The Witcher began as a series of fantasy novels and short stories from author Andrzej Sapkowski. The books are popular in their own right and have been adapted into several video games, a series of Darkhorse comics, a tabletop role-playing game, and a Netflix series. It shares some traits with other popular medieval fantasy properties, such as TV Shows like Game of Thrones or video games like The Elder Scrolls.
Most of the action in The Witcher, regardless of the media you’re looking at, takes place in the Northern Kingdoms. That’s practical, but not very descriptive. There’s a lot that you don’t know about this region of the Witcher’s dark and mysterious continent, so no matter how you enjoy time with Geralt of Rivia, here are a few things you didn’t know about the frosty realm he usually inhabits.
10 Radovid’s Realms
There was a time when the Northern Kingdoms were referred to as Radovid’s Realms in honor of their king, Radovid V, also known as Radovid the Stern. Readers who have played the video games will recognize him as a character from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The end of the game is different depending on certain actions the players decide to take involving the king. In all of the lore, this is the only time in the history of the Continent (in this case after the Third War) that the Northern Kingdoms were referred to by a distinctive name instead of something referring to the direction in which you could find them. In another interesting bit of trivia, he was engaged to Ciri when she was 12 years old and he was nine.
9 Which Kingdoms?
How can we tell you anything about the Northern Kingdoms unless we explain to you what they’re actually called? This is a point of confusion since these lands have been fragmented, given different names, and subjected to a number of political upheavals. You’ll hear them referred to as the Northern Kingdoms, the Northern Realms, the Four Kingdoms, or the Great Kingdoms.
There are several major kingdoms that make up this region, and even that changes depending on where you are in the timeline. Keep your eye on Temeria, Lyria, Rivia, Aedirn, Cintra, Kaedwen, and Redania, along with a few other small duchies or independent states when you’re looking for the Northern Kingdoms.
8 The Setting
The Northern Kingdoms are where most of the action takes place in The Witcher franchise, including the history, lore, famous people and influential leaders of that region. It’s interesting even if you’re not really into the backstory and it helps with exposition if you’re watching the series or reading the stand-alone books. The borders of the Northern Kingdoms change considerably throughout the books, such as after the end of the Third Northern War when Nilfgaard took over most of the Northern Kingdoms, or when Cintra became a province of Nilfgaard through marriage.
7 The Nilfgaard Opposition
All of the three Northern Wars were a question of North versus South. Often fragmented and fighting amongst themselves, the Northern Kingdoms frequently unite when faced with a threat from the South. This is represented in all three wars by Nilfgaard. This isn’t always beneficial and the opportunity is often missed. Queen Calanthe, for example, was notorious for going it alone and shunning her neighbor’s help or consent. Fans of the TV show will remember that the kingdom of Cintra fell partly because certain other organizations and neighboring kingdoms failed to unite behind it, no doubt a decision made out of spite.
6 All the Maps Are Fan-Made
This applies to the entire continent, and not just the Northern Kingdoms. It’s hard to explain where something is using a map when there are no maps, so several creative fans, artists and interpreters made their own. The creator of The Witcher, Andrzej Sapkowski, has embraced this fan art and given it his blessing as “mostly accurate.” He’s adopted the version done by Czech translator Stanislav Komárek as the best interpretation of his literary work.
5 Nordlings
Perhaps you already know the people of the north are collectively referred to as Nordlings as opposed to their nationality or race, such as human, elf, or dwarf. The reason for this is a nod to the history of the north. The humans arrived later than what is known as the Elder Races, and eventually conquered them. Despite social barriers, the races often mix, which makes Nordlings less homogenous than their neighbors. This might explain why a single family can produce both powerful mages and fearsome warriors, as in the case of Queen Calantha’s bloodline in Cintra. In the case of Yennefer, it’s cited as the source of her magical talent as well as her physical deformity.
4 The Three Northern Wars
The setting and timeline of the Witcher in the books are organized around three major battles, and although there are some minor differences between the events of each battle, it remains the same that it’s the North against the South. Each of the adaptations of The Witcher series has a unique interpretation of these historic battles, so what you know about them depends on what The Witcher property is your favorite. The Netflix series tends to jump into different timelines, each one a setting for one of the different wars. The video games and literature have a more linear timeline but touch on all three northern wars.
3 Religious Differences
It’s not just a battle about defending or gaining more resources and territory. There are some dramatic cultural and religious differences between the north and south that contribute to the tension.
The Imperial powers of the south have as ingle unified Cult of the Great Sun. In contrast, there are references to the disorganized pantheon of gods that are worshipped by the northern people, who in turn make up a number of different races. A few of these are featured in The Witcher franchise as relevant to the plot while others are used to round out the background, history or lore. The Coram Agh Tera, a persecuted spider-worshipping cult, is one example.
2 Race and Social Status
Fans of the Netflix series got some rather stark illustrations of these differences during the show, especially during episodes that gave us some backstory of Queen Calanthe and the local elves. It was also an issue regarding the character of Yennefer, who was partly descended from an elf. On the other hand, Mages are on the very top of this pyramid, which is a bit of irony considering the elven connection. It’s strange to discover that the only real outcasts in the Northern Kingdoms are Witchers since they are mutated humans.
1 The Yaruga
The Yaruga River is an important geographic feature of the Continent in the lore of The Witcher. The prominent kingdoms of Cintra and Verden are located at the mouth of the river, making them even more strategically important to Nilfgaard every time they move south. It’s most dominant physical characteristic is the size and speed of the river, which makes it an effective border between the north and south. Characters in the book often give directions and pinpoint certain locations using the river as a reference. Fans speculate that this river is based on the notoriously wide and fast Yarra River in Australia.
