The Witcher Season 2: Big Twist in the Finale – Ciri’s secret connection to Nilfgaard

THE WITCHER

December 23, 2021 at 11:55 pm

Warning: Spoilers for the 2nd season of “The Witcher”! Why didn’t anyone know about Ciri’s connection to Nilfgaard? Netzwelt explains the connections.

• The Nilfgaard emperor is revealed as the father of Ciri in the finale of the second “The Witcher” season.
• But how can it be that nobody knew about it?
• We explain the whole story with the help of the book template.

By now, many “The Witcher” fans should have finished the second season of the Netflix series. In what is probably the greatest twist of the finale, Emhyr var Emreis (Bart Edwards), the White Flame and the ruler of Nilfgaard, turns out to be the father of Princess Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allan). Of course, a whole series of further questions arise that we will answer you here!

After all, some “The Witcher” viewers are probably wondering: Why did no one know that Emhyr is the father of Ciri? Or to put it another way: How can the father become Emperor of Nilfgaard without the knowledge of Ciri and the entire court in Cintra?

The answer to this can be found – like so much with the witcher – in the original book.

For the first time viewers of “The Witcher” see the face of the Emperor of Nilfgaard at the end of season 2. They saw Emhyr already in season 1, but at that time he was still the enchanted “hedgehog man” Duny vom Alder Forest and looked like this:

He appeared in the fourth episode of Season 1 entitled “Banquets, Bastards and Funerals”, got rid of his curse and married Ciri’s mother Pavetta (Gaia Mondadori). This episode also revealed that Pavetta was already pregnant by Duny and was expecting Ciri. And the sorcerer Geralt was suddenly connected with Ciri by fate.

But what happened to Duny / Emhyr after these events? Find out his complete biography up to the finale of the 2nd season of “The Witcher” and why Emhyr really wants to get his hands on Ciri.

Warning: Don’t read any further now if you don’t want to know how “The Witcher” ends!

Emhyr is the son of Fergus, the former king of Nilfgaard. However, Fergus was overthrown by a usurper who snatched the throne of Nilfgaard. The usurper ordered a wizard to curse Emhyr. He was still a teenager at the time. Henceforth he turned into a human hedgehog during the day and only became a human at night.

He took the name Duny of the Alder Forest. Duny later happened to save the life of King Roegner of Cintra when he was injured in a forest. As payment, Duny chose the law of surprise – which led to his marriage to Pavetta 15 years later (see episode 4 of season 1).

In the books, Duny / Emhyr never idolized his wife Pavetta, but he enjoyed his comfortable life in Cintra. But then the magician Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu), the great puller from “The Witcher”, appeared.

Vilgefortz convinced Duny / Emhyr that he was meant for more. They developed a plan how they could fake the deaths of Ciri, Duny / Emhyr and Pavetta so that the nuclear family can secretly go to Nilfgaard.

In “Decisions”, the 5th episode of season 2, Ciri and Triss Merigold (Anna Schaffer) see Ciri’s parents on the day of their departure. Emhyr is lying to Pavetta and telling her that he just wants to protect Ciri from those who want to get their hands on her because of their older blood.

The “The Witcher” books then reveal how it goes from here on.

Pavetta correctly suspects that Emhyr actually has his own intentions in mind. She smuggles Ciri from the ship that was supposed to bring all three to Nilfgaard. When Emhyr finds out, there is an argument between the couple on the high seas and Pavetta falls overboard. Ciri’s mother dies.

Together with the magician Vilgefortz, Emhyr fakes his death in a shipwreck and then travels alone to Nilfgaard.

So Emhyr seizes power over Nilfgaard

Once in Nilfgaard, Emhyr reveals himself to be the son of the former ruler Fergus. He gathers strength around himself and together with his followers he can overthrow the usurper and gain the throne of Nilfgaard.

During this time Emhyr also met the sorceress Fringilla Vigo (Mimi Ndiweni) and Cahir (Eamon Farren) and they become his most loyal followers. Season 3 of “The Witcher” may well show that story!

In the season 2 finale, Emhyr also reveals his true connection to Ciri to Fringilla and Cahir.

What does Emhyr want from Ciri?

This explains why no one knew that Ciri’s father was on the throne of Nilfgaard. But what does Emhyr want from his daughter? Why does he want to get his hands on her and have her searched across the continent?

Here it gets a little unsavory: Emhyr wants to marry his daughter Ciri and have a child with her. This is due to the elder blood that flows in Ciri’s veins.

Because the Princess of Cintra comes from the elven princess Lara Dorren (Niamh McCormack), who Ciri and Triss Merigold also see dying in a vision in season 2.

According to Ithlinnes prophecy, a child of the Elder Blood will determine the fate of the world.

However, Emhyr believes in a slightly modified version of this prophecy, which magician Vilgefortz, the masterful manipulator, convinced him of. Emhyr believes that if he and Ciri father a child, it will not only determine the fate of the world, but will rule the world.

This is exactly what the power-hungry Emhyr var Emreis wants to achieve. And that’s why he doesn’t mind the incest that this would entail.

The Nilfgaarder self-image became abundantly clear in season 2 of “The Witcher”: Emhyr’s legions want to save the world. For them that means conquering the world. Because Nilfgaard’s rule means salvation.

This is how the great Emhyr revelation differs in the Witcher books

Incidentally, the timing of the great Emhyr revelation in the series “The Witcher” differs significantly from the original book. Only at the end of the very last book “The Lady of the Lake” does it come out that Emhyr is Ciris’ father. Ciri himself never finds out!