Witcher 3: The Strange Female Statues around Velen.

[@xLetalis]

Only the people of Velen can dub a creepy woman who punishes animals and children "the Merciful"

[@mathisbuilder]

Vel🤮n

[@tornad8063]

Is there exploit/way to use reinald philter outside of quest, just as combat potion?

[@insane_troll]

Maybe it is an ironic nickname like Little John.

[@AB-fr2ei]

I like Velen, it has a atmosphere that fit the witcher world a lot

[@saltycat662]

@@AB-fr2ei I like it too.

[@Joleksu]

Ciri must be exceptionally delighted with Geralt as of late, given that she hasn't been sold for coin for 2 whole videos!

[@xLetalis]

indeed, I think I'm getting old

[@ameen6834]

Daaaaaaamnnnnnnnn nice man exceptional how did you notice

[@AndorRadnai]

Coming across one of these shrines while exploring the middle of nowhere is always both creepy and actually quite scenic.

[@Fraulein_Sausageball]

Yes, I loved this aspect of those statues. Furthermore, I often can't help think what it would be like in real life to run across a rough-hewn wood sculpture like that in a dim, isolated glade. Who put it there? What is its purpose? Who worships at this remote location? The whole situation becomes inherently disturbing without any "real" threat around...

[@AndorRadnai]

@@Fraulein_Sausageball You captured the magic of these sculptures (and by extension the places of power) perfectly! I couldn’t have said it any better!

[@kaiishere016]

For the tall statue being Weavess, it could be that the statue depicts her body hanging from a gallows, explaining why it's perfectly straight and looks dead. It would actually fit quite well and make sense since she has a noose around her neck as a crone It's possible that all of the statues somewhat depict the crones in their potential original bodies, or around their deaths. You could even say that the Brewess' statue looks like a woman who's engorged from bee stings and screaming, fitting with her crone's engorged beekeeper theme. Then, the description for Whispess' cave in Toussaint says that she was burned alive, and looking at her statue, it almost looks like she's bound tight to a pyre. Plus, it says she was "eager to help any in need", which makes her sound 'merciful' like Verna the Merciful. Just an idea there

[@FaerieDust]

Ooh, I had completely missed that Whispess was connected to Toussaint! Makes me wonder about the connection to She Who Knows, too... That whole "family" is such a mystery, and I think knowing this about Whispess just makes me even more curious 😅

[@robinrehlinghaus1944]

I love how they managed to create a setting that is as mysterious and ambiguous in its history and mythology as our own

[@efaristi9737]

@@FaerieDust What make you think it was really her? After all, if she was burned, she wouldn't be here.

[@ipraytovodka]

ill state what ive mentioned in my original comment....youve got it all wrong - its not the statues that imitate crones....its the crones that imitate statues

[@milivoi10]

Where is this cave in Toussaint? I cant recall anything like that..

[@bizza5715]

people in witcher 3: "look at this weirdo. he has 2 swords." Geralt in witcher 1: *has 3 swords*

[@bizza5715]

@@kurzackd watch the section of the video where he shows witcher 1 gameplay. Geralt has 2 swords on his back and one on his side. In witcher 1 you can have 2 secondary weapons but you can't use the witcher fighting styles with them. The fighting system was very different back then. I'm currently on a witcher 1 run btw. I also have 3 swords.

[@bizza5715]

@@kurzackd as I said. Watch the video. No need to be butthurt old man... '98 btw.

[@bobbyhamiltoniii4578]

​@@kurzackd so I guess you won this Internet argument? Your so cool.

[@januszkurahenowski2860]

I think that those statues being on your way to Theckla indicate strongly that the folk belief in ancient deities like Melitele and modern day sort of deities like Crones fused, the lines between them got blurred since they were all ladies that were supposed to care for the people of that land. Also I like you featuring small snippets from Witcher 1. It would be cool to even get a Witcher 1 specific video one day? This game also has many interesting small things to talk about

[@xLetalis]

well said, I'll consider a Witcher 1 video :)

[@RayKrayZuh]

@@xLetalis+1. But they are also planning to do a remake through another studio, I’ve heard. Maybe a comparison video too?

