Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (2024)

The Witcher‘s first season featured was filled with different characters, subplots, locations, and even numerous timelines. To help make sense of it all, Netflix has created an interactive map. It tracks the show’s history, lore, storylines, characters, and places. We’ve used the map to break down all ofThe Witcher canon’s major events, from both before and after the series began. It will hopefully help answer all of your questions from season one, and get you ready for season two.

(Note: Where things take place isn’t important to understanding what happened. You mostly need to know that there are many kingdoms, and Nilfgaard is huge and sits at the bottom of the Continent. But if you want to track the characters’ movements in the world, you can follow along with the interactive map.)

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (1)Netflix

PRE-SHOW HISTORY

Before the Year 500: Conjunction of the Spheres

Long ago, elves ruled the Continent, a forest-rich land where they mostly controlled chaos. Then an “inexplicable” and “cataclysmic” event brought humans and monsters to the world. Humans know little about this time and its civilizations. Another race might have even existed before elves.

Istredd the Mage, Yennefer’s first love, dedicated himself to researching the Continent’s past history.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (2)
Istredd (Netflix)

786: Birth of Stregobar

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (3)Stregobor (Netflix)

839: Laws of Magic and the Opening of Aretuza

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (4)Brotherhood of Sorcerers (Netflix)

Mages founded the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, the “oldest and most influential organization of mages.” It determined how magic (a.k.a. chaos) could and should be used and controlled. It also sent mages to every major court in the realm.

Aretuza, the magical academy, also opened that year. Elves built the dark and imposing structure. White lighting powers the building. What few know though is that power comes from failed students who were turned into eels.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (5)Aretuza (Netflix)

967: The Creation of the First Witcher

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (6)Geralt of Rivia (Netflix)

Mages met at the castle Kaer Morhen high in the Northern Blue Mountains to create the first witchers to fight the many terrible monsters terrorizing the Continent. The young boys there underwent intense training, extreme mental and physical conditioning, and mysterious rituals. All of which left them mutated superhumans who can also use magic. As a result, witchers live very long lives.

1160: Birth of Geralt

Geralt’s mother was Visenna, a sorceress.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (7)Visenna (Netflix)

1187: The Great Cleansing

Elven elders taught humans how to control chaos and use magic. Once humans learned everything they needed they began taking the elves’ land. Mankind crushed the elves rebellion that followed. That terrible event is known as “The Great Cleansing.” Some humans think it was their proudest moment. Others consider it a great shame. Elves still exist, though they are mostly in hiding, living in caves high in the mountains—not the “golden palaces” humans think they possess.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (8)Elves Live in Hiding on the Continent(Netflix)

Having elf ancestors can be dangerous, which is why Yennefer was so angry Istredd betrayed her secret.

1192: Birth of Yennefer

Yennefer is born with a hunchback. She is a bastard of a human mother and a half-elven father.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (9)Young Yennefer(Netflix)

SHOW TIMELINE AND EVENTS

1206: Tissaia Recruits Yennefer to Aretuza

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (10)Tissaia(Netflix)

1210: Yennefer’s Transformation and the Royal Ceremony

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (11)A Transformed Yennefer(Netflix)

Yennefer convinced the mage Giltine to transform her. In exchange for losing her hunchback and becoming a great beauty she had to sacrifice the ability to ever have children. After her transformation she went down to the Royal Ceremony, where the new graduates would meet the rulers they would serve as mages. King Virfuril of Aedirn was completely smitten with Yennefer. She was then placed in his kingdom instead of Fringilla, who was instead sent to Nilfgaard. It was a moment that unexpectedly changed the course of history.

1213: The Curse of the Black Sun/Renfri Is Born

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (12)Renfri(Netflix)

The first solar eclipse in roughly 1,200 years was considered a dark omen by some mages and rulers. Stregobor believed it was a sign the demon goddess Lilit was returning. He also thought women born during the eclipse were themselves part of a dark prophecy that said, “sixty woman wearing gold crown” would “fill the river valleys with blood.” This included Renfri, a Creyden princess.

Stregobor hunted down these women, imprisoned them, and conducted monstrous experiments on them to find mutations. None survived except for Renfri who escaped.

1216: Birth of Calanthe

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (13)Queen Calanthe, the Lioness of Cintra(Netflix)

1222: Jaskier Is Born

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (14)Jaskier(Netflix)

Full name: Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove.

1229: Birth of a Striga

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (15)Striga Monster(Netflix)

A cursed child/monster of the incestuous Temerian royal twins was born.

1230: Calanthe Becomes Queen of Cintra

Calanthe ascended to the throne of Cintra at the age of 14 after her father died.

