Andrzej Sapkowski’s new Witcher novel is titled „Rozdroże kruków” (The Crossroads of Ravens) and is coming out on November 29.

Cover of new issue of Nowa Fantastyka magazine which has a fragment of the book and just revealed the title.

https://preview.redd.it/7hcvtq3px82e1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3745910dfc5879670780ab447695ebfa039c0d73

As in, what is their purpose? Are they necessary for some spells, or make the casting easier or some such? Or is it never explained?

Bringing back a long requested feature to start 2022, here is your r/wiedzmin's official The Witcher books talk. But now, instead of doing a weekly chapter by chapter format like in the past, we are going to cover one book at a time, on its entirety, once every two weeks.

Since this is an automated task, I am unable to specify on the title which book will be covered on each post, but I'll make sure to leave a stickied comment on the top with this information.

No need to say that there will be spoilers. And, also, I don't think it's a good idea to restrict spoilers from a different book, but I ask you guys the common sense to tag it as such in your comments.

And if you are curious to revisit the old discussions, just take a look on the Wiki page.

Enjoy!

I was annoyed by the quality of Polish subtitles available for the original Wiedźmin show, since they were very inaccurate and often omitted a lot of important information so I created my own using Whisper for an initial version, and then manually going through them using the books/Polish wiki to fix any mistakes and I have finally finished my own corrections.
I would appreciate it if anyone felt like watching the show again, and would watch with my subs and point out if I missed anything? They should be 99% correct, at least way more than any other subtitles for the show out there.

Link to git repo:
https://github.com/Cage89/PL-Subtitles/tree/main/Wied%C5%BAmin

1. Why was Dunny even allowed into the castle. If Calanthe didn’t want the marriage why let him, left him speak and confirm his story.

2. How was Dunny’s curse broken.

“That you’ve lifted the curse. It’s you who’s lifted it,” said the witcher. “The moment you said ‘I’m giving you Pavetta,’ destiny was fulfilled.”

But I thought the thing was Pavetta had to accept Dunny

4. wtf does this mean

“You’ve been with Pavetta for a year now, and what? And nothing. So you negotiated the oath from the wrong father”

wtf does this mean? That the King isn’t Pavetta’s father

5. Law of Surprise

So it’s a thing that if you ask for something from someone they have to give it to you or fate will intervene like huh?

SPOILERS I finished season of storms just now and It was amazing: the story itself is cool like one of the early short stories but the ending: everything from the scene in the inn with the Cat, the scene with the fox woman and the epilogue with Nimue was nothing short of fantastic. I started the books in a horrible period of my life after playing the third game and being transported in another world like the games and these books do was the only thing I wanted. Now, almost 6 years later, as i finished the last published book (for now) i just wanted to make this post to express how much i apreciate this series.

How did Yennefer get the Brisingamen? In my understanding, the goddess released the diamond for her, but why? Yennefer said she didn’t want to sacrifice anything for it, and after suffering, she received the Brisingamen. Did the goddess want to help her?

https://preview.redd.it/347xumedp5xd1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=d4003c9eb58d438f49634a90955d14b2c2c507ae

Recently got wondering about the trade routes between Novigrad and Oxenfurt gate because of the respective Novigrad and Oxenfurt gates. The placement and names of these Gates implicates a pretty horrible trade route (A) with Wares from the port having to go through the entire city and then All the way over meadworks and Alness. Route (B) would solve this problem by going over two additional bridges, but still move through half the city. (C) would be the shortst by far but still go through much of the city and and also 2 additional bridges. (D) goes over one bridge less and also has a more direct route from the port out of Novigrade over the correctly named portside gate. Now my question is really just why the hell a trade route would go all the way up to the oxenfurt gate, I can understand that there wouldn't be a route through velen but the ineffiency is still insane.

I was also wondering why there wasn't a port for boats from Oxenfurt near the tretagot gate, as the current route ships (and also radovids ship before the third act) have to take would either be (1) which is real long, or (2) which seems super inefficent going all the way around half of novigrad.

A lot of thought went into the witcher 3s world design, does anyone know why trades would ever take route (A)?

The Witcher wiki has got me fucked up. I was reading the article they had for the Trial of the Grasses, and the first trial they mention is The Choice, which they cited Sword of Destiny for. It's been a while since I read Sword of Destiny, so I pulled up an online version and I could not find a single mention of this trial. It seems like it's an invention of Witcher 1.