[@bindair_dundat]

Imagine all the new "what we may have missed" videos once the Witcher 1 remaster and the Witcher 4 drops. We're gonna be watching this channel for decades to come. XD

[@Helifax19]

@@xLetalis Get started on that ;)) After all it will get a remake ;)) Remake or not... I think Witcher 1 is one of the best "old-school" RPGs ever made (I only played it like 20 times from launch day till now... yes I am that old :)) ) I really wish they retain that Dark atmosphere and most importantly... the CARDS (which blew me away at the time! ^_^) Besides that... the amount of lore in that game... is insane!

[@fantasywind3923]

@@xLetalis and then when the remake comes comparisons hehe. Also another piece of witcher content, since all the adaptations were covered, the anime prequel Nightmare of the Wolf, main netflix show, and this Blood Origin...now only the old polish series remains hehe, the only adaptation you have not covered on your channel yet.

[@nelliscornelius2256]

The statues kinda remind me of three goddesses from slavic mythology Vesna, Zhiva and Morana. Vesna was presented as a young beautiful maiden associated with youth and spring, Zhiva was connected with motherhood and fertility and was portraited as a pregnant woman. Morana, a crone, was a goddess of winter, death and rebirth. They all seem to represent the circle of life. But there are many equivalents for them in other cultures, it just came to my mind :D Anyway thank you for a great video❤

[@crocoloco]

There’s no such goddesses

[@kemuri_00]

The Verna statues are part of the cut content. There's an unused icon for a vitality buff with a description for it in the game files. Apparently, the buff is from praying at the statues. There's a mod on Nexus that restores this cut content: /witcher3/mods/7307 And btw, there are other mods that restore cut content from TW3, like The Witcher Lore Collection, Yellow Mutagens and Additional Perks in the yellow skill tree.

[@mainomai]

The in-game tutorials still refer to yellow mutagens, as well as the system of having to feed blacksmiths when you give them crafting jobs.

[@Mc_Beefcake]

What were the yellow mutagens meant for?

[@kemuri_00]

@@Mc_Beefcake They were exactly the same as red, green and blue, but they boost stamina instead. The bonus also increases if combined with yellow perks

[@tuldorelow9687]

@@kemuri_00 Nobody know what they should do because in game filles is only ICON, and effects are added by author of the mod...

[@kemuri_00]

@@kurzackd I think they boost the amount of stamina you have. For example, now when I use a sign, the stamina bar only goes down to half instead of going down to zero

[@jacobbowser1158]

xLetalis be killin it with his "Witcher Senses" in these last 2 videos!!

[@xLetalis]

[@cbruck8212]

Brewess looking like a beekeeper makes sense. Her name is probably a reference to brewing mead, which is made from fermented honey.

[@djordjedangubic7270]

This is reason why I consider Velen as best region in Witcher 3 with best quests.Its perfect depiction of land affected by war , poverty and all kind of different Deities from village to village . We have one who worshipp Ladies of the wood (crones) , others have Verna the merciful , others the Allgod . I really like this aspect of Witcher 3 .

[@neatherloard]

Yeah, I had always assumed these where perverted or corrupt versions of Miletele. Renamed Verna to avoid directly drawing the goddess ire. Likely a plot by the crones to steal power from the worship.

[@arx3516]

Maybe the Crones went even further than just tryng to steal her worship. Maybe they tried to become Melitele herself by shaping her bodies in the image of her 3 aspects. IMO tye Crones were originally 3 elven druidesses who used every magic technique at their disposal to usurp the power of Melitele. And the results are grotesque, as one could easily expect.

[@Randamono]

I really like these lore focused videos! I hope you enjoy making them too and we can see some more in the future!

[@xLetalis]

:) thank you I'll keep it in mind

[@KingMarineLord]

6:06 Bestiary entry for the Crones "... The isolated corners of our world harbor creatures older than humans, older than academies and mages, older even than elves and dwarves. The Crones of Crookback Bog are such creatures." Not sure if CDPR just wrote over the original narrative or just a mistake.

[@keyser5555]

Ok, hear me out- we need xLetalis to make a new gen playthrough where he talks about the lore and alternate ways to solve the guests and qonsequences of your actions and so on.

[@xLetalis]

I've been thinking of doing something like that...

[@broomhilder]

Wouldnt be mad at it

[@baranavratilova1316]

I would definitely watch that.

[@futureintime]

I certainly will watch.

