Netflix's The Witcher season 1 featured plenty of magical beasts, and here is every creature included in the show so far. Based on the popular book series and video game franchise, The Witcher season 1 debuted on Netflix in 2019 and quickly became a big hit. The show stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, one of the most skilled fighters and killers in the world, also known as the White Wolf. His specialty as a witcher is slaying monsters, and The Witcher included plenty of it.
Geralt spent his life training to defeat any magical beast, as long as someone is willing to pay him. Geralt's story in The Witcher season 1 uncovered his ties to Ciri from the Law of Surprise, but he also developed a romantic relationship with Yennefer of Vengerberg. The Witcher featured great set pieces between humans, but one of the show's biggest selling points was Geralt slaying magical creatures.
The magical beasts featured in The Witcher season 1 were mostly foes for Geralt, but the fantasy world also featured other mystical creatures. The first eight episodes of the series have allowed The Witcher to establish a rich world of people, killers, mages, and beasts of all kinds. This will evolve with The Witcher season 2 set to introduce multiple new creatures too, and The Witcher world is expanding beyond that with spinoffs and prequels. However, here are all of the different magical beasts in The Witcher season 1.
Kikimora
The Witcher begins season 1 with an epic fight between Geralt and the kikimora. He battles the giant, venomous, swamp monster near Blaviken. The beast proves to be a challenge for Geralt, but he still manages to defeat the creature after avoiding being drowned. The kikimora is insect-like in its appearance with six giant legs. The monster was introduced in The Witcher lore through the short story "The Lesser Evil" in a similar fashion, although it is called a kikimore - not kikimora. Three castes have been included in the games - queen, warrior, and worker - but it isn't clear what type Geralt encountered in The Witcher season 1.
Striga
Geralt eventually fights a striga in The Witcher season 1 too. A striga is a human woman who has been transformed into a monster due to a curse. The creature is featured in The Witcher episode 3 when Geralt is hired to eliminate a beast in Temeria. The mysterious curse transformed King Foltest's presumedly deceased daughter Adda into the flesh-devouring monster. Adda was a cursed fetus at birth, and her mother died during childbirth. The fetus and mother were laid to rest in the same tomb, which is how the fetus came to devour her mother's corpse and become a striga. Strigas only hunt at night and are incredibly fast and strong. Geralt's tumble with a striga in The Witcher season 1 concluded with him helping turn the monster back into a human by keeping it away from its crypt until the morning.
Basilisk
A basilisk isn't seen in The Witcher season 1, but it is directly referenced during episode 6. Geralt had just returned from defeating one of them when his services are called upon again. Taking a look at the The Witcher's source material for inspiration, a basilisk is a type of draconid (reptile-like creatures such as dragons). A basilisk has birdlike beaks, webbed wings, hooked talons, and a red dewlap. They appear in the original The Witcher game and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which explained Eskel's history with the beasts. While basilisks are usually depicted as having a mythical power to kill someone or turn them to stone with a single look, the creatures have no such power in The Witcher's world.
Sylvan
A sylvan appears in The Witcher season 1, episode 2. The rare creature physically is a mix between a human and a goat. They have a mostly human body, but their horns, hooves, ears, and eyes all resemble a goat. Despite being a mostly peaceful race, the sylvan known as Torque becomes the mark for Geralt. Nearby townfolks mistakingly believed the sylvan to be a devil due to its horns, and Torque attacked Geralt and Jaskier when they got too close. While Geralt decided to spare Torque's life, it was later revealed Torque was working with the local elves and were stealing from nearby humans.
Krallach
Krallachs are briefly seen in The Witcher season 1 and are an original creation of the show. The cockroach looking creature is quick and quite lethal thanks to its sharp arms. A mage assassin in episode 4 used it. The Krallach killed a few guards protecting Yennefer.
Villentretenmerth the Golden Dragon
The Witcher season 1, episode 6 introduced the mighty golden dragon named Villentretenmerth. The rare beast possesses the ability to change its physical form and take on a human's appearance. The dragon is known as Borch Three Jackdaws in this form and hired Geralt for a mission. The goal was originally said to be killing a dragon, but Borch revealed they were recruited to protect a fellow dragon instead.
Doppler
A doppler is also featured in The Witcher season 1. These creatures are shapeshifters that are far more powerful than the average doppelganger. A doppler can gain the memories and skills of the person whose appearance it is imitating. The doppler took the shape of Mousack, Ciri, and Cahir during season 1. So far, Geralt is not confirmed to have crossed paths with the doppler, but one can never be so sure.
Djinn
Geralt and Jaskier encounter a djinn in The Witcher season 1, episode 5. A djinn grants three wishes to the person who captures it, then it wreaks havoc wherever it goes. Jaskier unintentionally sets it free and is injured by the mighty monster. Yennefer later tries to control the djinn so it can grant her wishes, like being able to have a baby. However, the djinn's master is actually revealed to be Geralt, who helps make the spirit leave Yennefer's body. But The Witcher doesn't reveal what Geralt's third and final wish is.
The Cursed One
The Cursed One is a little different than the other magical beasts in The Witcher season 1. It isn't much of a monster at all but rather a cursed human named Duny, the Urcheon of Erlenwald. He wished to marry Pavetta, the daughter of Queen Calanthe of Cintra, but was cursed with a head resembling a hedgehog. Duny tried to use the Law of Surprise to stave off a death sentence by the Queen since he saved the King in the past. The curse was eventually broken when Duny and Pavetta got married.
Nekkers
A group of nekkers, otherwise known as ghouls, appear in The Witcher season 1 finale. They attacked Geralt, poisoning him with their bites. They are usually found in cemeteries and battlefields so they can devour the deceased. Nekkers also have long, sharp claws and use their pack hunting style to their advantage.
Hirikka
The hirikka is an extremely rare beast in The Witcher season 1, episode 6. The endangered creature lives in the Northern Kingdoms and is said to be even rarer than a dragon. Geralt and his traveling party stumble across a hirikka on a mission, and Geralt attempts to diffuse the situation peacefully, but the creature is killed by Eyck instead.