1231: Calanthe Defeats Nazair Army/Geralt Kills Renfri

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (16)Renfri and Geralt(Netflix)

Calanthe earned the moniker the Lioness of Cintra after defeating the Nazair army at the Battle of Hochebuz.

That same year, far to the north, Renfri and her men attacked Geralt. He refused to choose the lesser of two evils after Stregobor, the local mage, and Renfri both asked him to kill the other. After Renfri’s death Geralt became known as the Butcher of Blaviken. During her final moments she told him to find the girl in the woods, because she was his “destiny.”

1232: Calanthe Marries Her First Husband

Calanthe married King Roegner of Ebbing, her first husband (never seen on the show).

1233: Lord Urcheon Saves Cintra’s King and Claims the Law of Surprise

King Roegner was rescued by Lord Urcheon (the cursed hedgehog knight). In return for saving Roegner’s life Urcheon claimed the Law of Surprise, “that which you already have but do not know.” He would come to claim his prize years later.

1234: Birth of Pavetta, Urcheon’s Child of Surprise

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (17)Princess Pavetta of Cintra(Netflix)

Calanthe’s daughter Pavetta was born. She would come to be Urcheon’s Child of Surprise.

1237: A Striga Attacks Temeria

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (18)Result of a Striga Attack(Netflix)

The people of Temeria begin being attacked by an unknown monster. The King would hide the truth about the striga for years out of shame.

1239: Nilfgaard Begins Its Long War

Nilfgaard, the Southernmost kingdom of the Continent, began its long war of conquest by defeating Ebbing to its North,. Nilfgaard is a massive realm known for its skilled and ruthless warriors who leave no survivors in their wake.

1240: Geralt Meets Jaskier/A Mage Attacks Yennefer and Queen Kalis

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (19)The Greatest Friends Ever(Netflix)

Geralt and Jaskier meet. Some historians say it’s the most important thing to ever happen in any world. (That’s actually not what the historians say, but they should.) Elves captured them shortly after. The ancient race still hates humans, but the Elven King Filavandrel let them go free after they were captured. Geralt told the King to seek out better lands for his people rather than become a monster, and Filavandrel listened to him.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (20)Queen Kalis, Her Infant Daughter, and a Bored Yennefer(Netflix)

That same year Ronin the Mage attacked Yennefer and Queen Kalis of Aedirn. He was sent by the King because Kalis could not provide him a male heir. Yennefer tried saving the Queen’s daughter, but both mother and child were killed. Yennefer never returned to Aedirn.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (21)Ronin the Mage(Netflix)

1243: Triss Hires Geralt to Save the Striga

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (22)Triss(Netflix)

The sorceress Triss Merigold hired Geralt to save the Striga who had terrorized Temeria. It had already killed another Witcher. Geralt learned that a jealous Ostrit, King Foltest’s trusted adviser, had cursed the dead queen’s child.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (23)King Foltest, Father of the Striga(Netflix)

Geralt used Ostrit as bait to lure the Striga out, then survived long enough to make the monster see sunlight. It freed the feral child, the now teenaged-Princess Adelaide, inside, killing the Striga forever.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (24)Princess Adelaide After Geralt Saved Her(Netflix)

1249: Lord Urcheon Makes a Surprise Appearance/Geralt Claims the Law of Surprise/Cintra Celebrates a Double Wedding

Geralt accompanied Jaskier to a Cintran feast designed to find Princess Pavetta a suitable husband. But her mother Queen Calanthe had already determined who would marry her daughter. But during the event a helmeted knight barged in and claimed Pavetta as his own, claiming her by the Law of Surprise.

It was Lord Urcheon, who had saved the now deceased King Roegner years earlier. Calanthe refused and ordered Geralt to kill the cursed hedgehog knight. But Geralt would not, citing a duty to uphold a promise (rather than respect destiny).

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (25)Lord Urcheon Before His Transformation(Netflix)

Calanthe refused to accept the knight’s claim. But when it was revealed Pavetta and Urcheon already loved each other, Pavetta unleashed a power no one knew she had. She began screaming, knocking everyone over, as her and Urcheon began floating in the sky. When they were finally stopped Calanthe agreed to the marriage. Urcheon’s curse was then lifted. Calanthe also announced she was accepting the marriage proposal of Eist of Skellige and that night Cintra would see a double wedding.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (26)Eist Eases the Tension by Saying Calanthe Has Accepted His Proposal(Netflix)

Before Geralt could leave though Urcheon insisted the Witcher claim a prize for saving his life. Geralt did not want to, but finally asked for the Law of Surprise too. But he also said hed never return to claim it. As soon as he did Pavetta threw up, revealing she was pregnant. Her child would be Geralt’s Child of Surprise.

