How Is ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’ Connected to ‘The Witcher’?

Andrzej Sapkowski published the short story that would become The Witcher in 1986. Now, over three decades later, we’re finally getting answers about one of the most mysterious parts of Sapkowski’s universe thanks to The Witcher: Blood Origin.

From Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and Declan de Barra comes this four-episode prequel about one of the most impactful events in the history of this fantasy series. If you’ve ever wanted to know who the first witcher was or what caused the Conjunction of the Spheres, those questions are about to be answered. Here’s exactly how this new series relates to the Netflix behemoth as well as the answers to any other questions you may have.

How Is The Witcher: Blood Origin Connected to The Witcher?

The four-episode miniseries is a prequel to the events of the The Witcher. Specifically, the main narrative of Blood Origin takes place about 1,500 years before the novels or Netflix’s series. But just because Éile’s (Sophia Brown) story took place a long, long time ago, that doesn’t mean it’s wholly unfamiliar.

There was a time in the history of The Continent when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves and dwarves were all separated. That changed due to the Conjunction of the Spheres, a world-changing event that pushed these different realms together. That’s why The Continent feels like such a disjointed fantasy world. It’s literally made up of multiple different worlds that were unceremoniously mashed together.

The Conjunction of the Spheres is a hugely important event in this franchise. For example, because humans were so good at taking land that wasn’t theirs and having children, they quickly overthrew elves as the dominant ruling class. That’s a struggle that has spawned centuries of resentment and political strife. But as influential as the Conjunction was, it has never been explored — until now. Blood Origin will explain how the Conjunction came to be, what necessitated it, and who was involved in this world-shifting moment.

That last detail alludes to the other main draw of Blood Origin. According to this prequel, the same event that eventually led to the combining of these realms also led to the creation of the very first witcher. Yep, we’re going to see Geralt’s great-great-great-great-great-great monster fighting granddaddy. Spiritually, of course. Witchers aren’t typically related by blood.

Why Is Jaskier in The Witcher: Blood Origin?

No, he’s not immortal. Blood Origin begins with Jaskier (Joey Batey) in the middle of a battle that takes place during the events of The Witcher. A mysterious person who takes the form of the elf Seanchai (Minnie Driver) somehow stops the battle. That’s when she tells Jaskier the story of the first witcher and the Conjunction of the Spheres.

Put another way, all of Blood Origin is a story that’s being told to Jaskier by Seanchai. Why she’s so intent on telling the bard this particular tale is another question entirely.

Is The Witcher: Blood Origin Based on a Book or Video Game?

Yes and no. No, Andrzej Sapkowski’s original series doesn’t have a novel that’s explicitly about the Conjunction or the creation of the first witcher. He doesn’t even provide a clear explanation for either. But both of these events are mentioned in Sapkowski’s novels as well as the video games. Think of this as a story that’s been lost to time.