[@PureLuck-tk5tk]

The statues could've been for Mellitele, but I think the crones corrupted them. Seen as the people in Velen worship them. And Melitele's statues are in the workshop of the dwarf in the carnal sins quest. The same model like in witcher 1, so I don't think that Melitele changed her appearance in between games. Btw, have you found Geralt's sword in Skellige, on Hindersfial. It's next to the docks, on a clif. It's not that spectacular, a good sword you get for free with a good freezing bonus, but it's named after Geralt, in revers Tlareg.

[@TheJacobKing44]

There are also all 3 "uncorrupted" statues of Melitele during the Carnal sins quest when talking to the dwarven woodworkers brother, which geralt can talk to him about after investigating them.

[@xLetalis]

[@gagmanius]

The depths you go to to give context to this game ❤ your channel keeps me engaged to this fantastic world and I am all grateful for it

[@xLetalis]

thank you :)

[@jessegoens749]

"Hey there, Ida" -Geralt. Best line of the entire franchise. Thank you for your incredible content.

[@ReZhorw]

Still get chills every time X changes the music whenever he talks about things in a specific are such as the crones. You're awesome man.

[@lmaoo1107]

I’m not sure if you’ve covered this before but if you didn’t know you could go all the way to the brothel and use its services in Beauclair during the vampire attack in the city also it turns off the music that plays during the vampire attack

[@xLetalis]

Hah I haven't tried :)

[@billyjean3118]

Omg I have to try this 😆

[@CensoBeats]

I went home to get a set of armor from my armor stand during that quest and I ended up playing Gwent like half an hour with B.B.

[@tuldorelow9687]

@@CensoBeats We need mod to play gwent with Gaunter o'dim instead going to his other world :'D

[@sleepinthemorningcalm]

I swear I found some weird objects in the swamp around a ruin that I could highlight with Witcher senses but for which I never found an associated quest. I can’t find that spot anymore though.

[@xLetalis]

Perhaps you found the grave of the crones' mother, I think it's highlighted even if you're not on the quest

[@Vyrall-nk2xd]

During the The Final Trial quest in Kaer Morhen, they say don’t use Aard because you’ll wake up Old Speartip, the cyclops. I’ve always used Aard anyway and he never woke up. But now playing it with the next gen update, he woke up and they commented on how he’s already searching for them

[@xLetalis]

oh I'll need to have a look

[@lumpa309]

I respect the work you put in this video. The Witcher 1, books and this beekeeper thing, good job.

[@hunearo]

That statue with the hole (for example at 2:55) reminds me of the allgod statue. You can find a similair one in the Wastrel Manor ruins. Another clue that it is tied to the allgod, that in the gwent standalone game there was an allgod event last month where you could obtain some cosmetics with the picture of this statue (two cardbacks, and a coin, you can check them at trendygwentleman).

[@DeagleLas]

Yay! Long live Gwent!

[@NK-xq2gk]

I just recently noticed that there are drawings of the Aard symbol in some caves next to destructible walls. I believe you can find drawings of other sign symbols too

[@shaelyx5005]

The symbol for air is on the crones tapestry as well

[@mistle7364]

i think the crones cult merged with the religion of melitele / freya adds up. the folk of Velen had to find a way to hold up.

[@foxeh123]

The fact that all 3 statues are prayed at at bald mountain where you encounter all 3 of them is quite the telling. They are 3 different ones. Like the crones and even look somewhat alike. I'd say it's an older form of theirs.

[@jedrzejstepien1621]

It's amazing how this game is almost 7 years old now and you still manage to make interesting videos about new topics and details, much love see you in the next comment section :D

[@Houssine_11]

Almost 8 years Old *

[@marceries2515]

Hey, I watched this video a while ago and recently I've found the confirmation for your theory. Witcher 3 has an artbook (it was with all the other game files but I've never bothered to check before) and it says "Shrines to Melitele, the goddess of harvest, hearth, and fertility, are a frequently encountered element of the Temerian countryside Meanwhile, in Velen another religion has taken root, one which calls for prayers to be addressed to the Ladies of the Wood. This cult’s shrines show evidence of syncretism between the faiths: Melitele the Crone has become one of the Ladies"

[@xxcemonexx2146]

Danke!

[@xLetalis]

my pleasure :)

[@HEKVT]

For a game I've only played in late 2021, Witcher 1 clips are so nostalgic, the game is just so atmospheric.

