#sapkowski on the witcher series

[astaldis]

Andrzej Sapkowski: "Personally, I like the Netflix series a lot"

Minute 8:13-8:17 ("persönlich da habe ich die Netflix Serie sehr gern")

He also says something about the Slavic influence: "When you say that in the Geralt Saga many things and matters are inspired by Slavic mythology, that's true, but not only, not only." (He really emphasises this!) ("Wenn Sie sagen, dass in Geralt Saga viele Sachen und Angelegenheiten inspiriert von Slawischer Mythologie inspiriert sind, das stimmt, aber nicht nur, nicht nur. Also keine Mythologie ist für mich schlecht zu bearbeiten.") (3:12-3:30)

When he is asked if he was influenced by Tolkien, he says yes, that he is a specialist at fantasy and has read everything and that his goal was to avoid all the cliche/sterotypes that you find in fantasy and to find his own way. ("Mein Ziel war, alle Klischees die im Fantasy sind, zu vermeiden, also finden meinen eigenen Weg." (6:39-6:55)

So, all in all, Netflix not just copying the exclusively white elves from Tolkien's world seems to be compliant with the author of the Witcher books's ideas. Maybe there could have been more Slavic elements, but that the Witcher is pretty much exclusively inspired by Slavic mythology like some people claim on social media is not true, according to the author (he especially mentions the Brothers Grimm as influences, for example). And that every fan of the books must automatically hate the show is definitely bullshit, if even the author himself likes it.

Take that, haters 😉

[elven-sisters]

Something wicked this way comes... ✨

And how do you think, who's hiding beetween the trees? (Funny and stupid ideas are also welcome!)

[meanpersonaart]

The vampire slain by village folk, unknown artist, 11XX

Decided to make a version of one of my favourite medieval arts into a Witcher thing, by using Young, drunk Regis and typical eastern european looking villagers. I wanted to make it with traditional paints but I didn't have time. Anyways I kinda love it.

Here's the original:

[andreai04]

'Darkness still exists,' he agreed. 'In spite of the progress being made which we're told to believe will light up the gloom, eliminate threats and drive away fears. Until now, progress hasn't achieved great success in that field. Until now, all progress has done is to persuade us that darkness is only a glimmering superstition, that there's nothing to be afraid of. But it's not true. There are things to be afraid of. Because darkness will always, always exist. And Evil will always rampage in the darkness, there will always be fangs and claws, killing and blood in the darkness. And witchers will always be necessary. And let's hope they'll always appear exactly where they're needed. Answering the call for help. Rushing to where they are summoned. May they appear with sword in hand. A sword whose gleam will penetrate the darkness, a sword whose brightness disperses the gloom.'

[istaprqsamarmay]

“Once they had left, Emhyr var Emreis slung a leg over the armrest of his throne.”

Yeah remember that? after an audience where he sent away the nobles? that was crazy of him to do. did we need to know that he slung his leg over the armrest of his throne? What the hell sure! (absolutely yes).

Sapkowski!😩 he knew what he was doing when he wrote that.

[revoevokukil]

The way Sapkowski is describing Mount Gorgon, the Devil Mountain, in ch 5 and ch 6 of The Tower of the Swallow, foreshadowing Geralt's meeting in ch 7 with one who proclaims to live underneath it...

If a short while ago the River Yaruga had signified to them a clear dividing line, a border, the crossing of which represented an evident passage to the next, more serious, stage of the expedition, it was even more so now; the sense that they were approaching a limit, a barrier, a place which could only be turned back from. They all felt it, Geralt above all–it could only be thus, since from dawn to dusk they had been faced with a mighty, jagged range of mountains barring their way, rising up in front of them to the south, and gleaming with snow and glaciers. The Amell Mountains. And rising even above the saw-toothed Amell was the forbiddingly majestic obelisk of Mount Gorgon, Devil Mountain, as angular as the blade of a misericorde. They did not talk about it, didn’t discuss it, but Geralt felt what everybody was thinking. For when he looked at the Amell range and Gorgon, the thought of continuing the journey southwards seemed sheer insanity.

...

The Amell Mountains rose up to the south, closer and closer and more and more menacing. And the pointed needle of Gorgon, Devil Mountain, was enveloped in the clouds which quickly covered the whole sky.

...