Another thing that's bothered me, where do people get the figure that only 3/10 children survive the Trial of the Grasses? I've seen a fanon wiki entry that uses this number, but I could not find a quote from anywhere in the books that states this. The closest thing I found was this:

"The snow fell and fell. It brightened up only with the arrival of Midinvaerne, the Day of the Winter Equinox. On the third day all the children died save one, a male barely ten. Hitherto agitated by a sudden madness, he fell all at once into deep stupor. His eyes took on a glassy gaze; incessantly with his hands did he clutch at clothing, or brandish them in the air as if desirous of catching a quill. His breathing grew loud and hoarse; sweat cold, clammy and malodorous appeared on his skin. Then was he once more given elixir through the vein and the seizure it did return. This time a nose-bleed did ensue, coughing turned to vomiting, after which the male weakened entirely and became inert. For two days more did symptoms not subside. The child’s skin, hitherto drenched in sweat, grew dry and hot, the pulse ceased to be full and firm— albeit remaining of average strength, slow rather than fast. No more did he wake, nor did he scream. Finally, came the seventh day. The male awoke and opened his eyes, and his eyes were as those of a viper . . . - Carla Demetia Crest, The Trial of Grasses and other secret Witcher practices, seen with my own eyes, manuscript exclusively accessible to the Chapter of Wizards"

Edit: Another dumb detail I've always taken for granted that's listed on the wiki like it's a fact, with no source, where does it ever say that witcher eyes have a tapetum lucidum? In the paragraph above viper eyes are mentioned, it seems like cat and viper eyes are used interchangeably by people. I think the truth of the matter is that a witcher has neither, they're simply human eyes that have been altered to have elliptical pupils to facilitate nocturnal hunting. Unlike a cat's eyes however, viper eyes do not possess a tapetum lucidum. Have we all just collectively assumed that because witchers have slitted pupils they must also have eyeshine?

This third one is just me bitching, but I don't like how Witcher 3 revealed the mutagens used in the Trial of the Grasses. It's something I've never questioned and I've always just accepted, but where specifically is it mentioned that witchers are mutated using monster DNA?

"And now they want to mutate the girl but can’t. And that might mean . . . They may ask me to help. And then I’ll see something no living wizard has seen, I’ll learn something no living wizard has learned. Their famous Grasses and herbs, the secret virus cultures, the renowned, mysterious recipes . . ."

Obviously Triss doesn't know everything, but this just sounds like they give young witchers HGH and mega-AIDS, and then if they survive they get enhanced reflexes and shit. This point is just me being stupid but still if someone could give me a quote I'd appreciate it.

I haven't gone through the other books and I don't know if maybe something more is mentioned in Season of Storms, but my main question is what trials are book canon? The Trials of the Grasses and herbs, and the Changes are the only ones I found mentioned in BoE, the latter isn't even a trial it's just capitalized in the book.

Im re-reading the books right now and having problems (again) with keeping tracking the timeline. Especially with Sapkowski jumping in time and place without announcing it.

Is there, a complete timeline of all events mentioned in the books? After the books it’s easier to keep track with the games and stuff. But I’m really troubled by the books, especially in the tower of swallow.

Maybe someone knows something or did the work themselves.

I once started it, when I first read the books, but can’t find it anymore.

I know that this is a stretch since these two are from different franchises with completely different themes (Withcer is more focused on curses, monsters, magic and wars and Spice and Wolf is more focused on economics) but they make a lot of sense in theory. If you think about it Geralt is a lot like Holo in some ways. Both of them like to wander the world in order to combat their growing sense of loneliness. And while Holo isn't as well versed in magic and lore as Geralt, she is a fierce fighter in her wolf form and she has proven time and time again to be a quick learner and having a keen mind.

On top of that, for those of you that are familiar with Spice and Wolf you probably already know that while Holo and Lawerence do make a good couple one of the issues with their relationship is that Holo will outlive him by a few centuries. Geralt suffers from the same problem, whenever he's paired with a human love interest like Shani or Essi, since Witchers have been known to live for centuries. Granted this is remedied whenever he is paired with Yennefer or Triss, since sorceresses can live as just as long as Witcher but this comes with its own problems. Yennefer is a bit too chaotic, and Triss is a bit manipulative.

So with that said would Geralt and Holo (Spice and Wolf) make a good couple?

I have created a kindle dictionary as companion to the series for the German edition of the books (Hexer Saga). It contains characters and locations lexicons that I have enhanced with quotes, references and a little trivia (being careful to avoid plot spoilers throughout): you can find it here.