Geralt then left, ignoring his friend Mousesack the Mage’s advice not to ignore destiny.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (27)The Real Mouseack(Netflix)

1250: Birth of Ciri

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (28)Ciri, the Princess of Cintra(Netflix)

Ciri’s parents, Pavetta and Urcheon, disappeared at sea not long after her birth. Her grandmother Calanthe and her step-grandfather Eist raised her.

1256: Geralt and Yennefer Meet Each Other and a Djinn

Unable to sleep, Geralt went searching for a djinn. It cursed Jaskier, who he had just run into for the first time in years. Geralt took him to the nearby town looking for a mage to heal the bard. There he found Yennefer. She employed magic to mind control the town and host an orgy. Yennefer saved Jaskier from his magical malady, but she also double-crossed Geralt. She was hoping to use the djinn to grant her fertility.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (29)Their First “Encounter,” But Not Their Last(Netflix)

Geralt escaped his imprisonment, but he knew Yennefer wouldn’t survive the encounter with the djinn. He went back and saved her by using his final wish. She didn’t know exactly what he wished for, but the two then slept together for the first time.

1262: Geralt and Yennefer Go on a Dragon Hunt

Over the years Geralt and Yennefer kept meeting. They would sleep together, but then one would leave (only seen in in brief flashbacks). They met again during a dragon hunt in the far north at the edge of the Continent. Borch Three Jackdaws hired Geralt to accompany his group as its fourth member.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (30)Yennefer and Geralt Talk with a Dragon (Netflix)

During the trek Yennfer and Geralt decided to stay together. They also protected a priceless dragon egg after learning Borch was really a golden dragon named Villentretenmerth. But the two separated after being told they were bound by the djinn’s magic. Geralt had made a wish to never lose her. Yennefer believed that made their love unreal.

1263

Geralt Returns to Cintra

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (31)Eist and Calanthe Make a Huge Mistake(Netflix)

Geralt went back Cintra for the first time in over 12 years. He claimed the Law of Surprise he earned for saving Urcheon’s life. But after ignoring “destiny” for over a decade, Geralt merely wanted to protect Princess Ciri from a potential Nilfgaard attack. He did not want to take her away forever. Queen Calanthe didn’t care and tried to trick him into taking another girl. When he discovered her ruse King Eist had him locked up.

A Magical Army Gathers

Shortly before Nilfgaard took Cintra, Vilgefortz tricked Yennefer into returning to Aretuza. He was hoping to convince his fellow mages and sorcerers to fight against Nilfgaard with him.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (32)Vilgefortz the Warrior Mage(Netflix)

Fringilla, who had also attended Aretuza with Yennefer, also arrived to defend Nilfgaard’s action. The Brotherhood of Sorcerers voted not to help Cintra. But Yennefer agreed to fight alongside some of her fellow mages to help protect the Northern kingdoms.

Many mages died fighting, but they barely held on at the Battle of Sodden Hill. Yennefer kept Nilfgaard’s forces back until the Northern kings arrived, including King Foltest, whose cursed child was the Striga Geralt saved.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (33)Netflix

Nilfgaard Attacks Cintra

Nilfgaard defeated an overconfident Calanthe at the Battle of Marnadal Valley. King Eist died during the fighting. The Queen made it back to the castle, but soon after Nilfgaard broke through Cintra’s borders. They ransacked the city and killed most of its citizens. A dying Calanthe called for Geralt to take Ciri, but he had already escaped during the raid. The Queen then told her granddaughter to find him, because he was her destiny. The Lioness of Cintra then killed herself after sending Ciri away.

Ciri Finally Finds Her Destiny

Nilfgaard knight Cahir captured Ciri while she was fleeing Cintra, but the princess escaped almost immediately after. She screamed and the ground opened up.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (34)Cahir of Nilfgaard(Netflix)

Ciri was then present during a non-human rebellion at a Cintran refugee camp. After fleeing she met Dara, a young elf. The two ended up in Brokilin Forest where each drank the forest’s magical water. It had no effect on Ciri though, so she was brought to the “source.” The massive tree transported her to another plane and asked her who she is. Ciri was then lured out of Brokilin by a shape-shifter disguised as Mousesack.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (35)Dara Offers Ciri Brokilin’s Water(Netflix)

Former friends from Cintra then attacked the princess. In response she unleashed a terrible power she had never displayed before. She went into a trance and spoke about a frightening prophecy.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (36)Ciri Unleashes a Dark Power(Netflix)

When she awoke they were all dead. A local woman, Zola, found Ciri and took her in.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (37)Zola(Netflix)

Meanwhile, before the Battle of Sodden Hill, Geralt was attacked by ghouls after saving a man named Yurga. To thank him, Yurga took Geralt back to his home. Geralt’s mother Visenna might have saved him along this journey. He might have seen her in a fever dream.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (38)Yurga(Netflix)

Yurga turned out to be the husband of Zola, the woman who had taken Ciri in. Geralt and Ciri finally met near their home in the woods.

