Jumping Into the Witcher Netflix Series? Here Are 4 Things You Should Know First

The Witcher has finally arrived on Netflix, as Henry Cavill brings the White Wolf fans of the video game have come to love to life.

What about those that are jumping into the series for the first time, though? Don’t worry, as we’ve got all the information you’re ever going to need to prep for jumping right into the series below.

It Isn’t Based on the Game

It isn’t a stretch to say that a lot of the Witcher’s fanbase for the Netflix original is going to come from people who have played the game.

Yet, while there will certainly be aspects that gamers will love, the actual events of the show will be based on the novels – which actually served as the inspiration for the games.

Created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski back in the early 90s, the Witcher novels start off telling short stories of Geralt’s life as a Witcher, killing monsters and turning them in for coin. As the novels continued, an over-arching plot surrounding true love’s wish, a child of destiny, and many more begin to unfold.

Those plots, as well as the stories of Geralt’s professional monster-hunting adventures, will be the basis for the Netflix show.

Mythos and Inspirations

The world of the Witcher certainly carries a lot of distinct elements you won’t find anywhere else, with creatures and concepts never explored before.

The core focus of the world is centered around straightforward fantasy though, also borrowing from plenty of real-life inspirations as well.

From the monsters to the humans to the setting, there are bits and pieces of inspiration that can be found throughout. To be specific, Slavic and Polish folktale are explored heavily in the series, twisting parts from well-known myths and making them real in the Witcher.

And all of this comes together in the form of an event known as The Conjunction of Spheres.

The Conjunction of Spheres

Occurring 1,500 years before the show, The Conjunction of Spheres is an event that rocked the multiverse.

According to the Elves of the Continent, this phenomenon is responsible for bringing just about every species and monster to the world we see in the Witcher.

From unnatural creatures like ghouls to even humans from now destroyed worlds, The Conjunction of Spheres created a melting pot of creatures.

While it is far from the first series to explore the multiverse theory, the way it combines the world of monsters, men, and Faye results in one of the most unique settings you’ll find in a fantasy series.

What Exactly Are Witchers?

Arguably the coolest thing to come about as a result of The Conjunction of Spheres, and the unique mythos of the Continent, are the titular monster hunters known as Witchers.

Created for the sole purpose of combating the evils of the world, these supernatural humans are created via alchemic and rigorous testing, known as Trials.

In order to best prepare them, anyone who is to become a Witcher is taken as a baby. The testing of the Trials is brutal, killing around 70 percent of those that prep and take them.

Geralt was one of those lucky – or unlucky depending on how you look at it, children, surviving the Trials to become a student of the White Wolf.

Despite the fact that they often save citizens from the monsters that roam the world, they themselves are often met with contempt. Part of this is due to the effects that the trials have on them, essentially stripping them of emotions, but a lot of it comes down to the fear others have of anyone that is different from them.