[@seekerpat]

There is a proper way to resolve these questions: an open seminar and debate at Oxenfort Academy. Perhaps Joachin von Gratz could chair it (not his field of study so he might show less bias). I have a suggestion for a video you might enjoy doing-a tour of the inns and taverns of Witcher games. There is a wide variety : some are dives, elegant, rowdy or just simple and comfortable places to have a quiet ale. And there are little details people might have missed, the tavern in Kaer Trolde has a stuffed bear with a helmut stuck on its head(imagine how that got there), the Golden Sturgeon in Novigrad has a nautical theme and so on. Some of the names are little easter eggs, like The Scarlet Cardinal in Toussaint. I think your viewers might enjoy a travelogue.

[@robertburbulea2863]

"chuchoter" (french) and also "a şuşoti" (romanian) means whispering. Never connected the dots. This totally went above my head

[@ricardoroldan3777]

In Spanish we have the verb "chuchear" for imitate the singing of birds during hunting

[@notjimpickens7928]

theres actually a group of people worshipping the "merciful verna" just east of the inn at the crossroads

[@W._Langman]

Yeah that makes sense. Everything in Velen is corrupted because of the crones. Why not the goddesses as well?

[@IndestructibleWebseries]

I don't know if it's a new feature, or an old feature, but there are two abandoned ships in Skellige floating just offshore in the extreme NE of the map. If you reach those islands and meditate for two days, the floating boats will run aground and get stuck in the sand. Alas, there's nothing on either ship.

[@thelastdragon2906]

Might be similar to the tribunal from morrowind. Where Almalexia, Vivec, and Sotha Sil took over as aspects of Boethiah, Mephala, and Azura. Think the crones took over the 3 aspects of Melitele.

[@pedropierre9594]

If Gaunter O Dimm is allowed to roam the world, his direct opposite must be around as well…

[@PolinaLee94]

I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but when i killed all gees and chickens in one village, a few days after i found a note that talked about a bandit that keeps stealing gees and warns villagers to be carefull.

[@felixistovan6495]

Hope Ițm not too late. But herețs what I'we found on Witcher wiki: ''Shrines to Melitele are scattered throughout Velen. In the south of Velen, the image of Melitele has become mixed with that of The Ladies of the Wood, a syncretic blending of the two figures. This fits because even outside of Velen, Melitele is considered to embody the aspect of the crone (old woman) as well as the mother and maiden (young woman).''

[@Spewwow]

You always find new details! =) Unbelievable!

[@xLetalis]

good to see you

[@TeamYen]

Sapkowski was known for his interest in and even a kind of "worship" in his books - of the Great Goddess / Mother Goddess, who is usually depicted or has three "aspects"/manifestations : a maiden/virgin, a mother/pregnant and an old wise woman/witch. In some way, Yennefer combines the two divine aspects, she's both a beauty with young body and "girlish" breast, and an old, wise (a bit mean:) witch, but missing and struggles for the third: can't have children. And Yennefer was born in Belleteyn (the First of May, the Great Sabbat). That's her missing part and tragedy of her live (like in Karliene's song "All the magic", which best depicts her (in English) - and generally represents the weakness and deceptiveness of human magic (the unicorns call human magic "only tricks"). As in scenes of Geralt's death or encounter with the true goddess, Freya. And Yen case shows what is really needed, not magic, but love. p.s. I remember, but read this in Polish version - one of notices on the Notice board in Velen says that the damaged statue needs to be repaired, or Ladies of the Wood will be very pissed-off. Such wood witches in Slavic mythology (as Baba Yaga) represent the opposite and kind of parody of the true divinity. Which happened in Velen.

[@ArkturusRX]

Found this in my next gen playthrough, in graveyard in Velen when you fight grave hag, in the quest with fake witcher, there were 2 or 3 statues, that look similiar to the ones in Blood and Wine that turn into Elves, just standing random in front of the crypt, always facing you when you turn around, but after three times they just vanished, dont know if it was bug or something, but it was creepy

[@hunearo]

That is an easter egg, a Doctor Who reference. Look up weeping angels if you're interested :)

[@ArkturusRX]

@@hunearo creepy! but thanks

[@xLetalis]

yeah I've mentioned them in a video :)

[@ArkturusRX]

@@xLetalis sorry, couldnt possibly seen them all :D :D

[@CallmeKenneth-tb1zb]

On a completely unrelated side note, the actress at 2:21 from TW1, I'm certain she is also a VA in TW3. I recognise her voice, I just can't place which character. Edit: I'm 99% certain that is the VA who plays Tomira.

