation. :)

[@Bendy237]

well small loophole in your horse theory. in a world of cars and planes, no horses arent important, in worlds where those advanced travel accomodations arent available, a horse is extremely important as its the fastest way to get around. geralt may not like his horse (or he does) but it is definitely important to him.

[@isaacschmid1730]

I absolutely adore this channel, would you consider a Runescape iceberg?

[@natiscool]

I actually haven't played too much Runescape so I wouldn't be able to do an iceberg any time soon, I'll have a read around of the lore though and see if anything interests me!

[@andriuhesas]

The Season of Storms confirm that around 200 years in people already used various mechanic devices, like chainsaw. Whats weird is that it still feels like High Medieval Ages in social and other standarts with better technology

[@Dare_To_Game]

Great video Mate. Lots of awesome details and insights about my all time favorite game.

[@corpvs69]

brilliant video, hope the algorithm catches you and leads to lots of subs

[@AJDraws]

Geralt probably also only selects mares as they don't require as much time to break in, where a steed would waste time and bounty money.

[@grief6052]

Man geralt gets around

[@pertrey]

For the fireworks point, blueprint could be just similar to geralt's bombs.

[@semir9112]

Dandelion can't be the inventor of Gwent, otherwise the "Dandelion" card would be some OP card.

[@Dare_To_Game]

Agreed, it would be 15 points, unburnable, and would double all attack values for ranged troops.

[@wimbusbert1249]

*special effect:* Your opponent must remove all their clothes.

[@jur2159]

I know this is a very old video but I remember that in on of the books it was stated that the lodge surprised the reaserch on gunpowder.

[@Mephilis78]

21:37 because NPCs don't exist in the Witcher Universe. If you are theory craftong, then its not just a random vampire. He has a backstory that we don't know.

[@deegod5438]

31:39 of course there is, in season of the storms we are being told that the "oldest looking sorcerer" (forgot that guys name) invented a potion that makes you stop aging and wanted that potion to be avilable to everybody. But the other mages kept this potion to themselves and were lying to him thats it is avilable to everybody.

[@jacquidavis4022]

Personally, I'm a big fan of the theory that humans came to the Witcher world after causing the apocalypse on ours in the nearish future. IIRC, in the Lady of the Lake, Ciri briefly travels to a desolated world where she sees what could be interpreted as a motor way. Some of the elves also make snide comments about how humanity destroyed their world, so why should they be trusted with this one? This would also explain why the sciences in the Witcher are so advanced compared to our own dark ages. The scientists of our world would have traveled there, too, and gotten a head start, learning magic on the way to eventually lead to the sorcerers and magic circles we see in the series. It would also explain why people worship gods that are also worshiped irl, such as Freya.

[@George_K.]

@ 03:44 Geralt went invisible?! He obviously used the Axii sign to mind trick them