Gorgon loomed up on the horizon. Ever closer. All year long, glaciers and snows flowed from the angular sides of the huge mountain, which meant Gorgon always looked as though it were clad in white sashes. The peak of Devil Mountain was constantly swathed in veils of clouds, like the head and neck of an enigmatic bride. Sometimes, though, Gorgon shook her white raiment like a dancer. The sight was breathtaking, but brought death–avalanches ran from the peak’s sheer walls, wiping out everything in their path, down to the scree at the foot and further down the hillside, to the highest spruce stands above the Theodula pass, above the Nevi and Sansretour valleys, above the black circles of mountain tarns. The sun, which in spite of everything had managed to penetrate the clouds, set much too quickly–it simply hid behind the mountains to the west, setting light to them with a purple and golden glow. They stopped for the night. The sun rose. And the time came for them to part.

...

‘So let us begin and may Hell assist us! Cahir, Angoulême, to horse. We ride up the Nevi, towards Belhaven. Dandelion, Milva, Regis, make for Sansretour, towards Toussaint’s borders. You won’t get lost, Gorgon will point the way. Goodbye.’

...

The angular blade of Gorgon seemed to rear up directly above their heads. The peak of Devil Mountain was not visible, but shrouded in the clouds and fog cloaking the sky. The weather–as happens in the mountains–worsened in the course of a few hours. It began to drizzle bitingly and disagreeably.

...

The horse trudged over the pebbles, moving at a walk along the bank of the Sansretour, the small river leading to Toussaint. Geralt knew the way. He had been there once. A long, long time ago; much had changed since then. But the valley had not changed, and neither had the Sansretour stream, which, the further they went, become more and more the River Sansretour. Neither the Amell Mountains, nor the obelisk of the Gorgon, Devil Mountain, had changed. There were certain things that simply didn’t change.

...

They rode along a deep gorge, which the swift-flowing and wide Sansretour–now a river–had carved out of the hills. They rode east towards the border of the Duchy of Toussaint. Gorgon, Devil Mountain, rose above them. To look at the summit they would have had to crane their necks. But they didn’t.

...

'You will have to enter that cave. I told you, the druids knew about you, knew about Ciri, knew about our mission. And they learned about it from someone who lives down there. That person–if one is to believe the druidess–wishes to talk to you.’ ‘“If one is to believe the druidess”,’ Geralt repeated sneeringly. ‘I’ve been in these parts before. I know what dwells in the deep caves beneath Devil Mountain. There are various denizens there. But it’s impossible to talk to the vast majority of them, except with a sword.'

[silverflameataraxia]

'You found me! Oh, Geralt! I was waiting all the time! For so very long...We'll be together now, won't we? Now we'll be together, won't we? Say it, Geralt! Forever! Say it!' 'Forever, Ciri.' 'It's like they said! Geralt! It's like they said! Am I your destiny? Say it! Am I your destiny?' You're much more than that, Ciri. Much more.'

- Sword of Destiny

[geraltgwynbleidd]

Doing some Gwent stuff for you! 🐺

[namedafterflowerstournament]

Botanic Tournament : Main Bracket !

Round 2 Poll NN

Jaskier, the character's name in the original, Polish version means Buttercup. Editors changed it into Dandelion in English versions because they thought it was too girly. Marigold (the name under the pic) is Jaskier's name in the Czech edition.

(Roses, buttercup and dandelion)

[stromuprisahat]

This is how you ruin another character upon their introduction.

‘Why aren’t you in school, student?’ she asked coldly, glaring at Ciri.

‘Wait, Tissaia,’ said the other woman, younger, tall and blond, in a green dress with a considerable neckline. ‘I don’t recognize her. I don’t think she’s…’

‘She is.’ Cut the dark-haired one. ‘I’m certain that she’s one of your girls, Rita. You can’t possibly know them all. She must be one of those who sneaked out through Loxia during the chaos when the students changed quarters. And now we shall wait for her explanation. Well, student?’

...

The woman raised her hand and Ciri immediately understood the seriousness of her mistake. Yennefer had demonstrated to her paralysing spells only once, tired with her long whining. The feeling had been considerably unpleasant. It was the same now.

Fabio cried terrified and leaped towards her but the other woman, the blond one, caught him by the collar and forced him to stay in place. The boy jerked his arm but the woman had an iron grip. Ciri couldn’t move. The dark-haired one bent down and glared at her.

‘I am not in favour of corporal punishment,’ she drawled her words coldly, evening her cuffs yet again, ‘But I will ensure that you’re whipped, student. Not for misbehaviour, not for the theft or elopement. Not even for wearing illicit clothes, walking out with a boy and telling him about things you were forbidden from discussing. No, you will be whipped for being unable to recognize an Archmistress.’