Installing the dictionary is as easy as copying the relevant .mobi (or .epub, according to your kindle version) in the relevant /dictionary folder on your device, then selecting the dictionary for lookup - it should work out of the box.

At the moment the work is still in progress, namely references of the last two books are missing (as I am going through). Nevertheless I wanted to share it in case people find it useful: feel free to report suggestions and/or improvements! (The work is part of a larger effort to create dictionaries of other series too, as a side project of mine - you'll see there are the Warlord Chronicles by Cornwell too).

Link to the repository

We've heard the news that the new book will release this December, which is great! But I have a small concern. Do you think Orbit/Gollancz will translate this book with... any sense of urgency? Has anyone heard anything about the translation beyond "it will happen"?

I mean, I am only concerned due to the track record.

Infamously, the English translation was (1) late to the game, (2) translated out of order, in part because (3) the translation of the series got held up due to "legal disputes", causing huge delays in-between books.

Because they were making the last deals for translation in 2017, the more recently-released Season of Storms also took five years to translate, from original publishing in 2013 to translation in 2018.

Although, the Hussite Trilogy was translated pretty quickly once it got started - obviously it was "20 years late," but from 2018 to 2022 is not a bad timespan for three chunky books.

My worry is what is stopping Orion/Gollancz from overlooking the translation of this book? Sure, Witcher is super popular in English now, but it was already gaining popularity rapidly in 2013-2017. What's to stop them from pushing it back?

Sources are saying world translations will release in early 2025, but I haven't been able to find anything directly from Orion/Gollancz on the matter, I may have forgotten something but I don't know if they've even recognized the soon-to-be existence of this new book.

I just hope we don't have to wait like five years for a translation, is all.

Also, wondering what the cover will be like... please no game or Netflix related cover, or I will have to invest in some cheap bookbinding supplies.

Also, also, I would ask for no weirdness and errors in translation, but it's only par for the course at this point.

https://www.o2.pl/informacje/nowy-wiedzmin-ukaze-sie-juz-wkrotce-andrzej-sapkowski-dotrzymal-slowa-7083084474366528a

"All fans of "The Witcher" have been eagerly awaiting this news. Andrzej Sapkowski's new novel will be released on December 1! The writer confirmed this information during the ongoing meeting as part of the Freedom Games. As he promised a few months ago, Geralt of Rivia returns to the pages of the novel.

Andrzej Sapkowski is one of those writers who could rest on their laurels and cash in on popularity. Instead, to the delight of his readers, he decided to continue writing. After Stanisław Lem, he is the most translated Polish fantasy author in the world and today a classic of the genre.

In an interview that Andrzej Sapkowski gave to Polish Radio in the summer, he confirmed that he was working on a new novel about the Witcher. It was a real sensation. The writer admitted, rather ironically, that it would be a novel, because short "stories are too difficult".

When asked when the next novel about the white-haired monster hunter would be released , he replied: "Who can say?" As you can see, it went pretty quickly. Fans can't wait, the big countdown to the premiere of the ninth book of the Geralt of Rivia saga is starting."

Hi everyone,

During reading Tower of Swallows, I noticed an intriguing inconsistency in different language versions of the book.

In the Polish version, a decree is attributed to >!Emperor Emhyr var Emreis!<, whereas the French, Czech, and English translations attribute it to >!Emperor Fergus var Emreis.!<

For context, here’s the relevant passage from the Polish version:

!"W zwykłych więzieniach nadal tradycyjnie dzielono aresztantów według płci. W wojskowych cytadelach było inaczej. Już cesarz Emir var Emreis, potwierdzając specjalnym dekretem równouprawnienie kobiet w armii cesarskiej, zarządził, że jeżeli emancypacja, to emancypacja, równouprawnienie ma być całą gębą i na całym froncie, bez żadnych wyjątków ani specjalnych przywilejów dla którejkolwiek z płci."!<

In the English translation, the passage reads:

!"In normal gaols the inmates were still traditionally separated according to sex. In military citadels it was different. Emperor Fergus var Emreis – confirming women’s equality in the imperial army by special decree – had already ruled that if it was to be emancipation, then let it be emancipation. Equality ought to be complete and outright, without any exceptions or special privileges for either sex. Since then, inmates had been serving time in mixed cells in the strongholds and citadels."!<

The French and Czech translations are consistent with the English version, attributing the decree to >!Fergus var Emreis. !<

Interestingly, a friend of mine mentioned that he has read the 1997 Polish version, which also attributes the decree to >!Fergus!<. However, it seems that later versions have changed this to >!Emhyr.!<

Does this imply that the Polish version was revised later on while the other translations did not follow suit? Which version do you think is more reasonable?

