Confused About ‘The Witcher’ Timelines? Here’s the Shocking Truth Behind Them

Netflix’s The Witcher is the newest big-budget fantasy show to follow in the footsteps of Game of Thrones. Based on the book series of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski, the show is full of exciting action and one of the best bard songs ever written. But the series is also a dense and complex endeavor for those not already familiar with the lore behind the source material. It doesn’t help that The Witcher pulls a Dunkirk and is divided into different timelines that don’t fully converge until the end of the season.

In case the Witcher timelines have you confused, the main thing to remember is that we’re following three characters: Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and Princess Cirilla or Ciri (Freya Allan), and the actions of each character are happening at different times—not all at once. We do know that, according to showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, Geralt’s story spans about 20 years, Yennefer’s story spans about 70 years, and Ciri’s story spans about two weeks.

But for a fuller picture of what’s happening when, let’s take a rough chronological look at the events of The Witcher and its confusing timelines.

Be aware that spoilers for The Witcher Season 1 follow below.

Prelude: Geralt’s Childhood (Around 100 Years Before The Start Of The Season):

The earliest scenes in The Witcher don’t really arrive until halfway through the season finale. As Geralt is fighting off a supernatural infection, he starts experiencing visions from his childhood. Through flashbacks, we meet Geralt’s biological mother, Visenna, and see her abandon Geralt and leave him in the care of another witcher (not seen onscreen) named Vesemir, who eventually trained Geralt in the ways of the witcher.

Though we don’t really know when these scenes take place, The Witcher showrunner, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said in an interview with SciFiNow magazine (transcribed by The Witcher fansite Redanian Intelligence) that Geralt is nearly 100 years old at the start of the season, so it stands to reason these scenes took place about a century before our story began.

Yennefer’s Story (70 Years Ago):

Of the three main timelines in the show, the story of Yennefer comes first. Our only hint for this is a comment by Yennefer halfway through the season when she reveals she’s been working in the court at Aedirn for 30 years, as well as the information that King Foltest is a child at this point.

Yennefer’s story is mostly told in episodes 2 and 3, when Tissaia de Vries literally buys Yennefer from her abusive stepfather and enrolls her in the Aretuza School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (unofficial name, but it really should be the official one). We see Yennefer go from a hunchbacked and insecure girl to a powerful and confident witch.

Yennefer’s time at school ends when she manipulates her way to a coveted position at the Aedirn royal court while her classmate Fringilla ends up taking Yennefer’s place in the kingdom of Nilfgaard.

In the season finale, Yennefer abandons her solo ways and teams up with Tissaia de Vries and other witches to stand up to Nilfgaard, which is led by Fringilla who’s using dark magic. After suffering heavy losses, Yennefer taps into her chaos and lays waste to Nilfgaard’s forces, but once the dust settles she is nowhere to be found.

Geralt’s Story (20 Years Ago)

The bulk of the season deals with the story of our titular character, and the greatest witcher you should absolutely toss a coin to. We know this happens after Yennefer’s time learning magic because they meet down the road (and the showrunner’s comments), and because while Geralt doesn’t seem to age, his companions and friends do. This is also the most episodic part of the season, as Geralt’s story mostly deals with him doing small jobs and killing monsters episode-by-episode.

We first meet Geralt of Rivia during one of his miscellaneous witcher adventures, as he kills Renfri and her gang, earning him the title of Butcher of Blaviken in episode 1. It isn’t entirely clear how much time passes before he meets Jaskier and becomes the subject of the number 1 hit of the Continent: “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher.”

The first big plot point of the season, from which we realize that there are multiple timelines, involves Geralt attending a royal ball at Cintra. Here we meet Queen Calanthe, looking younger and more alive than in episode 1. When Geralt and Calanthe cross paths, she is looking for a suitor for her daughter, Princess Pavetta. After Geralt saves the life of Duny, the cursed knight in love with Pavetta, Duny offers Geralt the “Law of Surprise,” linking Duny’s unborn daughter Ciri with Geralt.

It is at this same time that we discover that 30 years have passed since Yennefer went to court at Aedirn. She was tasked with escorting Queen Kalis of Lyria and her infant daughter home, but both die at the hands of an assassin, prompting Yennefer to abandon the court and go the “solo sorceress freelancer” route.

Some time later, Geralt and Yennefer meet for the first time, and Geralt makes a wish that somehow binds both their lives. They meet a talking dragon, who informs Yennefer she will never regain her womb and tells Geralt that his and Yennefer’s story ends tragically.

Ciri’s Story (The Present)

Ciri’s story takes place in the span of about two weeks, according to the showrunner, and it’s one filled with death and suffering.

This last part of the story begins with the second biggest plot point in The Witcher, which involves the invasion of Cintra by Nilfgaard, which disrupts the political status quo in the Continent. It all starts back in episode 1, as we see the kingdom being invaded, and Queen Calanthe telling Princess Ciri with her dying breath that her destiny is to find Geralt of Rivia. She escapes the city, barely missing Geralt – who had come looking for her.

The princess then wanders around for a couple of weeks while looking for Geralt, who she’s told is her destiny. Ciri discovers she has supernatural powers just like her mother did, meets an elf named Dara, enters Brokilon Forest and meets Queen Eithne of the dryads, is attacked by the Nilfgaardian Cahir, and finally meets Geralt in the final moments of the season. Having witnessed a vision of Geralt yelling out for Yennefer, the season ends with Ciri asking Geralt, “Who is Yennefer?”