The Witcher season 2 introduced the Wild Hunt to the Netflix show, setting up their future role in the upcoming The Witcher season, but what are the Wild Hunt in the Netflix Witcher universe? For those familiar with the previously established Witcher lore, there's been a sense that The Witcher season 1 was an extended prologue to the main story, which finally kicked off in season 2 with the revelation of Ciri's power and destiny. The stakes were higher than ever because an ancient prophecy ties The Witcher's Ciri to the end of the world. Not to mention that she possesses the power to travel between the Spheres.
Ciri, a descendant of a powerful elven mage, inherited "Elder Blood" which grants her the abilities of her ancestor. She can combine her powers with those of mysterious monoliths scattered across the Continent to open portals between the worlds, through which monsters can emerge — and she too can travel between the Spheres. Manipulated by the Deathless Mother, Ciri transported herself, Yennefer, and Geralt to another Sphere - the one the Deathless Mother originated from. Ciri's presence in this Sphere was noticed by a group she saw in visions, The Witcher's Wild Hunt attempted to claim her. Understanding who the Wild Hunt are and why they want Ciri is crucial for the upcoming The Witcher season 3.
Who Are The Wild Hunt?
The story of the Wild Hunt begins in the elven city of Tir ná Lia, a distant Sphere whose elven inhabitants — the Aen Elle — controlled what they called the "Gate of the Worlds," allowing them to travel across the dimensions with ease. Tir ná Lia is not their own world, as the Aen Elle discovered it long ago, coveted it, and conquered it, slaughtering the humans who originally lived there. They then established a civilization built on the foundation of slavery, traveling between the Spheres and stealing human children to raise them as slaves.
Their way of life was ultimately disrupted by the Conjunction of the Spheres, a cosmic event that disrupted the Aen Elle's ability to control the Gate of the Worlds. The Aen Elle possesses the power to travel between dimensions, but they manifest in a much more horrific form when they enter another Sphere — emerging as spectral creatures, who became known as the Wild Hunt. Their leader is Eredin, who appeared in The Witcher: Blood Oath prequel series, played by Jacob Collins-Levy. When riding between the Spheres, the Wild Hunt wears skeletal armor and projects terrifying illusions around them to generate fear into any potential threats.
The Wild Hunt In Witcher Books & Games
In Andrzej Sapkowski's books, the Aen Elle coveted Ciri's Elder Blood, and her power to control the Gate of the World. Ciri soon found herself caught between two rival factions, each with their own agenda. One faction was led by Avallac'h, who claimed he wanted to use the Gate to save the inhabitants of the Contingent from a coming ice age. The other faction was led by Eredin, leader of the Wild Hunt, whose goal seems to have been to conquer other worlds rather than save them.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt videogame adapted this idea, with Eredin pursuing Ciri for a rather more personal reason — because his world too was about to experience a rather more cosmic ice age called the "White Frost," and he sought to use Ciri to dispel the coming disaster. Netflix's The Witcher series draws inspiration directly from Sapkowski's books rather than the games, so it's likely the former interpretation will be closer to the truth.
Why The Wild Hunt Want Ciri
In Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher book series, the Aen Elle are appalled at the idea of a human possessing the power of the Elder Blood. Their hope is that Ciri will be able to have a child with an elven king, so the Elder Blood can be restored to their race, and they can claim control over the Gate of the Worlds. It's possible The Witcher will drop this plot, because it's generally seen as one of the more problematic concepts in Sapkowski's tale, reducing Ciri's agency dramatically. It really wouldn't change the plot much if the Wild Hunt simply wanted to capture Ciri and turn her into their slave, using her Elder Blood for their own purposes.
Whatever the case may be, Ciri's actions in The Witcher season 2 have revealed her power to the Wild Hunt - because even if they didn't realize she was the one who brought these three humans to another Sphere, they saw her whisk them away before their very eyes. Ciri is now a target, with the Wild Hunt certain to ride forth in pursuit of her. She has inadvertently crossed a Rubicon in her personal life and now must either flee from the Wild Hunt until the day she dies - or learn how to deal with them.
How Blood Origin Introduced The Wild Hunt To The Witcher Show
The Witcher: Blood Origin introduced the Wild Hunt to the universe, and it wasn't exactly what fans of the books and games might have expected. The way the show introduced the group was through the character of Eredin (Jacob Collins-Levy). Since Blood Origins is a prequel series, it tells how many things that fans have seen in the main series originated. This includes Eredin, who becomes the leader of the Wild Hunt. In the prequel series, he is in the royal court and helps run the empire as the High Commander along with Balor (Lenny Henry).
This likely led to what created the new role as the leader of the Wild Hunt for Eredin. Just when Merwyn planned to expand the empire to the new worlds with Eredin, Balor betrayed him by sending Eredin and his troops to another world, trapping them there and away from Eredin's lover Brian (Nathaniel Curtis). This led to Eredin picking up the skull that he wears as a part of his armor in the final scenes of the season. According to showrunner Declan de Barra, this was a nod to the fans of the games and books and a hint at the Wild Hunt coming to The Witcher (via Collider).
"It's the beginning of the Eredin we know and love from the books, and the games, and the TV show to come... The dark Eredin, it’s his genesis moment, the aha moment, you see him pick up that skull, which is so visually symbolic of the Wild Hunt and what they become."
What The Wild Hunt Means For Witcher Season 3
In an interview with TechRadar, showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich revealed they drew from the book Time of Contempt. The Wild Hunt has a presence in Time of Contempt, but it's a comparatively minor one given their role in later stories. With that in mind, the Wild Hunt may simply be a background force in The Witcher season 3, hunting Ciri down and forcing her to continually go on the run. It is important to note The Witcher takes a great deal of liberty with the books - for example, the character of the Mother In Darkness, the demonic force that drove season 2's narrative, is entirely original to the Netflix show.
It's quite possible The Witcher will adapt Time of Contempt to give the Wild Hunt a much more prominent role in its exciting third season. There is also a chance that the Wild Hunt will end up changing drastically. Since Eredin was the High Commander of the Golden Empire in Blood Origin, and he is the Wild Hunt's leader in the books and games, there is a chance that this could show how these villains came to be. It's reasonable to assume Netflix is weaving a single narrative through the various spinoffs, and that The Witcher: Blood Origin will establish aspects of the show's lore ahead of The Witcher season 3.