I’d appreciate any insights on this matter!

Thanks!

UPDATE: My friend told me he was wrong about the 1997 version. Seems like the Polish version was >!Emhyr !<all the time.

​If you have any version that is different from what I read, please let me know, thank you!

Hey everyone,

I was thinking how great it would be to have some stealth and parkour in a Witcher game (with Geralt as a protag), but I was wondering if that would be possible without breaking the established lore in the books (not on the level of Assassin's Creed, something more grounded).

I remember in Time of Contempt Geralt jumping over a high wall which would break a regular man's legs to surprise Cahir and the elves, and in the same book he appeared out of nowhere in the inn where he killed "the professor", so the basis of the concept sorta exists .

So, do you think that it's lore-accurate to have him climb some buildings or trees to jump or chase monsters, kings' assassins and use stealth kills on some low level enemies ?

Or maybe it's only suited to viper and cat schools ? (I know only the latter is in the books)

P.S. I apologize if my English is bad, it's not my first language

Hello hello friends!

I'm a bingus that didn't download the Hexer with English subtitles from the internet archive back when it was available :( I tried all the links in this post and unfortunately none of them are active/accessible anymore. I was wondering if there was a place to still see the tv show?

I can see the 2001 movie at https://vod.tvp.pl, but it's not subbed and I really want to finish the tv show :(

So i started the game, and in the south-east corner of my screen there is something like "press O to jump" or "press L3 to sprint" and can I disable it? Because i can not find anything. Or maybe it should be there the whole game? Or it disables later?? Please help me.

Dzien dobry!

I’m excited to share that I’ll soon be interviewing José María Faraldo, the translator of The Witcher books into Spanish and a close friend of Andrzej Sapkowski. Like many of you, I deeply admire the work of Sapkowski, and I know there are lots of interesting questions about the translation process, the adaptation of the saga, and even about the author himself.

So, I wanted to open this space for any question suggestions you might have for Faraldo. They can be related to the translation of the books, his relationship with Sapkowski, or any other curiosities you have about the The Witcher universe or other books from the perspective of a translator.

I look forward to your comments, and I’ll do my best to include the most interesting questions in the interview! :)

I sound like a high school English teacher lol, even so I think it's an interesting question. Reading what newcomers to the series usually say, it seems like it would be a profitable idea to have a series based on a more 'stereotypical' witcher, compared to someone like Geralt. Working class, blue-collar, slice of life fantasy about the life of a mutant monster hunter and their daily trials and tribulations. Being around irl working class people gives you ample material to pull stories from. Alcohol and drug abuse is super common and could easily be translated into potion use, arguing about money with customers, worrying about lack of work, cheating comes up a lot and I know that could definitely make for a spicy story. I guess my main problem is making a protagonist that engages with those things sympathetic and interesting to read. Reading the story of someone slowly destroying their body through their line of work/lifestyle choices might not sound interesting on paper but Berserk does it, and that's super popular, so it might be worth a short story or two.

So I know that the Church of the Eternal Fire originated as a local cult in Novigrad that worshiped a holy flame that protected Novigrad from "monsters".

But how did a local cult turn into a national religion that spread itself across the Northern Kingdoms?

I mean I could understand the appeal of such a religion to a native Novigrad human, but how did the Church manage to gain other converts throughout the Northern Kingdoms?

googled this after reading the book to see if anyone else had realized this but yeah, if you've ever played pinochle, the way gwint/barrel is described is literally just pinochle lmao. Surprised no one else has posted that yet.

So, I got like 2 chapters left of Lady of the Lake, so if something big with them happens let me know and Ill delete this and finish it.

But what really is the point of the Lodge? They barely do anything of consequence, and they’re always a step behind everyone else. Even the whole Fringilavigo (sorry audiobooks, I have no idea how to spell these names) distracting Geralt in Touissant didnt really amount to anything, cause Ciri was stuck in other worlds the whole time anyways. Geralt wouldnt have been able to do anything if he wasnt distracted.

Is it just meant to show that, even though the mage civil war on Thanad weakened peoples trust of mages, they still end up trying to control everything the kings do? Like during the peace conference in Cintra?

They just dont seem to do anything of any consequence. Whats the point?