In season 1 of The Witcher, we see a few moments of Ciri showing immense power. However, she was unable to control them. During that time, only the witchers were able to cast some spells. They also had great swordsmanship.
So, Is Ciri a witcher if she possesses such powerful magic?
In Season 2 of Witcher, many fans expected that Ciri also would turn into a witcher like Geralt of Rivia. As Season 1 ended with Ciri meeting Geralt, one of the powerful Witcher. Their fate was also bound by destiny thanks to the Law of Surprise. So, for that reason, it concludes that she might become a witcher.
Spoilers Alert!!!
We do not see Ciri turn into a witcher in Season 2. There were some attempts made to become one. But those attempts were not successful due to different circumstances. Geralt also trained her but we do not get to see her as a witcher in this latest season.
So, what goes wrong, if she had trained to become one? Will she ever become a witcher then?
Ciri – Princess of Cintra
Ciri was born to a royal family. She was the daughter of Pavetta and Emreis, making her the princess of Cintra. Her grandmother, Calanthe, was the Queen of Cintra.
Although the common name that many know is Ciri, her full name is Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon. When she was five years old, Ciri lost her parents and became an orphan. Her parents died in the sea.
After the death of her parents, she was only the remaining heir to Cintra. This made her very special and got special care in the palace. Her grandmother took great care of her. Her grandmother also had a secret hidden from her. They tried their best to keep Ciri away from the truth that she was a child of Surprise.
Ciri didn’t know much about the Law of surprise and how that worked. When she was young her nanny always told her that her destiny was to be a witcher. A white-haired witcher would come to take her and train her to be the witcher.
Her grandmother showed great effort to keep her away from the truth. Even being the only heir of the kingdom, she always thought her destiny was to be a witcher.
Ciri’s Power
Know that Ciri might be young but she possesses strong powers. A power that can cause chaos. In the whole episode of the second season, we see people searching for Ciri. They wanted to use her power for their benefit.
The first time we can learn about Ciri’s power is before she was even born. Her mother was a source and displayed her power in front of all the people present at the feast. At that time the powerful witcher Geralt was also present but he was not able to contain her power.
After that, we learn how she was able to have such immense power. It comes from the blood that runs inside them. The power of the blood has skipped Ciri’s grandmother but gave power to her mother.
The blood is Elder Blood, the blood of Laura Dern’s descendants. Ciri was also a source and had the Elder’s blood running in her. This made her have abilities like her mother. Unlike her mother and grandmother, she was not a powerhouse. Her powers were more focused on the ability to traverse space and time on will.
Despite having such unique power, Ciri was unable to control it. Like if she wanted to return home then she would have to transverse into the multiverse many times. She had to do so until she could reach her home. Later she does learn to control the power.
Talking more about her power, she can also move things and people of her will. Her teleportation power not only allowed her to teleport herself but also open a portal. The portal allowed other people to teleport as well.
She can also summon beasts from other universes as well. If used for the wrong purposes then we see her power of causing destruction as well.
So, Ciri was very powerful. In season 2, we witness the ability Ciri’s power holds. The destruction her power is able to cause. We also see Ciri’s learning to control her power. But having such immense power also doesn’t make her a witcher.
What is a Witcher?
Witchers are not born. So, no one is a witcher by birth. After the conjunction of the sphere, many monsters appeared. They started attacking the humans. So, Humans made them. The witchers protected humans from monsters like ghouls, trolls, and the rest of them.
Witchers specialized in fighting and killing monsters. They were also given different herbs to change their physical appearance. The herbs also made them more robust. They were also taught a few magic spells called signs. They also learned to make magic potions which provided them the power to defeat the monsters.
They were superhuman. If any village needed their service to kill a monster then they would put a notice and pay them to do the job.
As time went on witcher killed many monsters. The number of monsters started to decrease. This made them less important than they were before. The need for Witcher became less by the time we reach the Geralds Era.
How are Witchers made?
By now we know one thing witchers are not born but rather made. They train hard to develop supernatural abilities at a young age.
Being a witcher is a dangerous thing and it requires great training. No parents would want their children to go through with that. Witcher also can’t conceive children. So, most of the witchers are orphans who don’t have anyone to stop them.
Some are children of Surprise. When a witch protects someone, they reward them with whatever they desire. So, some witchers would ask for the ‘Law of Surprise’.
The Law of Surprise meant whatever unexpected thing that occurred belonged to the witcher. Sometimes the surprise would be a baby. So, the witcher would take the baby and train it to be a witcher.
So, not all children are orphans by birth. Becoming a witcher also required other things. Here are the conditions a child should complete to become a witcher:
- Must be born with a hint of magic
- Should not be bound by any family ties to travel wherever they need and risk their lives
Now the young ones go to the press of becoming a witcher.
Intensive Training
The young ones train different fighting skills to become witches. Since they will need to fight the powerful monster, they need to become strong. Their physical ability is what will help in close combat.
They also have to attend different schools around the world. Each child has their own specialty and it represents different animals. They are:
Viper
Griffin
Wolf
Bear
Manticore
Cane
The training also includes other things. They learn to use swords, cast magic and recognize beasts and herbology. These things are only the process to make them strong. They can’t become a fully-fledged Witcher until they go through the Trial of Grasses.
This is one of the hardest and most important parts of the whole process.
Trial of Grasses
This is the last trial that determines whether the person is going to become a watcher or not. The trial is very dangerous as it can even take the life of the person on the trial.
So, what makes it dangerous?
In the trial, the trainees should lay on a table strapped. They should drink a herbal concoction. The herbs are the grasses, that is where the trial gets its name.
The potions are very dangerous toxic chemicals. It breaks down the genetic code of the human body and mutates the genes. Then the body is recomposed with superhuman strength, speed, and the ability to heal faster.
Sometimes the trainees do not make it past the process and die in the process. So, you see it is very dangerous and life-threatening.
The trainees who make it, experience changes in their physical features. They start to display the features of a beast. Their skin also becomes paler than it used to.
This concludes that Witchers are normal human beings turned into monster hunters. They also have extra strength, speed, stamina, better vision, and hearing. They also have the ability to heal fast and cast magical spells called Signs.
Ciri’s Attempts to become a Witcher
“She’s got this power she possesses which she’s afraid of. So I think, for her, fighting and training and the idea of becoming a Witcher is escapism from that. The more she gets involved with it, the more she realizes she has the drive to do this.” – Freya
In the Season 2 of the Netflix adaptation, we can expect that now Ciri can become a witcher. She had also thought her destiny was to become a witcher. We see her training to become one.
After meeting Geratk she goes to Kaer Morhen where she trains to become a witcher. She learns how to defend herself from monsters and various forces. She goes through intense training that one needs to become a witcher.
It is also revealed that Ciri has Elder Blood. The ElderBlood is a crucial ingredient in turning humans into witchers.
She also tries to go through the Trial of Grasses as well. But at the last moment, Geralt stops the trial.
Geralt knows that the trial can even take the life of Ciri. He didn’t want to risk her life for the sake of turning her into a Witcher. So, we don’t get to see Ciri turning into a witcher in Season 2.
Does Ciri become a Witcher in the Books?
In the original story of the book, Ciri never becomes a witcher. Since she never went through the Trial of Grass, she never became a true Witcher.
Despite not becoming a witcher. She always considered herself one. We know that Ciri always considered her destiny to become a powerful witcher. So, their upbringing and aptitude gave her a career in monster hunting. A job that was originally given to the witcher.
