The first episode of The Witcher season 3 will be entitled “Sherrawedd.” According to a new report from Entertainment Weekly, it will be written by Mike Ostroski and directed by Stephen Surjick. The title is in reference to an elven ruin that is visited in Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkoweski, the first full-length novel in the series, following two collections of short stories.
Outside the premiere, the entirety of season 2 was based on Blood of Elves. However, some elements of the sage were expanded upon, reimagined, introduced early, or removed entirely. For instance, the final third of the novel, which involves Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) teaching Ciri (Freya Allen) magic at the Temple School in Ellander, doesn’t occur. However, Yennefer does start to teach Ciri a little.
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During the second season, Yennefer makes a deal with Voleth Meir/The Deathless Mother (Ania Marson), the Baba Yaga-Esque demon who also ends up being a member of the Wild Hunt. If Yennefer were to deliver Ciri to her, Voleth Meir would restore Yennefer’s lost magic. Though the sorceress doesn’t go through with it, it’s still a huge betrayal.
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More On Sherrawedd
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Another thing exercised from Blood of Elves is the entire trip to Sherrawedd. According to showrunner Lauren Hissrich, in a conversation with EW, Sherrawedd is among the biggest sets that they’ve built for the show:
Even though it ultimately didn’t occur during The Witcher’s sophomore season, Hissrich said that the show’s writers “knew we couldn’t let go of it.” In Blood of Elves, it’s an important scene because it’s all about Geralt (Henry Cavill) explaining his stance on neutrality to Ciri and why he strives to stay out of conflicts.
“It was an interior-exterior set. Every shot is visual effects. Obviously there’s a fight happening, but more than that, it is this big, open space. There are blue screens everywhere, so we are just now putting the final touches on it. Episode 1’s been done for ages, but it’s taken that long to get this setting right. I think it’s really important for the story.”
According to Hissrich, the show’s writers start with a one-word sentence stating a character’s arc during that season. So that they know what their journey boils down to as the rest of the plot unfolds. For Geralt in season 3, it will be all about him “relinquishing his neutrality by the end of the season.” With the visit to Sherrawedd being the start of all that.
“This is when we get Geralt’s main thoughts on neutrality and why he wants to be neutral. It’s a theme you will continue seeing throughout the season, right up to some of my favorite quotes between him and Dijkstra [Graham McTavish] about his neutrality offending so many people.”
In addition, besides the discussions on neutrality, Sherrawedd will also be used to have Ciri learn more about the elven bloodline that she possesses. Including all the things that will come to pass during The Time of Contempt, the second full-length novel in the series, and what will likely form the basis of much of the third season.
The Witcher looks to return for its third season on Netflix sometime in 2023.
“We’re gonna hear Geralt tell the story to Ciri, but we’re also gonna hear Yennefer tell the story to Ciri. We’re gonna start to understand that everybody has a different version of historical events.”