[@elChirrinChirriondelDiablo]

Every day that passes I’m more assured Witcher 3 is the greatest game ever made.

[@pritomg.5932]

Definitely learned something new! Thanks.

[@ayoubmorjane7722]

Always a pleasure to watch these videos 😄

[@LinusWilson]

Wow Tomira in Witcher 1. I missed that reference.

[@sheila6808]

Have you made any videos about the towns and villages themselves? I remember reading Lurtch and he description and wondering if there were any other villages with Easter eggs like that

[@xLetalis]

I suppose I haven't

[@kur0sh1]

Btw its possible that the people of velen bassically equated the crones with the goddess since they seem like divine beings to them. Bassically the crones "hijacked" the peoples faith in a holy trinity.

[@xLetalis]

Indeed

[@kajamorris3218]

What I always found interesting in Skellinge is how the artwork of Freya (presumably) found all over the islands inside and outside the huts looks like the Polish Black Madonna of Częstochowa. The shape and the colours look the same to me and it's another great nod to us natives they did. Also, in the Polish version they do not describe Freya as "the Virgin, the Mother and the Crone" but instead they say they server "She, who is the Virgin Mother" - just like Virgin Mary that is the Black Madonna that is particularly important for christianity in Poland.

[@leonshore4336]

I can assure you, the Statues ARE The Crones. If you visit The Road to Bald Mountain (the place where the festival worship of the Crones takes place), BEFORE the main storyline takes place, the area will be empty of NPC's, with just a few Foglets to defeat. Since this place is the Mecca of ALL THINGS Crones, my findings are significant. The arrangement of the grounds will contain all 3 Statues in question, all standing next to one another, in the area where the Festival is normally held. There would certainly be no other deity worship in this place, leading me to believe that the Statues being here, would absolutely be the crones.

[@KrowNinja]

I love your videos man, the have been helpful thru my journey and The Witcher series is such a masterpiece

[@cking4869]

I highly doubt how we see the Crones are their true forms, if they even have that. When you first see them one of the first things they say is implying how they changed themselves especially for Geralt, followed by Geralt pointing out their skills of transformation and how it's impressive, not to mention how they look before their fight. It seems to me the writers put a great deal of emphasis on the idea that the Crones change their appearance as they see fit, which could explain why the statues only match their in-game counterparts in grotesqueness

[@PosiFwd]

YAY! Always love these!

[@thealrightygina5725]

I think that the Crones may also be based off of the Fates (Moirai) from Greek mythology, which are also generally depicted as a young woman, a middle-aged woman, and an old woman, known as Clotho (birth), Lachesis (life), and Atropos (death) respectively. I say this because the three Crones also have names that are verb based (the names of the Fates could be taken to mean "weaver", "measurer", and "ender") and the whole thing with the tapestry. They also make me think of the Graea, another trio from Greek mythology, since you can only see one of their eyes (the Graea share one eye between the three of them).

[@efaristi9737]

I think thoses statues and Verna the Merciful might very well be the image of Melitele fused with the Ladies of the Wood. The character of Verna does indeed fit both entities.

[@Jupitercollection]

The mother of the crones is none other than freya where her temple is in skellige

[@justinah7400]

There is one of these statues directly next to The Wicked Witch's house in Blood and Wine Land of a Thousand Fables. Thats a little piece of evidence that they're related to witches at least. Maybe Arturious Viggo had been to Velen and related the statues to The Crones and included that in his illusion. Very interesting discussion!

[@timking8405]

Malitele is the spirit in the tree and the crones are each an aspect like laid out in the video!

[@jackbeckett2838]

Maybe one of them is the Crones' mother? It would make sense for at least one of them to be Melitele though as she's the main Goddess worshipped. Also I don't know if you saw my comment on the last video: I expect you may have covered this (couldn't find it on the details missed videos) but I just found a new dialogue with Triss if you start 'A Matter of Life and Death' while midway through 'Carnal Sins'. Right after you find the note on Joris Aquinus' body leading to Patricia Vegelbud the Vegelbud's ball gets postponed due to a "family emergency" until you finish the quest. Ingrid still seems surprised when Geralt mentions her mother might be in danger though. Posting it once more on this one as I know you get a lot of comments and might not have seen it.

