The Witcher is a Polish fantasy story created by Andrzej Sapkowski. It follows the life of Geralt of Rivia, a fascinating Witcher, as he navigates the darkness of the world fighting monsters and evil coming from the most unexpected places.
Whether you are an avid fan or have just been introduced to the Witcher world, you have probably wondered what a Witcher is, and how a Witcher comes to be. Here is the answer.
Witchers are made, they are not born. A Witcher is a monster hunter with supernatural abilities developed at a very young age. Most Witchers are orphaned children, trained and put through dangerous trials, such as the trial of the Grasses, where their genes are altered and their body is mutated.
How Are Witchers Chosen?
Witchers can be chosen by monks as orphans and abandoned babies on the street that no one would miss. They can also be children, offered as per “law of destiny” or “law of surprise”, a compensation asked by someone who saves your life. To become a Witcher, however, one must be born with a hint of magic in them.
Witchers lead a dangerous life from the very first moment they go into isolation and undergo genetic mutations, to the monster hunting instances. As such, one of the main requirements for a Witcher to be chosen is to be utterly alone.
A Witcher should not be bound by family ties so they can travel and risk their lives without remorse.
How Are Witchers Eyes Made?
Witcher’s eyes are unique and one of the main features that distinguish a Witcher from a normal human being.
Witcher eyes have a cat-like appearance and are made during the Trial of the Grasses. This is where the body of a young Witcher is filled with mutagenic grasses such as herbs, plants, and mushrooms. As a result, Witchers either die during the process or develop superhuman strength, speed, and unique eyes that allow them to see in the dark just like a cat.
Witchers have glowing yellow eyes. This color is purposely chosen to represent the heightened sight, speed, agility, and smell that cats have. In addition, their pupils are vertical and change just as feline eyes would when exposed to direct sunlight or shadowed in the dark.
What is unique to Witchers however is the fact that they can manipulate their pupils to their advantage and use their eyes to see better in the dark or avoid strong glare.
Despite being magical and captivating, Witcher’s eyes remain one of the main traits that make them stand out. They also make people think of them as more monsters than humans.
This leads to great prejudice and discrimination towards Witchers. In many cases, people also become quite scared of the glowing yellow eyes, and the way the slit pupils adapt to light.
How are Witchers trained?
A person becomes a Witcher after being chosen or offered as a young child. They are then trained to fight.
Witchers go through extensive training in different schools around the world. Their specialty is based on an animal, whether a cat, griffin, bear, crane, manticore, viper, or wolf. Each trainee learns to use swords, mix herbs, recognize beasts, and cast magic.
The most important trial a Witcher goes through, however, is the Trial of the Grasses. Not many manage to overcome it. In fact, most die during the Trial of the Grasses without ever becoming a Witcher.
What Happens During the Trial of the Grasses?
During the Trial of the Grasses, young Witcher trainees are forced to drink different herbal potions, aka grasses, while strapped to a table.
These potions are dangerous toxic chemicals that break down the genetic code of the body and mutate the genes so that the body is recomposed with superhuman strength, speed, and ability to heal faster.
This is the very last trial that either makes or breaks a Witcher. Because of the severity of the herbs, many trainees do not survive this process.
The ones that do, however, are changed physically and display beastly features in addition to pale skin. In Geralt’s case, his white hair was also a result of the way his body endured the trial of the Grasses.
What Is a Witcher Made of?
A Witcher is a human being turned into a mythical monster hunter through herbal potions and magic.
Witchers are made of skin and bone just like any other human being. They do however possess extra strength, speed, stamina, better vision, stronger hearing, the ability to heal faster, and cast Sign spells.
In addition, Witchers have pale skin and glowing yellow eyes, just like a cat.
Can Witchers Have Children?
Witchers are genetically altered and mutated beings that cannot have children. All Witchers are infertile, like any other genetically altered being in Andrzej Sapkowski’s universe.
In addition, Witchers are also becoming extinct, especially because they are made and not born, and cannot procreate.
Even choosing new Witchers seems not to be a big concern anymore. With the world becoming a safer place, there is no more need for new Witchers to be created to hunt monsters.
Also, Witchers can live for hundreds of years. This means that with fewer monsters to hunt, the number of Witchers that are currently active can be enough to keep the world safe.
Most importantly, however, the process to become a Witcher is a painful and excruciating one. Knowing this prevents older Witchers from taking on new trainees.
Witchers can however claim someone as their child by the Law of Surprise and become bound to them. This does not mean however that the child will be a Witcher.
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