It took four seasons, but Geralt of Rivia’s name is finally official after The Witcher Season 4. When audiences first met Geralt (then played by Henry Cavill), it wasn’t explained why he carried that moniker, but was easy enough to assume that it was because, well, he was from Rivia, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, the witcher had simply taken on the title as a means of appearing more trustworthy and reputable – though only after Vesemir had laughed at his first choice, “Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde.” Warning: SPOILERS for The Witcher Season 4 from here on in.
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The Witcher Season 4’s ending changes that. The finale, “Baptism of Fire,” sees Geralt and his cohorts – or “hanza” – fight in the Battle for the Bridge on the Yaruga, where he helps the forces of Lyria and Rivia defeat the Nilfgardians. As a result of his heroic actions, Geralt gets something he’d always wanted: he becomes a knight. Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia officially dubs him Geralt of Rivia, meaning that the name he had long carried, and chosen somewhat at random, now fully makes sense, but there’s a catch.
What Geralt Becoming “Geralt of Rivia” Really Means For The Witcher
Despite it once being a dream of his, the witcher’s reaction to becoming a knight is not a happy one, with Liam Hemsworth delivering a customary Geralt “f**k” after it happens. But the reason for that isn’t so much that he’d given up on wanting to be a knight, but more what it means. These are Meve’s exact words to him in this scene: “Serve us faithfully, Sir Geralt of Rivia, with courage and valor, with allegiance to me, and only me. In the days ahead… and for all of time.”
This is essentially Geralt’s idea of a nightmare. For years, he had taken a stance of neutrality when it came to political and, for that matter, almost all human affairs. However, he gave that up – as symbolized by letting go of Renfri’s brooch – in the Season 3 finale, because he had to become involved again in order to undertake his quest to find Ciri. That’s now backfired, because the very thing he sought to maintain for so long – his neutrality, his independence – has been taken away from him, and he willingly bent the knee for it to happen.
This puts a major wrinkle in Geralt’s plans to find Ciri, because with his allegiance sworn to Meve, that cannot be his primary goal. Instead, his knighthood demands that he put Meve’s orders first, deviating him from his chosen path and delaying (and thus reducing) his hopes of rescuing his daughter. That is something that is a test for him in the books and will likely be in The Witcher Season 5.
The Witcher Season 4 is now available to stream on Netflix.
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Image courtesy of 2th Century Studios -
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