[@fadeddragon123]

“She who knows” is what I thought the statues were.

[@prnzssLuna]

Those statues, man, they creep the hell put of me. Velen in general made me feel very uncomfortable at times, but those status. I just can't. The Witcher 3 might actually be the only game where I actively skip the night time because it creeps me out way too much :D

[@zickosaurusrex]

Yeah, I always avoid exploring any maps at night because the atmosphere is just "unsettling". Except going to Passiflora

[@louisbrown4620]

Plus, the music. Just creepy.

[@samyd0_0]

Toussaint night time ain't that bad

[@arnes.7945]

I would love a crones DLC or something. At least a few hours of quest content that gives us a glimpse into their past or smth

[@Sulejek]

I was just watching your video about In the Heart of the Woods! what a timing

[@xLetalis]

[@ecksbest]

There are at least two abandoned boats near Skala Isle where if you meditate for 2 days, it'll come ashor. Maybe its related with the mistery somehow.

[@jamesandthemgiantcheeks2798]

Damn, it's been a while since I've watched one of these videos. Glad the last one I saw wasn't actually the last

[@xLetalis]

welcome back :)

[@kacpersuminski5175]

5:40 this one looks like it was partially inspired by Venus of Willendorf which is often thought to be connected with fertility cult and a mother entity. I would say that one would be mother and the hunched one would be crone

[@Ehre_727]

Were there not several ends of rafovid where he had a conversation with geralt where it is about the radovid ban or something similar and no crown

[@anengineeredplayer7388]

Just started playing the Witcher 3 and loving all the lore and fun facts from this channel. Any idea what armor he’s using when he walks up to the statue from the last video? Looks fantastic!

[@Helifax19]

Keep on playing the game and you will find it ;) You will love it even more once you get it, this way ;)

[@xLetalis]

shameless plug kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmXWdJyqjbSfpK8

[@xZFeroxZx]

I don't know if it's a commonly known thing or a detail some people might have missed but... When you ask Dandelions women about him, you actually just need to visit 3 of them. Rosa, Molly and then Vespula, in that order. That will give you a unique line with the last of them and you can talk to Zoltan without talking to the other women...

[@xLetalis]

I think I've mentioned that in a video yes

[@witchingjokress]

Kinda reminds me of the fates in the northern mythology those are also one young girl, middle aged woman and an old lady. At least in GOW Ragnarök.

[@csaros]

Hey xLetalis, I found a detail that may interest you: it's located in the Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Artbook in the game files. On page 28 the text states what the shrines represent. You were pretty muchbright on the money.

[@CircleP]

Interesting…. What if instead of the statues being corrupted looking versions of melitele, the crones are corrupted attempts at avatars of melitele. The crones natural form is of three younger women, but if melitele was worshipped as an ancient triune goddess it would make sense for the crones to attempt to appear in a familiar form when they showed up in velen. Just an idea.

[@N-cromancer]

Seidr witches, old norse lore imo, I think inspired this, future telling witches interfering in fates draw. I think its just a reference of these crones. However since the game OBJECTIVELY tells us that the statue is called Verna the merciful than your straying further from the truth by dismissing that in favor of an old theory, and i objectively can't ignore that. You can't just throw out a fact like that, especially a given proper noun. There have always been hundreds of local and nature gods sprinkled about as well, they could easily be three separate deities. I suggest you follow the verna thread, as I think it has something to do with Velen as a whole.

[@markuseronen3644]

The "ugly" crone statue seems pretty similar to cosmetics what Gwent had on Christmas event. The event was about the Allgod or the basement sylvan.

[@zombiefryd]

Maybe the tall, slender, upright woman is connected to Weavess by way of the noose. Is the statue standing in a gallows?

[@xLetalis]

hmm I don't think so, gotta look again ;]

[@fosey8519]

[@Syberz]

Anyone else notice that the scar on the cheek of the blind lady at the Sabbath kind of looks like a healed version of the one Gaunter gave Geralt?

[@deividbx]

The are some creepy shrines scattered through Skellidge

[@krozal6892]

In "The World of the Witcher" video game compendium on page 109 there is images of these statues and the description states these are worshipped by the cult of the Ladies of the Wood so it seems to me these are representations of the crones. These may or may not be viewed as some manifestation of Melitele but that part is just speculation.

