The finale of The Witcher season 2 surprised viewers with the appearance of the Wild Hunt, who will now also go after Ciri – and here are the members of this creepy group and their individual stories. One of the richest and most popular worlds in the fantasy genre is that of The Witcher, a series of novels and short stories created by Polish author Andrzej Spakowski and which became widely popular after being adapted to video games. The Witcher got its first English language adaptation in 2019 thanks to Netflix, and in just two seasons, it has brought some of the most popular characters from the books to life.
Netflix’s The Witcher follows Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri (Freya Allan), whose paths converged at the end of season 1, with the second season focusing more on the relationship between Geralt and Ciri, his reunion with Yennefer, and Ciri’s training. The Witcher season 2 also saw Ciri in a lot more danger than in season 1, as not only is the Nilfgaardian army going after her but now also the elves, the mages, and the Wild Hunt, who made a surprise (but brief) appearance in the season finale.
The Wild Hunt, also known as Wraiths of Mörhogg, is a group of specters who gallop through the sky on undead horses and are seen as an omen of war. The Wild Hunt’s initial purpose was to invade alien worlds and capture young humanoids to use them as slaves, and they did this through the Gate of the Worlds. To look more threatening, the Wild Hunt wore skeletal armor and used projections to look more spectral, but at one point, the elves lost their access to space-time travel through the Gate and recovered it partially, leading them to change their tactics and enhance their spectral projections. Their purpose changed once they learned about Ciri and her Elder Blood, and they will have a bigger role in The Witcher season 3 – but who are the members of The Wild Hunt and what can they do?
Eredin Bréacc Glas
The Wild Hunt were Aen Elle elves from Tir ná Lia who, under the orders of elven King Auberon Muircetach, formed a cavalry unit so they could invade other worlds and bring slaves into theirs. The cavalry was named Dearg Ruadhri or Red Riders due to the red cloaks they wore, and the king appointed General Eredin Bréacc Glas as the Riders’ leader due to his efficiency and for being a ruthless soldier with strong magical abilities. Eredin, known as Sparrowhawk by the unicorns and to most as the King of the Wild Hunt, was a high-ranking general in his world who once he learned about Ciri and her Elder Blood, decided to target her as they needed the blood to regain access to the Gate. Eredin confronted Ciri and told her she had two choices: either give the king a child so Elder Blood could be reintroduced to the elves, or she could be imprisoned, and she chose the former.
However, the king was too old and was unable to perform, so Eredin gave him an aphrodisiac. The king took too much of it and died of poisoning, after which Eredin became the new king of Aen Elle. Following the king’s death, chaos spread in the palace, and with the help of unicorns, Ciri was able to escape and return to her world, but Eredin continued to haunt her. Eredin's story will be explored in the prequel TV series The Witcher: Blood Origin, where he will be played by Jacob Collins-Levy.
Imlerith
Imlerith was one of the generals of the Wild Hunt and commander of the riders once Eredin became king, but his story has been developed in the video games instead of the novels. In them, the Wild Hunt got involved in a battle at Kaer Morhen, and Imlerith turned out to be a ruthless opponent and a character to fear. When the Wild Hunt broke into Kaer Morhen, they froze everyone but Ciri and Vesemir, with Imlerith engaging Vesemir and thus allowing Eredin to take Ciri. Vesemir broke free and Imlerith almost strangled him to death, but Eredin convinced him not to so they could use the old witcher to force Ciri to surrender. However, Vesemir stabbed Imlerith, which provoked the Wild Hunt general, leading him to snap the witcher's neck. Ciri unleashed a scream that left the Wild Hunt clutching their heads in agony, and Imlerith fled through a portal. Some time later, Geralt confronted Imlerith and they engaged in a heated battle, with the general asking the witcher who taught him to fight as he did, to which Geralt replied that it was the witcher he murdered. Geralt force-fed him an Igni blast through the grill of his helmet, after which Imlerith was left with severe injuries in his head and neck. Geralt took Imlerith’s mace and put an end to the Wild Hunt’s general’s life.
Caranthir
Caranthir Ar-Feiniel, known as the Golden Child, was a navigator of the Wild Hunt and one of Eredin’s most trusted men, so much so that he was appointed as chief navigator when Eredin became king. Like Imlerith, his story has been developed in the video games rather than the novels. Caranthir also took part in the battle at Kaer Morhen, where he dueled against Eskel and used his teleportation magic to almost kill the witcher, but Ciri stopped him. Caranthir was the one who opened the portal after Ciri’s magical scream, allowing him, Imlerith, and Eredin to escape. The Wild Hunt later confronted Geralt and Ciri in Undvik, where Caranthir fought against Geralt, but the witcher impaled the navigator who, before he died, grabbed Geralt and teleported them deep underwater, where he bled to death.
Nithral
Nithral’s story also comes from the video games, and very little is known about him. Geralt and sorceress Keira Metz arrived at an old elven ruin looking for Ciri, only to find that the Wild Hunt had been there first. Caranthir and Eredin were gone, but Nithral stayed behind, and he engaged in a battle with the witcher and the sorceress. Unfortunately for Nithral, he wasn’t a tough opponent for Geralt, who ultimately killed him and continued searching the ruins with Keira.
Ge’els
Ge’els was one of Eredin’s most trusted lieutenants, and when Eredin became king, he appointed Ge’els as his viceroy and take care of the state while he was leading the Wild Hunt. Like the above-mentioned characters, Ge’els’ story comes from the video games, where he doesn’t actively participate in the hunt and he didn’t have magical skills like Eredin, Imlerith, and Caranthir, instead having abilities in plotting and politics. In order to weaken Eredin, Avallac’h and Geralt visited Ge’els to tell him about the murder of King Auberon by Eredin. Ge’els advised them to fight Eredin in their own world and lure him there with the help of the Sunstone on Skellige, promising he wouldn’t get reinforcements if he called for them.
Voleth Meir
Last but not least, The Witcher season 2 showed a new member of the Wild Hunt: the Voleth Meir, a character exclusive to the Netflix TV series. The Voleth Meir or Deathless Mother is a demon who feeds on pain, and while it generally takes the form of an elderly woman, it can change its appearance based on who it’s interacting with. The Voleth Meir was defeated by the first witchers and entombed in her hut beneath an elven ruin, but that didn’t stop her from reaching out in dreams to certain individuals, which is what she did with Francesca Findabair, Fringilla, and Yennefer, who broke her free. The Voleth Meir offered each of them what they “deserved”, but everything had a price. The pain brought by Fringilla’s actions and the murder of Francesca’s newborn child eventually broke the Voleth Meir free, who then took over Ciri. In order to break the princess free, Yennefer offered herself to the demon by slitting her wrists, but Ciri teleported herself, Geralt, and Yennefer to Voleth Meir’s native sphere, where the demon left Yennefer’s body and linked with the Wild Hunt, who were galloping through the land looking for Ciri.