The Wild Hunt, who are now also going after Ciri, but if they are to appear more prominently in season 3, the Netflix show will have to make a huge book change. The Witcher is a series of novels and short stories by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, which became widely popular after being adapted to video games. The Witcher’s audience has expanded in recent years thanks to Netflix’s adaptation of Sapkowski’s works, which even though takes its characters, settings, and concepts from Sapkowski’s universe, it has also taken a lot of creative liberties when adapting the stories.
For its first season, Netflix’s The Witcher opted for a non-linear narrative, following three different characters (Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Ciri) in different places and points in time, with their paths converging towards the end of the season. The events of The Witcher season 2 were told in a much easier to follow linear style and saw Ciri training at Kaer Morhen while Geralt kept her safe, all this while Yennefer struggled with the loss of her powers. Season 2 also continued the hunt of Ciri by the Nilfgaardian army, and by the end of it, new enemies were added to the list, and it seems like half the Continent is now going after her.
The Witcher had one more surprise up its sleeve, as among those new enemies going after Ciri is The Wild Hunt. When Yennefer sacrificed herself to save Ciri, the princess of Cintra transported herself, Yennefer, and Geralt to another dimension, where they saw the Voleth Meir ing the Wild Hunt. In the source material, the Wild Hunt also targets Ciri, but if this group is to appear more prominently in The Witcher season 3, this means the Netflix show will have to make another big book change.
Why The Witcher Is Introducing The Wild Hunt Now
The Wild Hunt is a group of specters who gallop through the sky on undead horses and are seen as an omen of war. They were Aen Elle elves from Tir ná Lia who under the orders of elven King Auberon Muircetach formed a cavalry unit with the purpose of invading alien worlds and capturing young humanoids to use them as slaves, and they did this through the Gate of the Worlds. The Wild Hunt wore skeletal armor and used projections to look more spectral, but at one point, the elves lost their access to the Gate and only recovered it partially, so they had to change their tactics and enhance their spectral projections, earning the name of “Wild Hunt”. The Wild Hunt has featured more prominently in The Witcher video games, but they do come from the books, though they are not a big presence.
The Wild Hunt was first mentioned in the book Sword of Destiny and properly appeared in Time of Contempt, the book The Witcher season 3 is mostly based on. However, as mentioned above, the Wild Hunt doesn’t feature properly in Time of Contempt, but it’s expected to take an important role in season 3, meaning the Netflix show will make even more changes to the source material. The Witcher TV series has already deviated a lot from the books, which has helped it become its own thing while still being part of Sapkowski’s universe, and its approach to the Wild Hunt might be following this line. It’s also possible, however, that the Netflix series will have a slow-burn approach to the Wild Hunt, so it will continue to prepare the ground for its arrival.
By the end of The Witcher season 2, half the Continent is now on the hunt for Ciri for different (and mostly selfish) reasons, so it makes sense that the Wild Hunt was introduced. When the Wild Hunt learned about Ciri and her Elder Blood, their plans changed and they wanted to capture her so she could mate with their king and they could reintroduce Elder Blood to the elves through their child, thus regaining power and access to the Gate, so they also have a reason to want to get to Ciri. In addition to all this, the Wild Hunt has become a favorite of The Witcher fans thanks to their role in the video games, so it makes sense that the Netflix series didn’t want to wait long to introduce them, but that means more changes to the book so they can be The Witcher season 3’s big villain.