[@TomFromMars]

Very interesting exploration. I wouldn't mind see you dive deeper into the lore as the "details missed" will logically exhaust at some point. So, personnally, i don't think there is a definitive answer and as you said, it could be some sort of weird fusion of different deities, be it melitele, the crones and some local more ancient figure such as "verna". Anything could go. What maybe was surprising to most is that Melitele is often portrayed as a "good godess". Geralt in the books is in good terms with her cult and is often patched up by the "nuns" at the melitele temple. In the first game, we see a modern, recent temple with open minded ladies that mostly do medicinal work and a few proselytism but the overall imagery is pleasing and invoke a sense of harmony and well being. I think this is representative of the cult of melitele in the big modern cities such as Wizima, Novigrad and such. Down in Velen, where people are less educated but also lead a harsher life, their religion will be equally harsher and it is expected that their gods will look different. As you said, the crones might have a hand in twisting things but i would argue that the "original" melitele was much closer to the creepy and distrubing statues we see in Velen than the more "washed up" and presentable ones we see in Wizima. We can get a glimpse of the difference by looking at the take of Skellige that is it's own thing in some ways. After all, the Northern Kingdoms are a harsh land, full of superstition and their gods are gods of the earth, cthonian entities if you will, as opposed to the nilfgaard empire which is more "civilized" and their religion is of the sky, with the Sun as the central figure. Much like the late Roman Empire brought christianity to the barbarians of France and Germany. The old gods are therefore seen as brutish figures, that demand blood sacrifice and so on. Might not be factualy correct but the shift in perception is real, as well as the shift in cultural values. It talks of the opposition between the city folks and the rural folks, who differ not only in lifestyle but also in the values they believe in.

[@darko-man8549]

It’s possible the village that worshipped the crones believed them to be the Goddess embodied

[@Philipp2968]

I really don’t understand why the people in Velen pray to the crones. But I think your theory is the most plausible explanation for the statues.

[@Ahmad-dc9dt]

The weaves status is the ghost in mice tower

[@TheRealKiDJ]

You are the best man!!

[@amirrezatanevardi3542]

How come I have never encountered these statues and the quest through many hours of playtime? I barely believe I actually played the game.

[@schrodinger6991]

Found a cool little detail. I don't remember seeing it in any other video but you propalbly coverd it, but in the quest where the cat and wolf play... there is a special voice line if you wear feline gear.

[@schrodinger6991]

also mabye they added with the next gen update

[@magicmachine1637]

Some argue that many different European myths and gods stem form the same original Proto Indo-European pantheon, e.g the Norse gods, Greco-Roman, Slavic etc. This same theory could easily be applied to the Witcher universe.

[@ivanrodea7663]

(Quick resume of my text, it doesn`t matter what godess actually is, it can be all at the same time) Hi etnohistorian here (i´m specialiced in Mexico since it´s my country but i guess the same concepts apply for polish culture) it is not uncommon in regions of great cultural diversity which receive influence from very distinct religions for gods or goddesses, patronal parties, traditions and folk tales to merge or split, or merge and then split back to their original versions or the oposite or as we call it "do fussion" and "do fission". The clearest example i can think of is virgin mary and tonantzin merged into virgin Guadalupe, and how tonantzin herserlf has 3 versions, tonantizn a young mother of all men, coatlicue a monsterly mother of the gods and the earth and tlaltecuhtli a rotten asexuated god of dead who devours the bodies of the dead to bring them back to the earth those gods have their own separate separate versions, for example taltecuhtli usually is viewed as a only asexuated god, but is also sometimes represented as two separate entities a female and a male, coatlicue might have had another version of herself called yolotlicue (but i have not much info on her i should ask an archeologist) and both tlatecuhtli and coatlicue are based on the earthly monster a god who is present in almost all cultures of Mesoamerica with different names and representations, but it usually has the same purpose, it's a goddess of earth, humans were born from her infinite vaginas which are the caves we used to inhabit, a motherly being since all is born from her and is impregnated with rain whic is the "life semen" from the god of storms (whom also has a lot of versions and names), and when living things die are then eaten by her with her infinite mouths; a way to explain decomposition. What I'm trying to say is something that my teacher told us on one of our first classes, "we as an occidentalized culture with a dominant monotheist religion might found strange the fact that gods, entities, tales, and iconography are not static and everchanging, but the fact is that that´s how it is, or fell in the error to think that are so changing that they completely become into very different things but no they also always keep something from what came before", the fact that Melitele in Skellige is known as Freya doesn`t mean that they are completely different god or that we are missing the point, or that they cannot be the crones at the same time they represent melitele and Verna the merciful i think CDPR its representing this phenomenon that occurs on places of great cultural diversity such as Poland itself, and Mesoamerica, and Western Asia etc. when traditions change but at the same time stay the same

[@krisania96]

Just a theory, but what if they represent the crones when they were "alive" (or to be specific when they died) wispess got burned alive, the tall statue looks like a burned lady. maybe the other two represent something similar with the other two crones. though I have no idea about the other two's story.