Rita starts with stating she doesn’t recognize Ciri, meaning she's probably familiar enough with her students to be able to. It’s Tissaia, who grabs the girl, and Tissaia, who threatens her. She also paralyzes Ciri, when she believes her to be insolent. Rita catches Fabio- still with Ciri- and lets him speak once he starts to explain.

Compare to:

“Mistress Laux-Antille”: *catches running Ciri* “Another runaway. You've had your fun, novice. Back to the dorms.”

Ciri: “Get your hands off me!”

“Mistress Laux-Antille”:  *hard slap* “You will address me as Mistress Laux-Antille. And you'll clean the toilets for your impertinence.”

...

“Mistress Laux-Antille”, between drunken laughter: “Here, girl! Novices these days are useless. Not like when we were girls. I told you to bring the wine. ... I wanted red! ... Damned Cintran princess. What's so special about her, anyway? ... Girl, the wine! Now.”

In books, it’s Ciri’s pride injured. Her main issue’s the sorceresses dealt with Yennefer- as her guardian- instead of treating her like an independent person. She wasn’t abused by some cruel, sadistic bitch only because she’s younger and “only a student”. Rita’s even kind to her!

‘Hey, girl,’ she nodded at Ciri, ‘be so good and pass me a towel. Come on, stop pouting.’

Ciri hissed quietly, still offended. When Fabio let out who Ciri was, the sorceresses dragged her through half of the city, exposing her to public mockery. In Giancardi's bank the whole incident was immediately explained. The Sorceresses apologized to Yennefer, explaining their behaviour. ... Alarmed by the activation of Ciri’s amulet, Margarita Laux-Antille and Tissaia de Vries mistook her for one [of the sudents].

The sorcerers’ apologized to Yennefer, but none of them thought of apologizing to Ciri. ...

Ciri gave the towel to the Sorceress. Margarita patted her gently on the cheek. Ciri snorted and jumped and splashed into the pool of scented rosemary water.

‘Floats like a little leaf’, smiled Margarita as she lay down next to Yennefer on a wooden couch. ‘And she is as well formed as a nymph. You’re giving her to me, Yenna?’

Margarita Laux-Antille is one of those teachers, whose job is truly their life’s mission. She knows her students, she cares about them, she risks her life for them. Even as a member of the Lodge, her focus is education, not power. She doesn’t beat random girls on the street, because they possess magical amulet.

Fuck you Netflix, for ruining another one of my favourite minor characters! On such a deep, fundamental. level!

��Ciri, serve us. Damn this carafe is almost empty. Come on, be good and bring us another.’

‘Bring two,’ smiled Margarita ‘As a reward you will get a sip and sit down with us, you will no longer have to strain your ears from a distance. Your education starts here, now, from me before you reach Arethusa.’

[definitely-not-iorveth]

a couple days ago, a stream featuring andrzej sapkowski came out, supposedly announcing a new book in the witcher series (see link below).

i've watched it, and personally, considering the context, i would reign in my enthusiasm until some kind of official announcement.

i'm including the notes of what he speaks about, for anyone interested.

the first short story started with the title: a male form of the polish word wiedźma (witch) doesn't exist, so sapkowski came up with one. the idea for the story came afterwards.

the first short story was supposed to be a one-time thing. he never expected to write a continuation.

he didn't do any research for the witcher books beforehand because 1/ it's a fantasy book, so he's allowed some leeway & 2/ he already accumulated a lot of knowledge throughout his life by the time he started writing. some research on things was needed during the process, but not a lot of it.

he did do beforehand research for a different, more historical series he wrote afterwards (trylogia husycka).

he once again stresses that the book series is not based specifically on slavic mythology - that was something made up by journalists. he took inspiration from various mythologies indiscriminately, and the plot was more important to him than using any specific sources.

he doesn't remember how many short stories he wrote for the witcher.

back when he started, there was no point in sending manuscripts to publishing houses, because the publishers were not interested in polish fantasy books, preferring the foreign ones. instead, an aspiring writer's best bet would be to send a short story to fantastyka (means fantasy, but only as a literary genre), a magazine that published fantasy & sci fi short stories. at some point he got tired of publishing short stories though, and he sent his manuscript in (he says he doesn't remember what book that was). it was successful, and it encouraged more authors to do the same.

he regrets writing under his real name and not under a literary pseudonym.

