The Witcher: Blood Origin shapes an exciting and layered Geralt-free tale

by Gordon Shelly

The Witcher: Blood Origin is a four episode limited series that delves further into the lore of the world of The Witcher.

The events of this miniseries take place about 1,200 years prior to the world of Geralt of Rivia, who is nowhere to be found in this tale (as it should be). However, Jaskier the bard of many names, called the Sandpiper in Blood Orgin, is present, as this becomes his story to tell.

While Jaskier is given the story of the Seven, a group of heroic elves, who simultaneously save and doom the Continent, it is more about the events to come than what is within. It will all make sense, trust me.  Yes, it is the story of the Seven, but the duo of the Lark and Fjall are at the center of the story in what starts as a simple revenge quest.

However, this becomes a much more complicated tale than that. While it is a prequel series, this is not a good jumping off point if you are new to the world of The Witcher, as it heavily relies on having some background knowledge. Whether it be the books, the game, or the Netflix series, or all of them, something is necessary to follow Blood Origin successfully.

This tale sets the stage for the future. It reveals the conjunction of the spheres, how humans and monsters came into this world, it explains the bloodline of Ciri, and gives us peak at the mystical elf Avallac’h. If that all made sense to you, then you are probably the target audience for this series. If none of it made sense, you most likely need to start elsewhere.

There has been plenty of griping online how this is a mostly invented tale by the showrunners inspired by only a few lines of the source material. However, this is fine. The Witcher: Blood Origin does not make an attempt to create a new world, but rather expand on the one that already exists, and it does so quite well.

Overall, this is a nice entry into the lore of The Witcher, creating characters the viewer will care about, and more effectively setting the stage for the world to come.

Gordo’s Grade: B+