Geralt of Rivia is a famous monster hunter in the world of The Witcher, and is also known as “the White Wolf” – and here’s why. Based on the book series of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher made its debut on Netflix in December 2019 and was an instant hit, quite possibly being the platform’s biggest first TV season ever. Aware of the popularity of the books and their video game adaptations, Netflix renewed the series for a second season before the first one was out.
The Witcher had a different approach to Sapkowski’s stories, and decided to follow three characters in different places and points in time, with their paths converging towards the end of the season. These characters are the title witcher, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill); Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), a powerful sorceress with a complicated past; and Ciri (Freya Allan), the crown princess of Cintra, who has powers of her own. Because of how extensive the world of The Witcher is in the source material, one season wasn’t enough to introduce the mythology of it, and fans were left with a couple of questions about it, especially those not familiar with the books and video games.
One of the most common questions about The Witcher and Geralt is why he’s called “the White Wolf”, a name mentioned a couple of times through the series and more prominently in the source material. One part of it is related to where Geralt trained to become a witcher: Kaer Morhen. This is an old keep where the witchers of the School of the Wolf used to be trained, and among its most notable apprentices are Eskel, Lambert, and (of course!) Geralt, and it’s also the place where they trained Ciri. The other part of Geralt’s “White Wolf” nickname comes from what happened at Kaer Morhen.
In order to become witchers, the apprentices at Kaer Morhen were subjected to a very painful trial that required the consumption of special alchemical ingredients known as “the grasses”, giving this whole process the name of “Trial of the Grasses”. Given the intensity of it, not all apprentices survived the trial, and those who did gained quick reflexes, cat-like eyes, and other bodily enhancements. Geralt was a special case, as he showed exceptional tolerance to the experiments and mutagens, and was subjected to more tests. All these processes left Geralt with incredibly pale skin and white hair, earning the name “Gwynbleidd”, which in Elder Speech means “White Wolf”.
The “White Wolf” symbol made an appearance in Netflix’s The Witcher, in the opening credits of the season finale. Every episode of The Witcher had different symbols in its opening credits, and the final episode, “Much More”, has a combination of three symbols: Zireael (Swallow), the obsidian star, and Gwynbleidd, representing Ciri, Yennefer, and Geralt, respectively. “The White Wolf” is a name that the audience will continue hearing in The Witcher season 2 and beyond, and hopefully, viewers will get to know more about Geralt’s backstory.