The Witcher Showrunner Reverses Ties Between Ciri and Blood Origin

The Witcher’s showrunner backed away from linking one of the show’s central characters to Netflix’s disastrous Witcher spin-off. In a recent interview with EW, The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich clarified that a prophecy made in The Witcher: Blood Origin did not refer to Ciri, despite Ciri’s arc being centered around her innate magical powers caused by having “Elder Blood.” The prophecy in The Witcher: Blood Origin stated that “The Lark’s seed will carry forth, the first note in a song that ends all times, and one of her blood shall sing the last,” with the Lark referring to Eile, the central character of that series. 

That prophecy seemed to parallel with a prophecy from The Witcher books, which says in part “The world will die amidst frost and be reborn with the new sun. It will be reborn of Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of the seed that has been sown. A seed which will not sprout but burst into flame” that clearly referred to Ciri. At the time, many Witcher fans assumed that this was a connection, something that was seemingly confirmed by Hissrich herself in previous interviews.

However, Hissrich noted in an interview that Elie is not related to Ciri. “The prophecy I actually think is not as clear cut as many people think,” Hissrich said. “It does seem to immediately say Ciri is related to Éile, and that is not the case. So we can dispel that rumor right now. That is a little hidden gem for us, and we have other things brewing with that.”

Honestly, this seems like a bit of a retcon or reversal made in response to The Witcher: Blood Origin’s poor performance and reception from fans. Plans for The Witcher franchise has seemed to shift in recent months, as Netflix’s plans to expand the franchise have largely fallen flat and headliner Henry Cavill has left the show. Netflix’s marketing campaign for The Witcher even seems to indicate that Cavill’s departure is something of a swan song for the franchise, reminding folks that Cavill is still on the show for a few more weeks.