There are many eye-catching traits attributed to Geralt of Rivia, the hunky protagonist of Netflix's The Witcher. Besides being played by Henry Cavill, known for his robust build and square jaw, he sports the same flowing white locks and piercing tiger eyes that made him a unique hero in the popular series of video games by CD Projekt Red. The famed monster slayer was based on a series of Polish fantasy novels, and has undergone a slow physical transformation over the years.
Audiences have gotten more than an eyeful of the White Wolf over the course of the eight-part series, often when subjected to the amorous intentions of its beautiful women. We can tell that it isn't just his leather armor giving him his size, but what about all those big scars? Is his hair naturally white or is he just really old? Here are 10 things you didn't know about Geralt's body.
IT WAS THE RESULT OF DEHYDRATION BY HENRY CAVILL
Henry Cavill has purposefully maintained a supreme physique ever since he appeared as Superman in Man of Steel. It worked to his benefit when an actor of his stature was needed to play Geralt of Rivia, but landing the coveted role didn't mean that his workout routine was complacent.
While shooting the eight part series in Budapest, he fit in a workout whenever he could, day or night. While he didn't have to necessarily use obscenely heavy weights, he did have to train after an often grueling 12 hour shoot day. He has also explained that to get the "cut" look Geralt sports in the bathtub scene with Yennefer, he became dehydrated so his skin would conform more noticeably to his muscles.
IT'S DIFFERENT IN THE BOOKS AND GAMES
If you've read The Witcher novel series, you'll know that Geralt's body is unconventionally lithe, a physique that has more in common with a swimmer's build than a bodybuilder. He was not written as huge bruiser, but was surprisingly effective at slaying monsters because of his wiry muscular and dexterity.
Even in the first two video games, he sports a slender yet toned body with broad shoulders, and is shown to be only a little taller than Triss (5'10" to 5'11"). By The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, his dimensions were increased. He's supposed to weight roughly 240 pounds, which is on par with Henry Cavill in the Netflix series, and sports a more conventionally "handsome" face.
IT'S IMMORTAL
Witchers are, by their nature, immortal. No witcher has died of natural causes, meaning that they could essentially live "forever" provided they take care of themselves and don't get killed by one of the many monsters they face. Inevitably, that's how most witchers meet their ends.
In the books and games, Geralt isn't perceived as old by witcher standards. Even being close to 100 years old, he's in his prime. His mentor, Vesemir, is said to be older than the witcher home Kaer Morhen, which means centuries. Both certainly don't "act their age".
IT HAS MUTANT GENES
Geralt may have begun life as a human boy, but by undergoing the witcher trials, he acquired mutagens. His "mutant genes" contain a priority that ensures his body will maintain its condition for decades, always at the apex of fibrous muscle mass and tissue.
Like the strongest predators of the Continent, Geralt's body is in a constant state of survival mode. His struggles to live off the land and kill for coin keep his body in a hypertrophied state. The only physical evidence to the detriment appears on his skin, i.e. facial wrinkles and scars.
IT'S MORE POWERFUL THAN OTHER WITCHERS
Witchers are exceptional warriors by their nature, able to sustain and deliver heavy damage when involved in a fight. However, even with their incredible regenerating abilities, incredible reflexes, and superior strength, they aren't Geralt of Rivia.
As a young boy, he underwent the Trial of the Grasses, an exceptionally painful series of trials that introduced mutagens into his body. The ritual broke down the physiological composition of his body on a molecular level and rebuilt it. Because he showed such a high tolerance for the mutagens in comparison to his peers, he received more, thus becoming more powerful.
IT CAN NEVER GET SICK
One of the many benefits of the witcher mutagen is that Geralt can never suffer from disease. Ergo, any sort of pestilence or infection can't degenerate his body. His healing abilities are incredibly fast, which is why he can survive even bites from venomous monsters.
The only way he can be more fully incapacitated is if he suffers a magical attack, such as when he was bewitched by Yennefer and ordered to lay siege to her enemies in a small town. When under magical influences, Geralt can be manipulated into causing himself unintentional bodily harm, but he usually imbibes a magical potion (medieval steroids) to cure himself.
IT HAS NO PIGMENT
One of the most salient aspects of Geralt's body -as well as his hair- is that it's so pale. But it isn't just pale - it has no pigment! To become a witcher, he was put through rigorous trials, the most difficult being the Trial of the Grasses. It broke his body down at the genetic level, and mutagens rebuilt his body with superior regenerative abilities.
While he achieved super strength and speed, he lost pigment in his skin, as well as in his hair. This gave him the nickname the "White Wolf", even though all witchers bear the wolf crest on a pendant around their necks signifying their allegiance to the School of the Wolf.
ITS SCARS ALL HAVE MEANING
As we see in the Netflix series when Geralt goes for a dip in Yennefer's bathtub, his body is covered with scars. Notable ones can be seen on the left side of his neck, his right arm, along his chest, his abdomen, and across his back. Each he describes as a "souvenir" for his "collection" acquired by the monsters he's pledged to kill for coin, or through torture by humans.
The bite on his neck came from a striga, his chest wound came from a pitchfork during a race riot involving a group of dwarves, and his abdominal/thigh scars came from a battle with burrowing nekkers. His dangerous vocation means his body will never be free of mementos.
IT SHARES MANY ATTRIBUTES WITH CIRI'S
When Geralt saved Duny's life at the court of Cintra, he was compelled by Destiny to enact payment for his heroism. In exchange for saving the knight's life, Geralt was awarded by the Law of Surprise his daughter Ciri. Geralt had by this time no sense of family, and came to see the girl as his adopted daughter.
It's been remarked that Ciri and her adoptive father share many physical attributes, from the pale skin to the white hair (admittedly hers is more flaxen). In the lore, Ciri eventually becomes a witcher, and takes on mutagens during the Trial of the Grasses, the same ritual that transformed Geralt's hair and eye color. She even acquires similar facial scars.
IT ALLOWS HIM TO CAST SIMPLE SPELLS
When Geralt unleashes a shockwave of energy, creates a protective field, or lets loose a fireball, this isn't because he has magical abilities per se. He's creating "Signs" with his hands, the gestures of which allow him to perform rudimentary feats and attacks that to humans appear like magic.
In reality, it was the extreme focus and concentration granted him by the Trial of the Grasses that allow him to perform the Signs. Humans are incapable of doing the same, unless they undergo the same witcher trials that he did. It's because of things like this that Geralt is considered a nonhuman.