[@TheDreamerDragon]

I like your theory about Melitele/ancient gods being fused with the Crones by the people. I was wondering about the shrine you must find, when you first go to the swamp. I remember that statue being like the one you associated with Weavess, the only difference is it wears a neklace of "treats". This would support the theory that it somewhat represents the Crones; this is why I believed until now, that all similar statues are related to them. However, if all the statues would be for the Crones, then why this is the only one that would be considered a proper "shrine" that leads Geralt to them in the swamp? Why not the others? It feels like that statue is supposed to be totally unique and not like any other one in Velen so Geralt could recognize it as the exact one he's looking for. Since it looks like the others, only with a neklace, Geralt should have a hard time findig the exact statue/shrine he needs. I know they had to point out a specific one for gameplay reasons, but this has bugged me since my recent replay, and your video just reminden me of it.

[@xLetalis]

good questions

[@kapilthevkanapathipillai6424]

Wait, one of the Crones lived in Toussaint? Why didn't Regis mention this ? Also, I think the higher vampires definitely would've taken offence to it.

[@EricChoiniere]

It was before she was a Crone, when she was just a witch. Read the description of the location at 6:05

[@geraltofrivia9124]

Maan i always loved your videooos and your theories you have hepled me a lot ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@Milko_Rosas]

Master xLetalis, I've been looking for the song you used in the ending of some of your videos, this one, for example. Would you please tell me the name? Of course, the song before Witcher 1 clip.

[@xLetalis]

Hey there, it's the Bloody Mistress from Thronebreaker the Witcher Tales

[@ruvend2581]

In ASOIAF / Gane of Thrones it is similar: The Seven (the biggest religion in Westeros are the Stranger (Death), 3 male (Smith, Warrior, Father) and 3 female: Maiden / Maid Mother Crone

[@cosmologicalgarbage5915]

This does actually slightly remind me of Voleth Mier, however I do not credit Netflix to go that far.

[@georgytodorov7947]

Pretty sure the "creepy saggy toothless looking thing" is actually either a dog or a bear - you can make out a nose on top and the spikes protruding around the opening are teeth(ironic no?). On the other hand it does have some strange features like the pair of hands on its cheeks which can be interpreted as a woman holding her breasts similar to stone age "Venus" figurines, some of which are known to resemble animals depending on the angle you view them from (I remember reading about a bird woman or some such long time ago). A few of the more famous ones either lost their heads, in the thousands of years since their creation, or never had one to begin with, which this statue also seems to lack. If the game devs are familiar with this little bit of trivia then you got the two backwards - the "creepy saggy" statue is in fact the mother and the obviously saggy, old and hunched over one is the crone. We could also launch into parallels with the real world where existing monuments have been known to be adopted and repurposed by subsequent cultures, making Verna just a "modernized" reincarnation of the ancient Goddess or, since her cult is alive an well throughout the Witcher world, just another name for her in the local tongue, similar to Freya and the merciful being this particular aspect of her (think nice old grandmother stereotype) - hence having to "rescue" three identical statues in the quest. Parallels with our world would also explain the "creepy" nature of the statues - Melitele could initially have been a fierce and scary goddess similar to Aphrodite/Ishtar/Inanna - goddess of love AND war, who over the centuries got softened up by the extremely patriarchal hellenes into an unremarkable slut. There's also my hypothesis about the Crones capitalizing on the three aspects of Melitele in order to take over/control Velen but that might be going too far.

[@SamTheApe]

The pregnant hunched statue could further be proved as Whispess as the bag Whispess holds has a body in it; maybe a twisted form of pregnancy, or Whispess' way of mocking pregnancy? Perhaps she was called Verna the Merciful before the crones killed their mother and took over the forest