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (39)Destiny in the Woods(Netflix)

Now all we need to know is how Ciri knew Yennefer’s name.

Featured Image: Netflix

Full Breakdown of THE WITCHER's Interactive Map and Timeline (2024)

FAQs

Does The Witcher have 3 different timelines? ›

In Season 1 of The Witcher alone, three separate (and massively impactful) timelines introduce us to heroes Geralt (Henry Cavill), Cirilla (Freya Allan) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra).

Is The Witcher timeline confusing? ›

It's confusing! Even many book readers found it a bit confusing, and while confusing is often a dirty word, I really liked how this season was structured. It's a bit of a feint, similar to Westworld, in that you don't realize right away exactly when everything takes place.

Is Yennefer older than Geralt? ›

Finding Geralt's Age In Witcher 3

Witcher 3's lore entries state that Geralt is a year younger than Yennefer, who was born in 1173. Since The Witcher 3 takes place in 1272, Geralt would be approximately 98 to 99 years old (depending on his birth month).

Why is The Witcher so hard to follow? ›

Despite being the most book-accurate season, The Witcher still has underdeveloped characters and plotlines. The show's timeline is unclear, with events happening at a rapid pace and discrepancies between characters' perspectives that are not explained.

Should you watch Blood Origin before Witcher? ›

While you don't need to watch Witcher: Blood Origins before watching The Witcher season 3, it will help clarify a lot. The prequel series is set almost a thousand years before the events of The Witcher and showcases a world without humans, filled with elves, magic, and world-traveling possibilities.

Why did Henry Cavill leave The Witcher? ›

The actor mentioned that it was tricky to find the right balance between the showrunners' vision and his love for the books: "The toughest part for me was finding that balance between the showrunners' vision and my love for the books and trying to bring that Geralt to the showrunners' vision.

Is The Witcher told backwards? ›

The result is a show that jumps backward and forward in time to characters and storylines that are set decades apart, yet seldom gives any indication that it's doing so. Here's what's going on: Think of Geralt's scenes as the present.

What is a striga? ›

A striga is a woman transformed into a monster by a curse, she is filled with hatred towards all living beings, devouring them gladly, a striga may tolerate necrophages, she needs a hideout during the day, often choosing a sarcophagus in a forgotten branch of a crypt.

Why is Jaskier in Blood Origin? ›

In the end, both Jaskier and Minnie Driver's mysterious character Seanchaí were simply there to narrate a story that didn't need narrating – the narrator's voiceover and the inclusion of present-day Jaskier only served to pull audiences out of the story that was being told, rather than adding anything of value to it.

Does The Witcher timeline jump around? ›

Yes, there are some time-traveling characters in The Witcher, but the reason that the story runs non-linearly (especially in season 1) is due entirely to the decisions of the storytellers. No magic involved in that structure, I'm afraid, except of course the magic of storytelling.

Are Yennefer and Geralt in the same timeline? ›

The first season of The Witcher centers on each of those three characters over a different length of time. According to showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, Geralt's story spans about 20 years, Yennefer's story spans about 70 years, and Ciri's story spans about two weeks.

Why doesn't Jaskier age? ›

While Geralt and Yennefer both have reasons for their enduring youth -- those being witcher mutations and magic, respectively -- Jaskier is simply a human, which led to confusion among viewers. Showrunner Lauren S.

How old was Pavetta when she had Ciri? ›

Unlike her mother, Pavetta had considerable magical powers, and Ciri inherited them from her. Pavetta was born in 1237 - when her mother was only 15 years old. She married the formerly cursed Duny and gave birth to Ciri when she was only about 16 years old or so. Pavetta and her husband then died during a shipwreck.

Who is the oldest witcher to ever live? ›

Vesemir, the oldest known living witcher, was born in 1095, according to the human calendar of the Continent.

Does the timeline change in The Witcher? ›

Characters that we originally meet in one form return in entirely different forms in later (or far earlier) eras, while individual seasons or episodes can suddenly shift between periods in ways that you don't realize until you're already waist deep in them.

Does The Witcher switch between times? ›

However, the rest of his story is in chronological order starting in episode one, The End's Beginning. From then on, each episode has a time jump of at least a few years until episode seven and eight, in which his story does happen back to back, with only a few weeks at most in between.

How much time passed between Witcher 2 and 3? ›

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes place around half a year after the events of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, but a lot of action occurs in this short interim.

Is The Witcher 1 2 and 3 connected? ›

Unfortunately, some fans may be too wrapped up in the hype to realize that playing the first two games isn't necessary to enjoy the third. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt focuses on the last chapter of Geralt of Rivia's written tale, culminating several games' worth of decisions and consequences.

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