nilfgaard's similarities to ancient rome are accidental, and nilfgaard should not be interpreted as based on it. sapko came up with it as an aggressive fantasy nation that wants to take over the world, with no deeper meaning behind it.

first map created for the witcher was the work of the czech translator, and most subsequent maps were based on it (or, as sapko puts it, stolen.) "why i never created a map? pettiness." all fantasy books of the time had a map, so he decided his wouldn't have. and so it doesn't.

the witcher comics were parowski's idea (a witcher fan & comic book author). sapkowski didn't participate in its creation. he tried to give his input about the drawings at first, but the artist basically told him to go fuck himself.

he has a cat

he used to be a senior sales representative, and it gave him some knowledge about sales, banking, currencies and economy which he was able to work into the plot of his stories

he reads at least 50 books per year. of recent works, he recommends madeline miller's circe, steven king's two new books, v.e. schwab's the invisible life of addie larue, peng shepherd's the cartographers, herve le telier's the anomaly, r.f. kuang's babel, holly black's book of night. he considers the above the literary events and fantasy milestones of the past few years.

his commentary on people who study and analyze the witcher and its themes: "they come up with things i never could have come up with." he claims he never assigned any specific philosophy or meaning to his works, but he's happy to read the works of people who do.

he says he didn't base any of his characters on himself in any way. at the same time, his opinion is that it's difficult to write a character that doesn't retain some of the author's qualities. however, the characters are in their own setting and their own story. in his words, "you don't write books about yourself. you write books about characters that you come up with, and you give them their own qualities. […] who cares who i am? the reader is interested in who the witcher is, or who the other characters are."

when asked why geralt is different than the other witchers (more sensitive, kinder), he responds that it's because he's a made up character that's supposed to be interesting for the reader, so he needs to be distinguishable from others. a book is supposed to be interesting, and creating an interesting character is one of the ways to achieve it.

when asked why the smell of yennefer's perfume is so specific, he just says that he made it up and perfume like that doesn't exist.

witchers, although they use magic, are a completely separate group from the sorcerers in the book. there are no common points between them. witchers are also not a reference to any specific mythological archetypes or characters.

he doesn't like announcing what he's doing, because he changes his mind a lot, and doesn't always finish what he starts.

he does say that he is working on a new witcher book and that it should come out within the next year or a couple. considering the context of his words, however, i would consider it as more of a 'maybe' than an actual announcement.

[mask131]

Reading "The Last Wish" is honestly such a ride, because - since it is the very raw beginning of the series, you FEEL so much the differences between this sort of idealized, disconnected image people creatd out of the Netflix series, and... what the text actually is.

I already said I was massively surprised upon discovering "The Last Wish" is basically a comedy-fantasy due to the amount of humor in it. But also... You know how there's borderline racist or supremacist fans who are like "The Witcher is PURE SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE and so you shouldn't SOIL it with non-Slavic elements!"

... The titular story of "The Last Wish" literaly reuses the four-elements genies of D&D. Down to the names.

Ah yes, Dungeons and Dragons, the pinnacle of Slavic folklore, THE definitive work of Slavic mythology, the most Polish thing you can find around!

... seriously?

[elven-sisters]

Like... Yeah, Ciri and Geralt once again ✨

[meanpersonaart]

That's excactly how the words were exchanged in that chapter in the Lady of the Lake. Yeah, the charcter on the left is Fringilla, on the right Hansa sans Geralt with Jaskier/Dandelion.

Original template - here

[andreai04]

‘The pathetic — ridiculous — attempts which people undertake to try to understand nature are typically termed philosophy. The results of such attempts are also considered philosophy. It's as though a cabbage tried to investigate the causes and effects of its existence, called the result of these reflections "an eternal and mysterious conflict between head and root", and considered rain an unfathomable causative power.’

'Set out on your chessboard,' said Geralt, 'the kings, queens, elephants and rooks, and don't worry about me, because I mean as much on your chessboard as the dust on it. It's not my game. You say I'll have to choose? I say you're wrong. I won't choose. I'll respond to events. I'll adapt to what others choose. That's what I've always done.'

'You're a fatalist.'

[istaprqsamarmay]

Does anyone own “The Lady of the Lake” Collector's Hardback Edition? I want to order it since I love Ciri on the cover and I enjoyed reading the lady of the lake, I just need to see the pages quality and how it looks on the inside first, so if anyone has it could you possibly message me a photo of it, I would be thankful!